tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/casual-academics-2391/articlesCasual academics – The Conversation2023-04-23T20:03:44Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2030532023-04-23T20:03:44Z2023-04-23T20:03:44ZAustralian unis could not function without casual staff: it is time to treat them as ‘real’ employees<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521781/original/file-20230419-16-zlj6co.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C46%2C7745%2C5093&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ThisIsEngineering/Pexels</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This article is part of our series on <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/search?q=Universities+Accord+big+ideas&sort=relevancy&language=en&date=all&date_from=&date_to=">big ideas for the Universities Accord</a>. The federal government is calling for ideas to “reshape and reimagine higher education, and set it up for the next decade and beyond”. A review team is due to finish a draft report in June and a final report in December 2023.</em></p>
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<p>University working life may conjure up images of <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-netflix-drama-the-chair-is-honest-and-funny-but-it-still-romanticises-modern-university-life-166655">professors with book-lined offices</a>, built up over a decades-long career in the one institution. But the reality is <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/inside-australia-s-university-wage-theft-machine-20230411-p5czn6.html">precarity has become the norm</a> in Australian higher education teaching and research.</p>
<p>According to the Universities Accord <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/australian-universities-accord/resources/australian-universities-accord-panel-discussion-paper">discussion paper</a> stakeholders have already </p>
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<p>raised concerns about insecure work and underpayment in the higher education sector, particularly for casual or sessional staff.</p>
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<p>The discussion paper also notes 50 to 80% of undergraduate teaching in Australia is now done by casual or sessional staff (who are hired for a semester). However, the true figure is likely to be higher as universities <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/staff-data#toc-actual-casual-staff">report on “full-time equivalent” staff</a> rather than the actual number of people employed on contracts.</p>
<p>The Universities Accord represents the best opportunity in a generation to fix the dire employment practices in higher education. </p>
<p>If it is going to do this, it needs to recognise the significant contribution of those in precarious employment to both teaching and research in Australian universities. We must stop treating casuals as though they are an afterthought, rather than a vital part of higher education.</p>
<h2>A huge rise in casual staff</h2>
<p>Employment of casual staff has been on the rise since the late 1980s. According to the <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/337998/sub036-productivity-attachmentb.pdf">National Tertiary Education Union</a>, the number of casual and fixed-term staff in higher education grew 89% between 2000 and 2019. The number of continuing (or permanent) staff increased by 49% over the same period. </p>
<p>The union also estimates more than A$100 million in <a href="https://www.nteu.au/News_Articles/National/Wage_Theft_Report.aspx">unpaid wages</a> is owed to casual academic staff in Australia. </p>
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<img alt="A tutor speaks to a group of students" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521782/original/file-20230419-20-m12nw0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521782/original/file-20230419-20-m12nw0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521782/original/file-20230419-20-m12nw0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521782/original/file-20230419-20-m12nw0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521782/original/file-20230419-20-m12nw0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521782/original/file-20230419-20-m12nw0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521782/original/file-20230419-20-m12nw0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Up to 80% of Australian undergraduate teaching is done by casual or sessional staff.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Fauxels/Pexels</span></span>
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<p>Precarious employment is also common in universities across the globe. Around <a href="https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/10899/Precarious-work-in-higher-education-May-20/pdf/ucu_he-precarity-report_may20.pdf">half of all academic staff in the United Kingdom</a> and more than <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/26405/6_The_Impacts_of_2020_on_Advancement_of_Contingent_Faculty-Culver_Kezar.pdf">70% of staff in the United States</a> are “non-tenure track”, meaning that they are employed on short-term contracts without any promise of ongoing work or career progression. </p>
<p>A key difference for Australian academics is the proliferation of highly casualised project-specific roles. These roles lead to semester-based employment for teaching and hours-based contracts for research work. </p>
<p>So, rather than being employed by one institution for a fixed period, Australian academics <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/inside-australia-s-university-wage-theft-machine-20230411-p5czn6.html">juggle a variety of contracts</a> in both teaching and research, across multiple universities. This sees them work long hours with <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0961463X221144136">little time for their own research</a> – an imperative for researchers looking to make a career in academia.</p>
<p>There are no statistics for the number of people employed at multiple institutions, but most casual academics we encountered in our research work across multiple universities. This has also been reported in <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/inside-australia-s-university-wage-theft-machine-20230411-p5czn6.html">media investigations</a> about casual staff in the higher education sector.</p>
<h2>Our research: ‘a trend of overwork’</h2>
<p>Our research investigates the experiences of those employed in precarious positions in Australia. Between 2018 and 2019, we spoke with 27 academics employed in a range of insecure roles at universities in Australia and the UK.</p>
<p>Two of the main issues for casuals is insecurity and a lack of career progression. As one researcher, with more than a decade of experience, told us:</p>
