{"id":52294,"date":"2020-05-15T14:54:31","date_gmt":"2020-05-15T21:54:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.edu\/?p=52294"},"modified":"2020-05-15T14:54:31","modified_gmt":"2020-05-15T21:54:31","slug":"more-than-70-of-academics-at-some-universities-are-casuals-theyre-losing-work-and-are-cut-out-of-jobkeeper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/more-than-70-of-academics-at-some-universities-are-casuals-theyre-losing-work-and-are-cut-out-of-jobkeeper\/","title":{"rendered":"More than 70% of academics at some universities are casuals. They\u2019re losing work and are cut out of JobKeeper"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The National Tertiary Education Union this week\u00a0struck an agreement with universities<\/a>\u00a0that no ongoing university staff member would be stood down involuntarily without pay. This deal is contingent on staff above a certain pay grade taking a cut of up to 15% of their salary.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s still uncertain how many universities will sign up to the deal \u2013 the\u00a0Australian Catholic University<\/a>\u00a0has already rejected it.<\/p>\n

Casual and contract academics are most vulnerable to imminent job losses. By mid-2018, an estimated 94,500 people were employed at Australian universities on a casual basis, primarily in\u00a0teaching-only roles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The number of precariously employed academics\u00a0has been estimated at 70%<\/a>\u00a0of teaching staff in some universities. At the\u00a0University of Wollongong<\/a>, for instance, around 75% of staff are in insecure work \u2013 a figure that includes both teaching and administrative workers.<\/p>\n

And yet in March, the university had failed to ensure wage support for casual staff needing to self-isolate for any reason.<\/p>\n

In April,\u00a0one-third of casuals<\/a>\u00a0at the University of NSW had reported they\u2019d lost work. This reportedly cost them an average A$626 a week, and 42% were working unpaid hours.<\/p>\n

Casual academics are not eligible for the government\u2019s\u00a0JobKeeper<\/a>\u00a0payments due to rules that require more than 12 months continuous employment with an organisation that has lost between 30-50% of its revenue \u2013 effectively ruling universities out. Casual academics are often on short-term contracts, such as a semester-by-semester basis.<\/p>\n

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Universities have become totally dependant on casual workers, most of whom are highly educated, dedicating their lives to their field of knowledge. Highly skilled ppl have lost their jobs and are excluded from JobKeeper. How's this fair and what's the plan Dan? #QandA<\/a><\/p>\n

— Sally McManus (@sallymcmanus) April 27, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n