Deakin University has failed to repay staff underpaid in a major wage theft scandal – and is now forcing those same workers onto even lower pay.
Despite admitting systematically underpaying casual academic staff in May last year, staff are still waiting for backpay.
The university has now introduced 16-week contracts with no 25 per cent casual loading and bundled tutorial and lecture rates, leaving staff hundreds of dollars worse off.
Many staff have also been pushed to junior pay rates despite years – and in some cases decades – of experience.
Deakin is requiring staff to work between 45 and 55 hours a week during peak teaching periods, with teaching accounting for 90 percent of their workload.
"Deakin's wage theft admission is totally meaningless without repaying the money stolen from its staff," NTEU Victorian Division Secretary Sarah Roberts said.
"To add insult to injury, these casual academics are now being forced onto lower pay rates with dangerous workloads.
"Staff with decades of teaching experience are suddenly being paid the lowest rate.
"Forcing staff to live contract to contract, while slashing their pay by hundreds of dollars and not even paying them the money they were owed more than a year ago is a disgrace.
"Deakin's university council is supposed to oversee management. But it seems like they are working hand in glove to further exploit staff who have already been ripped off.
"The NTEU simply won't stand for this. We will use every tool at our disposal to fight this.
"This is yet another example of the broken university governance model that has enormous impacts on students and staff not only in Victoria but right around the country."