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<p>I did have someone I was working with one time saying, ‘Oh, you need to think about your career, and your career path’ and I just thought, ‘I’ve got too much to do to think about my career’. I think really […] if you can just get a job and keep working, that’s an achievement in itself. </p>
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<p>Our interview <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0961463X221144136">research</a> also showed contract researchers are often employed on grant funding for projects in which they may have little expertise. These researchers frequently work additional unpaid hours to “prove their worth” and increase the possibility of future employment. </p>
<p>As one interviewee who has worked on a number of hours-based contracts in social sciences notes: </p>
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<p>I’d work probably three or four days, at the start, for just one day of [paid] work. So, I think there is very much a trend of wanting to overwork, when you’re starting out as a casual research assistant, because you really want to prove your worth.</p>
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<p>Despite the huge proportion of contract researchers, interviewees report they are treated as disposable and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03075079.2022.2105831">not part of the “real” academic workforce</a>. Unfortunately, there is no requirement for universities to report on the continuation of contracts or career development for those in precarious positions.</p>
<p>Sessional teaching staff face similar challenges, with some allocated only ten minutes <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-18/rmit-uq-now-among-universities-accused-of-underpaying-staff/12565528">to read a piece of work and provide feedback</a>. They are also not given any paid time to support struggling students. </p>
<p>The temporary nature of the funding means there is <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00220620.2021.1881458">little oversight</a> of their employment conditions, training or career progression. A 2019 union survey of more than 6,000 casuals found <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/337998/sub036-productivity-attachmentb.pdf">only 18% were satisfied</a> with their “mode” of employment. More than two thirds of those surveyed preferred permanent work. </p>
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<p>
<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/some-of-them-do-treat-you-like-an-idiot-what-its-like-to-be-a-casual-academic-201470">'Some of them do treat you like an idiot’: what it’s like to be a casual academic</a>
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<h2>What needs to happen instead</h2>
<p>A dramatic overhaul of university employment structures is required.</p>
<p>This should begin by including practices that are considered “normal” in other industries, namely: payment for all work completed, payment for attendance at compulsory meetings, payment for a minimum number of hours per “shift”, adequate time to complete work, career progression, professional development and stability of income.</p>
<p>Universities should also recognise the diversity of employees’ employment aims and focus on fair conditions for all staff. For example, not all academics would like to work full-time or undertake research. Universities could create part-time teaching-focused roles for those who would like to maintain currency in their industry whilst working at a university, or for those who want flexible working arrangements.</p>
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<img alt="A pile of open books." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521783/original/file-20230419-28-jr7ryn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521783/original/file-20230419-28-jr7ryn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521783/original/file-20230419-28-jr7ryn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521783/original/file-20230419-28-jr7ryn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521783/original/file-20230419-28-jr7ryn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521783/original/file-20230419-28-jr7ryn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521783/original/file-20230419-28-jr7ryn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Casual staff should be paid for all the work they do.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lum3n/Pexels</span></span>
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<p>These jobs should not be considered peripheral to the “real” work of universities but acknowledged as a core component of modern university employment structures. Those who choose to remain in causal employment should be paid fairly for all work completed and have easier mechanisms to convert to permanent employment should they wish to do so.</p>
<p>Universities should also support academics in ongoing employment to have the time and capacity to improve their supervision and mentoring of casual or contract staff.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-what-the-government-and-universities-can-do-about-the-crisis-of-insecure-academic-work-183345">Here's what the government and universities can do about the crisis of insecure academic work</a>
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<p>As part of this, stable and continuous funding to universities is essential.</p>
<p>To start with, the percentage of Gross Domestic Product invested in research could be increased. Australia <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-does-being-second-last-in-the-oecd-for-public-funding-affect-our-unis-46727">spends 1.8% of GDP</a> on research, down from 2.25% in 2008 and well behind the OECD average of 2.68%. 2020 figures <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/media-item/we-cannot-continue-doing-more-for-the-country-with-less/">show</a> universities funded more than half of their own research and development, which accounts for 36% of all Australian research. </p>
<p>The current lack of funding certainty makes it much harder to plan projects and employ researchers in an ongoing capacity. </p>
<p>More secure funding along with policy settings that steer universities <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-big-university-surpluses-underscore-the-need-to-reform-how-they-are-funded-and-governed-183977">away from a corporatised model</a> (where spending on staff is cut in the name of budget bottom lines), could have a significant difference on how universities employ staff.</p>
