On the case for Uni Queensland casuals

Victoria Bladen and colleagues have compiled a report on underpayment of casually employed academics for the National Tertiary Education Union – which management needs to read

Quite a report – it’s a 181 pages, including dozens of examples of classes and activities with times and date and academic units where people believe they were underpaid. As the document demonstrates, this is a not easily ignored issue.

Management isn’t. Vice Chancellor Deborah Terry is said to have commissioned a review of casuals pay and conditions, by staff including Deputy Provost Tim Dunne.

Smart move, if there is systemic underpayment of casuals it is way better for management to identify, own and address the problem on a university-wide basis than for cases in operating units to emerge over time.

As occurred at Uni Melbourne, where Vice Chancellor Duncan Maskell has now apologised, saying underpayment of casual academics is a “systemic failure of respect,” (CMM September 10).