ACADEMIC CASUALS SEE RED OVER UNFAIR PAY
1 July 2008
The RED (Recognition, Enhancement, Development) Report released last week identifies a range of pressing concerns for casual and sessional teachers, their supervisors and universities, however it fails to consider the ‘elephant in the room’, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) said today.
“The RED Report is silent on the most urgent issue facing casual and sessional academic staff. Proper payment for all work performed is essential and is long overdue, and this must be fixed,” said Chris Latham, Chairperson of NTEU’s National Academic Casuals Committee.
“The continued failure of universities to pay casual academics for all the work they perform forces them to take on large workloads in order to earn a liveable income. These high workloads have negative consequences for student learning outcomes. This is the most pressing concern for tens of thousands of casual academics.”
Mr Latham said that: “Casual and sessional university staff are concerned but not surprised by the RED report’s findings. We are well aware that more than half of the teaching performed in Australian universities is done by casual and sessional staff.”
“The ‘full time equivalent’ figures have always under-represented the true count of casual and sessional staff. These figures are easily manipulated and the Government formula is plainly wrong. Based on the Government formula, for a casual tutor to equate to a single ‘full time equivalent’ staff member they would need to work over 75 hours a week,” said Josh Cullinan, NTEU National Industrial Officer.
“NTEU is commencing negotiations at all universities for improved terms and conditions for casual and sessional academic staff, including payment for all work performed, improved resources and facilities and proper pathways to ongoing work for casual and sessional academic staff,” said Grahame McCulloch, NTEU General Secretary.
NTEU’s dedicated website for casual/sessional academic staff at www.unicasual.com.au continues to be a source of information for casual/sessional staff, and the campaign to improve conditions and wages continues to grow in 2008.
For further information and comment:
Chris Latham, Chairperson National Academic
Casuals Committee, (03)9254 1910
Grahame McCulloch, NTEU General Secretary, (03) 9254 1910
Josh Cullinan, NTEU National Industrial Officer, (03) 9254 1910