<p>The impacts of these changes extend beyond the individual employee. If staff are more secure and better supported, this will also support improvements in teaching and learning as well as world-leading research.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203053/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Fifty to 80% of undergraduate teaching in Australia is done by casual or sessional staffKathleen Smithers, Lecturer, Charles Sturt UniversityJess Harris, Associate Professor in Education, University of NewcastleNerida Spina, Associate professor, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1833452022-05-20T05:10:07Z2022-05-20T05:10:07ZHere’s what the government and universities can do about the crisis of insecure academic work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464407/original/file-20220520-17-ghhfbr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C7%2C4708%2C3139&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Contract and casual workers in Australian universities have borne the brunt of <a href="https://theconversation.com/after-2-years-of-covid-how-bad-has-it-really-been-for-university-finances-and-staff-172405">revenue losses</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-what-the-major-parties-need-to-do-about-higher-education-this-election-180855">funding cuts</a> to higher education and research. When the government <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-australian-government-letting-universities-suffer-138514">refused to provide JobKeeper</a> to public universities during the COVID pandemic, <a href="https://theconversation.com/universities-had-record-job-losses-but-not-as-many-as-feared-and-the-worst-may-be-over-176883">thousands of academics</a> on contracts got the boot.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/cruel-optimism-research-careers-how-support-contract-workers">My research</a>, with Nerida Spina, Simon Bailey, Mhorag Goff and Kate Smithers, aims to understand and support the working lives of academics in insecure employment. We have solutions for both governments and universities to reduce the burden of widespread precarity.</p>
<p>This precarity doesn’t just affect individuals. Insecurity, <a href="https://theconversation.com/wage-theft-and-casual-work-are-built-into-university-business-models-147555">systematic underpayment</a> and a lack of support for contract and casual workers in the sector are eroding Australian intellectual capital. This impacts the education and employment opportunities of our students. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/wage-theft-and-casual-work-are-built-into-university-business-models-147555">Wage theft and casual work are built into university business models</a>
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<p>The lack of secure employment opportunities for academics is resulting in a “<a href="https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2021/australia-faces-science-brain-drain.html">brain drain</a>” as researchers take their skills to international markets. As science PhD candidate <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/education/australia-has-spent-a-million-dollars-training-me-and-now-i-m-leaving-20220419-p5aelz.html">Miro Astore</a> calculated last month, the government has invested a million dollars to educate him but he’s about to leave Australia and might never return.</p>
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<p>It is true casualisation and precarious employment conditions have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/casual-academics-arent-going-anywhere-so-what-can-universities-do-to-ensure-learning-isnt-affected-113567">commonplace in academia</a> for decades. However, we are now aware of the <a href="https://www.teqsa.gov.au/latest-news/publications/2021-compliance-report-case-study-wages-underpayment">endemic wage theft </a>from casual and contracted university staff. This week the tertiary education regulator <a href="https://campusmorningmail.com.au/news/teqsa-warns-unis-on-wages/">TEQSA again warned universities</a> about underpaying staff. </p>
<p>Despite recent legislation aimed at transitioning casuals who work regular hours into ongoing roles, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/nov/18/australias-universities-converting-as-little-as-1-of-casual-staff-to-permanent-despite-labour-law-change">fewer than 1%</a> of casual academics have been converted to ongoing, secure employment. One casual tutor at Flinders University, who had taught for almost 16 years during teaching periods, this week <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/coalition-s-only-ir-reform-defeated-in-test-case-as-uni-tutor-loses-right-to-go-permanent-20220517-p5am1s.html">lost his bid</a> in the Fair Work Commission to be converted to a permanent part-time position. The result of this test case is the final straw for many in the sector.</p>
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<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/unis-offered-as-few-as-1-in-100-casuals-permanent-status-in-2021-why-arent-conversion-rules-working-for-these-staff-172046">Unis offered as few as 1 in 100 casuals permanent status in 2021. Why aren't conversion rules working for these staff?</a>
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<h2>What can government do?</h2>
<p>With these pressures in mind, the next government must address this crisis in Australian higher education. Our research reveals necessary government reforms to stop the leaking of talent as well as the practical steps universities can take to support precarious academics and improve the quality of degree programs for all Australians.</p>
<p>The next government must:</p>
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<li><p>urgently lift higher education funding</p></li>
<li><p>hold universities to account for underpaying staff</p></li>
<li><p>amend legislation covering the transition of casuals to ongoing employment. </p></li>
</ul>
<h2>What can universities do?</h2>
<p>At a local level, universities can quickly address three key issues.</p>
<p><strong>1. Receiving grant funding and publishing your research is key for all academics.</strong> </p>
<p>Grants are the heart of research, allowing researchers to build new knowledge. Australian Research Council (ARC) grants are the biggest prize of all. Yet being on fixed-term contracts often excludes academics from applying for these grants. </p>
<p>Academics in ongoing roles need to push back against institutional practices that marginalise the contribution of contract researchers.</p>
<p><strong>2. One of the biggest influences on how researchers experience contract work is their direct manager.</strong></p>
<p>Our research reveals the importance of managers having regular open and honest conversations with academics about the duration of contracts and supporting them in their research and teaching work. This work is the central role of the university. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-casual-staff-who-do-80-of-undergrad-teaching-need-more-support-heres-a-way-unis-can-help-166650">The casual staff who do 80% of undergrad teaching need more support — here's a way unis can help</a>
