Managers at Uni Melbourne have lost the salary increase others can keep.

The university confirms this, stating the pay rise for April is deferred, at least until November.

An executive-level saving made in hard times, perhaps. Problem for people at the top of middle management is that they were taken off the enterprise agreement, when the current one was negotiated, on the proviso that they would not be worse off.

“There will be no reduction of terms and conditions, as it is important that we maintain and grow competitive and attractive terms for our senior management roles,” a university representative told CMM (October 15 2018).

But they are worse off now. Staff covered by the EA voted last week not to surrender the recent 2.2 per cent pay rise, which management asked to cancel as a COVID-19 saving, (CMM June 12).