Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Spokesperson for Higher Education, Senator Mehreen Faruqi has responded to new analysis by the National Tertiary Education Union’s (NTEU) which reveals wage theft is on track to exceed $380 million.
As stated by Senator Mehreen Faruqi:
“Sadly, the NTEU’s findings are no shock to any of us. Wage theft in universities is a systemic scourge that is harming staff across the country.
“The fact that we have a university system where vice chancellor’s earn salaries exceeding $1 million a year while casual staff are robbed of hundreds of millions of dollars is obscene.
“Enough is enough. It is time for the government to fix the broken business model of the neoliberal university that only works off the back of casual and underpaid staff. This must end.
“The government must take immediate and decisive action by requiring universities to set publicly available targets for increasing permanent employment. There should also be clearer reporting requirements with respect to employment statistics and improved rights of entry for trade unions.
“Critically, the Government must significantly increase funding for universities, and overhaul university governance to shift the balance of power from university management back to staff and students.”