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<p><strong>3. Casual and fixed-term staff often miss out on training and conferences that can help them build their skills.</strong></p>
<p>Academics are generally not paid when attending professional development. So our university educators are having to use their own time, and possibly miss out on paid work, to stay on the cutting edge for our students.</p>
<p>While university staff can – and should – push back against precarious work, higher education policies wield the ultimate influence. And higher education policy has been largely absent from this election campaign.</p>
<h2>So what have the parties offered?</h2>
<p>Labor’s headline higher education policy is A$481.7 million in funding for an <a href="https://www.alp.org.au/policies/fee-free-tafe-and-more-university-places">additional 20,000 university places</a> for students over the next two years. It also offered extra funding for universities that offer courses in “national priority areas like clean energy, advanced manufacturing, health and education, or where there are skills shortages”. </p>
<p>Labor has promised to reform the sector through an Australian universities accord. There is very little detail, however, about what this might look like.</p>
<p>The Coalition’s <a href="https://www.liberal.org.au/our-plan/youth">higher education policy</a> centres on research commercialisation and building collaboration between industry and universities. The cornerstone of this policy was a promise of $362 million over five years for six “<a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/trailblazer-universities-program">Trailblazer Universities</a>”. These are pegged as partnerships between industry partners, small-to-medium enterprises and universities to “supercharge their research translation and commercialisation capabilities”. </p>
<p>Both sides of politics promised more places at university for young Australians. Yet neither released any plans to support those who will be teaching them. Their silence on how universities can provide high-quality education to these extra students speaks volumes. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-what-the-major-parties-need-to-do-about-higher-education-this-election-180855">Here's what the major parties need to do about higher education this election</a>
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<p>If these policies are really about supporting educational and employment opportunities for young Australians, surely the government needs to consider what happens to these students in universities. An essential starting point is to ensure all academics – regardless of their employment status - are supported and paid appropriately for their work.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183345/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jess Harris does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The problem of insecure employment for academics came to a head during the pandemic. The neglect of this issue is eroding our intellectual capital along with education and employment opportunities.Jess Harris, Associate Professor in Education, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1768832022-02-11T03:05:23Z2022-02-11T03:05:23ZUniversities had record job losses, but not as many as feared – and the worst may be over<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445845/original/file-20220210-25-n2vl8g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=528%2C0%2C6214%2C4140&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many universities, facing <a href="https://theconversation.com/universities-lost-6-of-their-revenue-in-2020-and-the-next-2-years-are-looking-worse-166749">revenue losses</a> due to COVID-19, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/australian-university-job-cuts-losses-tally-2020-9.">announced major staff cuts</a> over the past two years.</p>
<p>Estimates of the job losses have ranged from <a href="https://www.nteu.org.au/covid-19/article/The-jobs-apocalypse.-It%27s-happening-now%21-%28Sentry%2C-Oct-2020%29-22388">12,000 by October 2020</a> to <a href="https://australiainstitute.org.au/report/an-avoidable-catastrophe/">as high as 35,000</a> in the year to May 2021. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/after-2-years-of-covid-how-bad-has-it-really-been-for-university-finances-and-staff-172405">After 2 years of COVID, how bad has it really been for university finances and staff?</a>
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</p>
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<p>These estimates drew on university announcements and a general ABS labour force survey. I explain the problems with these estimates in more detail <a href="https://andrewnorton.net.au/2022/02/10/university-job-losses-in-the-first-year-of-covid-19/#more-7218">here</a>. Ideally, we should use statistics collected on a standard basis from all universities, such as the Department of Education, Skills and Employment’s <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/staff-data">higher education staff data</a>, which had a long-overdue release this week. </p>
<p>The department’s statistics are best on permanent and fixed-term contract staff. It lets us compare employment levels on March 31 2021 with the same day in 2020. It shows a net loss of 9,050 permanent and fixed-term contract employees, a 6.9% decline. </p>
<p>This is only the third decrease in <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/mapping-australian-higher-education-2018/">university staff since 1989</a>. It’s much bigger than the previous largest fall of 1.8% in 1997. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445829/original/file-20220210-47794-3cpwy6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="chart showing numbers of university staff at March 31 from 2012-2021, showing both a full-time equivalent and headcount basis" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445829/original/file-20220210-47794-3cpwy6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445829/original/file-20220210-47794-3cpwy6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=312&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445829/original/file-20220210-47794-3cpwy6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=312&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445829/original/file-20220210-47794-3cpwy6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=312&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445829/original/file-20220210-47794-3cpwy6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445829/original/file-20220210-47794-3cpwy6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445829/original/file-20220210-47794-3cpwy6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">University staff numbers at March 31 each year. (Note: includes Avondale College/University, Notre Dame, Bond, Torrens. The apparent headcount dip in 2018 is due to previous errors in UNSW reporting – there was no real decline.)</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://andrewnorton.net.au/2022/02/10/university-job-losses-in-the-first-year-of-covid-19/#more-7218">Source: Author provided. Data: Department of Education, Skills and Employment</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Casuals and non-academic staff bore the brunt of losses</h2>
