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The University of Wollongong (UOW) has become the latest Australian university to admit to underpaying its staff, owing thousands of employees an estimated $8 million.
Key points:
- The University of Wollongong admits to underpaying an estimated 6,000 mostly casual staff $8 million
- UOW reported itself to the Fair Work Ombudsman and will begin contacting staff affected
- The NTEU says there is a "feudal system" at UOW regarding the dynamic between staff and management
The university has reported itself to the Fair Work Ombudsman and will cooperate with with regulatory authorities after discovering pay inconsistencies mainly affecting casual professional staff.
An independent auditor has been engaged to determine the period over which the underpayments occurred, but it is estimated some 6,000 current and former staff have been affected.
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) said the period of underpayment stretches back to 2016.
In a statement, UOW vice chancellor Professor Patricia Davidson apologised to staff who she said will be directly contacted.
"The university deeply appreciates the dedication and contributions of our staff who play an integral role in the success of our university," she said.
"On behalf of UOW, I apologise to those affected by these payment issues and for any disruption caused.
"Affected staff will be contacted directly with personalised communications clearly laying out a full repayment amount and when to expect payment."
Underpayment 'systemic' in Australian universities
UOW is the latest university to admit to underpaying its employees, with Charles Sturt University, Macquarie University, and the University of Melbourne all involved in remediation processes with staff.
Dr Andrew Whelan from the NTEU said underpayment, particularly of casual workers, is systemic in Australian universities.
"It is quite exasperating to find out this is happening … and our view would be that the $8 million is likely to be an underestimate," he said.
"As investigations continue it is likely more underpayments of this kind are uncovered."
The union estimated around 40,000 workers in the tertiary sector have lost their jobs since the start of the pandemic.
Mr Whelan said this has put increased pressure on casual workers who are managing increased workloads.
"At this university casual staff outnumber both fixed term and ongoing staff so the workforce is quite extensively casualised," he said.
UOW a 'feudal system', says union
Last month it emerged the salary of the UOW vice chancellor had increased to more than $1 million for the first time, putting her amongst the highest paid VCs in the state.
"In a way it is a sort of feudal system at the University of Wollongong. There are six people who are paid more than Anthony Albanese," Mr Whelan said.
"You would hope that it would imply close attention to this basic matter of having people paid properly for the work they do."
A university of Wollongong spokesperson said the vice chancellor's salary aligns with those for similar positions across the higher education sector.
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