UTS CASUALS GETTING ORGANISED AND GETTING RESULTS

Dissatisfied with lack of payment for hours actually worked, UTS casual academics from Humanities and Social Sciences got organised. By logging, on a systematic basis, the time they spent on the tasks they performed as part of their casual employment, they were able to provide the evidence needed to come to a better arrangement with the University.

In the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at UTS casuals have achieved the following improvements:

Casuals receive an explanatory letter outlining how marking is paid.

Management have committed to providing marking contracts to casuals in week 5 (census date).

A Faculty-wide assessment of marking formulas, which resulted in increases in the time allocated for marking in formulas and decreases in the amount of assessment to be marked.

Subject coordinators will be required to meet with casuals and make clear the marking expectations of casual staff.

Casuals involved also received a significant amount of back pay.