<p>The department’s statistics report casually employed staff on a full-time equivalent basis, with no count of distinct jobs or persons. Casual staff typically work part-time or for limited periods such as semesters. This means it takes several of them to add up to one full-time equivalent, the hours worked by a full-time employee. </p>
<p>For universities needing to save money casuals were an easy option. They are employed on flexible short-term contracts, so universities could act quickly as borders closed to international students in February and March 2020. </p>
<p>Casual job losses are clear in the department’s statistics for 2020 compared to 2019. For other staff the March 31 census date hides retrenchments later in the year, which are only revealed in the 2021 to 2020 comparison. </p>
<p>Casual staff fell by 4,258 full-time equivalents in 2020 compared to 2019, a 17.5% decrease. In data going back to 1991, all previous casual staff decreases have been by less than 1%. </p>
<p>But casual staff losses may be over. In March 2021 universities estimated casual staff numbers, in full-time equivalent terms, would be stable in 2021 at 2020 levels. </p>
<p><a href="https://andrewnorton.net.au/2021/04/16/how-many-jobs-are-there-in-higher-education/">Other datasets</a> include more detailed but still imperfect information on casual numbers. Australia’s universities probably had nearly 100,000 casual employees before the pandemic. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-hit-casual-academics-hard-here-are-5-ways-to-produce-a-better-deal-for-unis-and-staff-155357">COVID hit casual academics hard. Here are 5 ways to produce a better deal for unis and staff</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Significant problems with all potential data sources make confident estimates of how many casual employees lost jobs impossible, but a 15,000–20,000 range seems plausible. Additional statistics due later this year may improve on this estimate. </p>
<p>Non-academic staff accounted for nearly three-quarters of all university permanent or fixed-term contract job losses on a headcount basis between 2020 and 2021. Normally, non-academic employees make up <a href="https://twitter.com/andrewjnorton/status/1437221644959846400/photo/1">around 57%</a> of university permanent or fixed-term staff.</p>
<p>It was a similar story with casual non-academic staff. They usually make up about 35% of casual full-time equivalents, but accounted for 47% of lost hours.</p>
<h2>What types of academics lost their jobs?</h2>
<p>Universities tried to protect their core academic activities, but job losses were not spread evenly among all types of academics. </p>
<p>The largest drop in academic employment – down 1,837 positions, or 5.9% – was in combined teaching and research roles. The next largest was teaching-only (-321, -4.8%), then research-only (-254, -1.5%).</p>
<p>While academics with teaching and research contracts still outnumber specialised teaching or research-only staff, they are a threatened species. This employment model was built on a previous funding system that combined government grants for teaching and research. But over the past 30 years policymakers have separated out teaching and research funding, making it much harder to line up teaching and research dollars to pay the salaries of academics who are supposed to do both. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445826/original/file-20220210-18418-1elcm84.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="chart showing changes in percentages of academic staff by research and teaching roles from 1989-2020" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445826/original/file-20220210-18418-1elcm84.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445826/original/file-20220210-18418-1elcm84.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445826/original/file-20220210-18418-1elcm84.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445826/original/file-20220210-18418-1elcm84.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445826/original/file-20220210-18418-1elcm84.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445826/original/file-20220210-18418-1elcm84.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445826/original/file-20220210-18418-1elcm84.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Proportions of academic staff (ongoing or fixed-term contract) by job function. (Note: UNSW excluded 2001-17 due to significant errors in its data submission. Excludes non-academic staff with a research-only function.)</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://andrewnorton.net.au/2022/02/10/university-job-losses-in-the-first-year-of-covid-19/#more-7218">Source: Author provided/ANU. Data: Department of Education, Skills and Employment</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="https://andrewnorton573582329.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/trends-in-staff-function.jpg">trend towards more specialised academic employment</a> was slowed because the high fees paid by international students partially reunited teaching and research income. With that revenue source in decline, teaching-and-research positions became more difficult to sustain.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/universities-lost-6-of-their-revenue-in-2020-and-the-next-2-years-are-looking-worse-166749">Universities lost 6% of their revenue in 2020 — and the next 2 years are looking worse</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Research-only academic employment was relatively protected. This might seem surprising given how reliant Australian university research has been on <a href="https://andrewnorton.net.au/2020/05/21/how-reliant-is-australian-university-research-on-international-student-profits/">international student profits</a>. </p>
<p>One reason might be that by October 2020 universities knew they were getting an extra $1 billion in <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/2020-21-budget-research-package">Commonwealth government research assistance</a>. With that funding not available for 2022, research-only jobs could be more vulnerable. </p>
