Some of Australia’s most prestigious and cashed-up universities are being accused of hypocrisy, as data reveals almost 70 per cent of staff are employed insecurely while “thousands” have been laid off as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Labelled as the industry’s “dirty secret” by unions, Victoria is the only state where the law compels academic institutions to report casual employment data.
It reveals a record 68.74 per cent of staff are employed as casuals or short-term contracts.
The ABC understands as many as 5,000 staff at just two Melbourne institutions have no more work — suggesting sector job losses are being significantly under-reported.
And senior university industry figures say the Victorian figure is reflected nationally in information sent to the Federal Department of Education.
“[The numbers] are terrible,” National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) president Dr Alison Barnes said.
“They [the teachers] have no financial security and that means it’s difficult to take holidays, get mortgages, plan a family but it’s also that chronic insecurity leads to stress and problems of emotional wellbeing,”
Read more here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-17/university-casual-workforce-redundancies-dirty-secret/12462030
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