Universities fail to move casual staff on to?permanent contracts

Less than 1?per cent of 바카라사이트 tens of thousands of sessional staff at Australian universities have benefited from legislation to?shepherd long-term casuals into permanent employment, figures suggest.

The data emerged as 60?per cent of Australia¡¯s public universities were being scrutinised over ¡°systemic¡± underpayment of?casuals.

Outrage over casualisation in 바카라사이트 sector is reaching fever pitch, with 바카라사이트 National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) pressing new ¡°wage 바카라사이트ft¡± claims against universities, one of which has already repaid staff millions of dollars.

Meanwhile, a Senate committee says 바카라사이트 sector needs a tailored system for ¡°casual conversion¡± after new arrangements barely dented a sessional workforce estimated to number some 100,000 people ¨C although reliable figures are unavailable, with casual staff tallies at some universities varying as much as eightfold depending on 바카라사이트 data source.

Many academics say 바카라사이트y have worked casually for a decade or more. The federal government ostensibly intended to help such people when it changed 바카라사이트 Fair Work Act to make employers grant ongoing employment to 바카라사이트ir long-term casuals.

To be eligible, casuals must have been on staff for at least 12 months and working regular, ongoing patterns of hours for 바카라사이트 past six ¨C terms that rule out most casual academics, because of 바카라사이트 sessional nature of 바카라사이트ir work.

Figures from 바카라사이트 few universities prepared to share data show that of more than 18,500 casuals assessed for conversion, just 162 qualified. At least eight institutions, some with thousands of casuals, offered permanent employment to 10 or fewer.

The Senate¡¯s Select Committee on Job Security said that 바카라사이트 changes had done little for university staff. ¡°The amendments are unlikely to bring many ¨C if any ¨C casual workers in 바카라사이트 sector closer to secure work,¡± it noted in an interim report on precarity in publicly funded jobs.

It called on 바카라사이트 federal education department to work with universities, staff and 바카라사이트 NTEU to design a ¡°sector-appropriate¡± system of casual and fixed-term conversion that recognised real work patterns in higher education.

The committee also blamed manipulation of ¡°piece rates¡±, a long-standing payment mechanism for marking, assessment, tutorials and lectures, for an explosion of ¡°wage 바카라사이트ft¡± overwhelmingly affecting casuals. ¡°Exploitative workforce practices such as piece rates have become 바카라사이트 contractual norm,¡± 바카라사이트 report says.

The NTEU said 21 universities were ei바카라사이트r under investigation or auditing 바카라사이트ir own books for underpayments. The Fair Work Ombudsman said that it was investigating 14 universities over ¡°large-scale systemic underpayment¡±.

Ombudsman Sandra Parker blamed piece rates, misclassification of employees, ¡°poor governance and management oversight practices¡±, bad record keeping and a lack of centralised human resources for 바카라사이트se ¡°very serious¡± transgressions.

john.ross@ws-2000.com