<h2>Young staff were hit hard</h2>
<p>One early fear as COVID-19 struck university income was that this would affect early career staff the most. They are often employed on fixed-term contracts, which make them relatively cheap to retrench. Contractual vulnerability was a factor in who lost jobs, with a 10% decline in staff on fixed-term contracts compared to 5% of those on permanent contracts.</p>
<p>Age data show 20-something university staff suffered heavy job losses. Some older staff were sent off into retirement, with mid-career staff at the lowest risk of job loss.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445833/original/file-20220210-1970-16cj2pn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="chart showing breakdown of university job losses by age" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445833/original/file-20220210-1970-16cj2pn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445833/original/file-20220210-1970-16cj2pn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445833/original/file-20220210-1970-16cj2pn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445833/original/file-20220210-1970-16cj2pn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445833/original/file-20220210-1970-16cj2pn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445833/original/file-20220210-1970-16cj2pn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445833/original/file-20220210-1970-16cj2pn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Staff losses by age, showing percentage decrease in each age group in 2021 compared to 2020. (Note: numbers are for permanent and fixed-term staff only. Includes Avondale College/University, Notre Dame, Bond, Torrens.)</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://andrewnorton.net.au/2022/02/10/university-job-losses-in-the-first-year-of-covid-19/#more-7218">Source: Author. Data: Department of Education, Skills and Employment</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Among academic staff, level B (lecturer) academics had the largest reduction in employment (-1,009) and percentage decline (-5.9%) of all academic levels. This is consistent with job losses being greatest for young university staff.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hit-hard-by-the-pandemic-researchers-expect-its-impacts-to-linger-for-years-169366">Hit hard by the pandemic, researchers expect its impacts to linger for years</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Job losses varied by university</h2>
<p>Job losses varied greatly across the higher education sector. Universities in Victoria and New South Wales were affected the most, reflecting their high international student enrolments. </p>
<p>At the upper end of the range, UNSW, Monash, RMIT and UTS each lost more than 500 staff. </p>
<p>Charles Darwin and Southern Queensland went against the trend and added small numbers of employees.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445839/original/file-20220210-25-1sp95aq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="chart showing net staff losses or gains by universities from 2020 to 2021" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445839/original/file-20220210-25-1sp95aq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445839/original/file-20220210-25-1sp95aq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445839/original/file-20220210-25-1sp95aq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445839/original/file-20220210-25-1sp95aq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445839/original/file-20220210-25-1sp95aq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445839/original/file-20220210-25-1sp95aq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445839/original/file-20220210-25-1sp95aq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Net job losses or gains by university, 2020 to 2021. (Note: fixed-term and permanent contract staff only.)</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Source: Author. Data: Department of Education, Skills and Employment</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>When will university employment recover?</h2>
<p>The newly released data used above are already nearly a year old. There is some evidence that employment in the second half of 2021 improved on earlier in the year. </p>
<p>An analysis of <a href="https://cpas.anu.edu.au/research/reports">academic job advertisements</a> found that by June 2021 they were at more than 90% of June 2019 levels, after having crashed during 2020. Australian Taxation Office <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-work-hours/weekly-payroll-jobs-and-wages-australia/latest-release">payroll data</a> show that in tertiary education, which includes vocational as well as higher education, <a href="https://andrewnorton573582329.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/payroll-jobs-2022.jpg">more people were being paid in the last quarter of 2021</a> than at the same time in 2020. </p>
<p>Commonwealth research funding returning to normal will reduce university income in 2022, but increased revenue from international students will partly offset this loss. <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/international-data">International student numbers</a> are slowly recovering after Australia’s borders reopened to them in December 2021, but still have a long way to go to get back to 2019 levels. </p>
<p>The worst is almost certainly over for university staff, but the long COVID of university employment will not clear for some time.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176883/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Norton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>While the official figures are lower than earlier estimates of job losses, they also show certain types of employees – casual, non-academic and younger staff – bore the brunt of the staff cuts.Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1666502021-09-06T20:10:56Z2021-09-06T20:10:56ZThe casual staff who do 80% of undergrad teaching need more support — here’s a way unis can help<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/418790/original/file-20210901-27-16e8fv4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=45%2C0%2C5086%2C3380&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/smiling-african-manager-coach-speaking-diverse-1212195550">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Casual staff do an estimated <a href="https://theconversation.com/casual-academics-arent-going-anywhere-so-what-can-universities-do-to-ensure-learning-isnt-affected-113567">80% of undergraduate teaching in Australian universities</a>. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360.2018.1545749">Research</a> shows these staff are highly committed, going above and <a href="https://theconversation.com/wage-theft-and-casual-work-are-built-into-university-business-models-147555">beyond their paid role</a> to assist students. </p>
