The National Tertiary Education Union will launch a fresh push to tackle the twin crises of insecure work and wage theft in higher education at the Jobs and Skills Summit.
NTEU National President Dr Alison Barnes will represent members at the summit, which is on Thursday and Friday in Canberra.
Chair of the NTEU Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy Committee, Dr Sharlene Leroy-Dyer, will also attend in her role as deputy chair of the Australian Council of Trade Unions' Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy Committee.
The NTEU secured one of just 143 places including unions, employers, political leaders, subject matter experts and community, education, social services and employment services representatives.
"It's absolutely vital we ensure everyone attending the summit knows more than two thirds of university staff are employed insecurely," Dr Barnes said.
"This situation is completely unacceptable, especially while universities post record budget surpluses and vice-chancellors take home annual salaries upwards of $1 million.
"The Morrison government's casual conversion legislation was a disaster for university and education workers.
"It needs to be fixed urgently with a solution that recognises the circumstances of casualised workers who work in semesters or terms.
"We want any changes to the definition of casual employment in the Fair Work Act to be written in a way that reflects the true nature of work in our sector."
"Deliberate wage theft needs to be criminalised, with strong penalties for people and organisations found guilty of underpaying university staff.
"More than half of Australia's universities have been implicated in underpayments, which have primarily affected casual staff, and millions of dollars repaid because of the union's work."
Dr Barnes said she would also use the summit to put higher education's role in addressing skills issues in the spotlight.
"While a lot of the focus has understandably been about industrial relations, this summit is also the perfect opportunity to put universities and vocational education at the heart of Australia's response to skills shortages," Dr Barnes said.
"Universities play a vital role in developing critical thinking skills that are essential for a vibrant democracy.
"We want this summit to back proper investment in universities' workforce to repair the damage from a decade of Coalition policy failure and chronic underfunding."
