Casual and fixed-term contract staff at the University of Melbourne will be prioritised for permanent jobs ahead of external applicants in a major win for workers.
The National Tertiary Education Union's recent win in the Fair Work Commission will force the university to overhaul its hiring practices and meet its obligations to create real pathways to secure jobs for precariously employed staff.
The Commission has found that the university breached its enterprise agreement, negotiated by NTEU and voted up by staff last year,by forcing internal candidates on casual and fixed-term contracts to directly compete against external applicants for permanent roles.
The university was running combined recruitment rounds where priority candidates were given no meaningful advantage, apart from submitting their applications first.
In siding with the union, the Commission ruled the university must conduct a separate and standalone internal recruitment round for eligible staff before advertising positions externally.
This round must include shortlisting, interviews, and referee checks before external applicants are considered.
NTEU Victorian Division Secretary Sarah Roberts said:
"This sends an unequivocal message to all employers in our sector: when you make an agreement, the NTEU will hold you to account.
"Casual and fixed-term staff have a right to a fair shot at permanent jobs. This win helps ensure those rights are real, not just words on paper."
NTEU University of Melbourne Branch President David Gonzalez said:
"This decision is a game changer for workers at the University of Melbourne.
"For too long, talented and dedicated staff were kept in limbo – semester after semester – while permanent jobs were quietly handed to external hires.
"This ruling means staff will finally get the hard-won opportunity to secure stable, ongoing work."
NTEU National President Dr Alison Barnes said:
"This case highlights the rampant insecure work crisis gripping Australian universities.
"Two-thirds of university staff nationwide are in insecure jobs and desperately need the pathways to be permanent that the NTEU fights for.
"We need urgent governance reform to ensure university management is accountable to staff, students, and the public – not just corporate-style decision-makers."