<p>Yet, compared to full-time staff, casuals are often treated as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360.2018.1545749">second-class citizens</a>. Casual staff have little institutional support. They <a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-hit-casual-academics-hard-here-are-5-ways-to-produce-a-better-deal-for-unis-and-staff-155357">lack job security</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-70-of-academics-at-some-universities-are-casuals-theyre-losing-work-and-are-cut-out-of-jobkeeper-137778">More than 70% of academics at some universities are casuals. They're losing work and are cut out of JobKeeper</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Casual staff are routinely <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1360144X.2016.1263962">denied professional development opportunities</a>, which may hamper their careers. They report feeling <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1360144X.2016.1261355">isolated and invisible</a>. </p>
<h2>Team teaching can help</h2>
<p>Our <a href="https://journals.sfu.ca/jalt/index.php/jalt/article/view/421">recently published research</a> outlines a team-teaching model that can address some of these issues. Teaching teams <a href="https://www.igi-global.com/gateway/article/59699">share responsibility for planning, instruction and evaluation</a> of students. </p>
<p>We are casual academics from diverse disciplines who jointly teach an online undergraduate unit. We have found team teaching to be collaborative, sustainable and rewarding. </p>
<p>In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many universities increased their use of online delivery. When done well, <a href="https://theconversation.com/universities-need-to-train-lecturers-in-online-delivery-or-they-risk-students-dropping-out-133921">online learning can be as effective</a> as face-to-face teaching. Online studies can be <a href="https://journals.sfu.ca/jalt/index.php/jalt/article/view/193">engaging and interactive</a> if teachers are adequately trained. </p>
<p>And team teaching can help ease staff into online delivery.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1417364905028722689"}"></div></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/digital-learning-is-real-world-learning-thats-why-blended-on-campus-and-online-study-is-best-163002">Digital learning is real-world learning. That's why blended on-campus and online study is best</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How do casuals feel about this approach?</h2>
<p>Participants in our research project reflected on teaching as part of our team in comparison to their other teaching experiences. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Some take on extra work, some demonstrate best practice in giving feedback, crafting lectures, finding relevant resources etc. Some research how the available technology can help improve our teaching, some advocate for the unit in their influence circles; some bring subject matter expertise. — Brett</p>
<p>All members of the teaching team contribute to decisions on included resources, lecture/webpage content, assessments, delivery of synchronised sessions, marking and sharing of ideas. — Astrid</p>
<p>I have noticed that sometimes team members act quite autonomously and responsively, and at other times there is a lot of consultation, and that both these approaches entail a lot of goodwill and trust. — Jason</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As our participants noted, members take ownership of particular content, depending on expertise, interest and availability. Input and review come from the whole team. Decision-making is shared.</p>
<p>Collective decision-making requires regular team meetings. These meetings are genuine collaborations in which ideas are discussed and debated. Engaging in regular interactions helps to counter casual teachers’ typical experience of isolation and invisibility. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The weekly meetings help me to feel connected with other tutor members. Despite the unit and teaching being wholly online, the weekly catch-ups during semester help to facilitate rapport and camaraderie. — Poppy</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young man smiles and gestures as group of young professionals meet online" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/418825/original/file-20210901-17-1465q2c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/418825/original/file-20210901-17-1465q2c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418825/original/file-20210901-17-1465q2c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418825/original/file-20210901-17-1465q2c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418825/original/file-20210901-17-1465q2c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418825/original/file-20210901-17-1465q2c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418825/original/file-20210901-17-1465q2c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">With everyone working online, team teaching helps build camaraderie and overcome feelings of isolation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/business-man-having-virtual-team-meeting-1854622273">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Collaboration reduces the burden on individual teachers while ensuring continuity for the students and the course.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I felt very supported by the teaching team generally, and senior members in particular […] Weekly meetings were an opportunity to raise issues within an environment of shared understandings of the challenges of tertiary-level teaching, online delivery and confronting content. — Astrid </p>
<p>Overall, I feel very supported. I am generally able to take time off and team members will competently step up to cover my duties. I am confident team members know enough about my work so they can handle any emergency or issue in my absence. — Brett</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Working together fosters peer learning. Participants described learning about all aspects of university teaching, including unit design, content development, assessment and online teaching skills. </p>
<p>Ruth said the unit was one of her best teaching experiences because she was learning the whole time. Experienced members of the teaching team described learning new approaches to student management and delivery. </p>
