The Fair Work Ombudsman recovered $176m for 80,000 underpaid higher education staff between 2019-2024 and “sector-wide resolution of non-compliance and the underlying causes is not yet complete,” it states in a submission to the Senate Committee inquiry into university governance.
“The scale of non-compliance has been particularly disappointing given the university sector’s social licence, receipt of substantial taxpayer support, and because existing governance structures have regrettably not, in our experience, ensured workplace compliance.”
What the FWO found ;
- inadequate oversight by governing boards, audit and risk committees, plus an absence of systems for identifying compliance risks
- “poor or inadequate recordkeeping” which impacts the size of underpayments and the pace of repayments
- decentralised HR leading to inconsistent payments across faculties and schools
- HR and pay left to academic managers without expertise
- “failure to comply with enterprise agreement provisions”
What it wants universities to do:
- have “strong worker voice mechanisms” so problems are identified and fixed fast
- maintain payroll and record-keeping infrastructure
- centralise processes and improve training in HR, payroll and recruitment
- make workplace law a standing item for university councils
Unis are trying, but they need to try harder
“While the FWO welcomes the improved engagement from the sector and the increasing improvement in acknowledgement of systemic issues, sector-wide resolution of non-compliance and the underlying causes is not yet complete.”