<p>“On-the-job” learning helps offset the exclusion of casual staff from professional development training and safeguards future academic teaching. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/as-universities-face-losing-1-in-10-staff-covid-driven-cuts-create-4-key-risks-147007">As universities face losing 1 in 10 staff, COVID-driven cuts create 4 key risks</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What’s needed to make team teaching work?</h2>
<p>Successful collaboration requires team members to be skilled in providing constructive feedback. They must also be comfortable with their ideas being challenged. Solid interpersonal skills are necessary to resolve any dissent.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We contested each other quite a bit […] all of the colleagues are highly talented, but portray a real willingness to learn […] so there is a flexibility and lack of defensiveness that characterises all the colleagues. — Jason</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Collaborative teaching teams also rely on institutional recognition and financial support. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The school … is also really supportive in terms of having a ‘champion’ and financial support for us to meet to collaborate. Financial support for the work we do is a literal way to show that we’re valued. — Phillipa</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Collaborative teaching models provide a blueprint for a teaching environment that is supportive and enriching for staff. It’s also good for the long-term viability of the institution. These aspects of team teaching speak to its sustainability both for staff and the institution.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I earnestly believe that universities need to change radically to make good on their espoused values: this has to start with caring for people and placing value on collegiality […] and creating situations in which people can operate with genuine team spirit, with the appropriate skill sets for communicating openly and respectfully. — Jason</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Despite the benefits of team teaching, it is not a panacea for the casualisation of university teaching. Further work needs to be done to address issues such as job security.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-hit-casual-academics-hard-here-are-5-ways-to-produce-a-better-deal-for-unis-and-staff-155357">COVID hit casual academics hard. Here are 5 ways to produce a better deal for unis and staff</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166650/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sebastien Robin works for the University of Tasmania. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emily Rudling, Maria Kunda, and Robyn Moore do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Casual staff often miss out on professional development and feel isolated and invisible. Team teaching helps support these staff while improving the continuity and quality of university teaching.Robyn Moore, Social Researcher, School of Social Sciences, University of TasmaniaEmily Rudling, Research Assistant, Peter Underwood Centre for Educational Attainment, University of TasmaniaMaria Kunda, Adjunct Lecturer, School of Creative Arts and Media, University of TasmaniaSebastien Robin, Associate Lecturer in Culture in Health, University of TasmaniaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1553572021-02-22T18:57:50Z2021-02-22T18:57:50ZCOVID hit casual academics hard. Here are 5 ways to produce a better deal for unis and staff<p>Australian universities roughly <a href="http://highereducationstatistics.education.gov.au/Default.aspx">doubled the number of casual staff</a> employed to 23,000 (in full-time equivalents) from 2001 to 2019 (the latest year for which figures are available). </p>
<p>The greatest increase in casual staff has been in the academic workforce. The proportion of casual staff <a href="http://highereducationstatistics.education.gov.au/Default.aspx">increased from 20% to 24%</a> of this workforce in full-time equivalent (FTE) terms — as casual staff usually work part-time, <a href="https://melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au/lh-martin-institute/fellow-voices/evolving-australian-university-workforce">we estimate</a> that’s about 90,000 people.</p>
<p>Earlier this month, Universities Australia <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/media-item/17000-uni-jobs-lost-to-covid-19/">announced</a> 17,300 university jobs had been lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It said the sector was likely to lose about A$3.8 billion in revenue in 2020 and 2021. </p>
<p>Based on <a href="https://melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au/lh-martin-institute/fellow-voices/australian-university-workforce-responses-to-covid-19-pandemic">previous analysis</a> of individual university announcements in 2020 of job losses totalling around 6,000 FTE, it is highly likely most of the 17,300 jobs lost are people on casual or fixed-term contracts. A modest 10% reduction in academic casual staff would mean 9,000 lost their jobs. This has a significant impact on the capacity to teach domestic students.</p>
<p>There have been and will continue to be legitimate reasons for casual academic employment in higher education. A number of factors have prompted this steady increase in casualisation of academic work. </p>
<p>Two main considerations have been:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>rapid <a href="https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiMWExZWZmZDktODBiNS00NzA3LWJkOTgtN2ZkOTA3NzhiNThmIiwidCI6ImRkMGNmZDE1LTQ1NTgtNGIxMi04YmFkLWVhMjY5ODRmYzQxNyJ9">growth in student numbers</a> coupled with the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-universities-came-to-rely-on-international-students-138796">decline in the real rate of government funding</a> for teaching and research, making universities less keen to take on more “permanent” academic staff</p></li>
<li><p>very generous conditions attached to continuing employment, including 17% employer-provided superannuation, redundancy provisions well above community norms, highly regulated workload provisions and, for some, access to generous “outside work” entitlements.</p></li>
</ol>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385441/original/file-20210222-15-dvwu50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="chart showing total Australian university enrolments from 2000 to 2019" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385441/original/file-20210222-15-dvwu50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385441/original/file-20210222-15-dvwu50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=207&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385441/original/file-20210222-15-dvwu50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=207&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385441/original/file-20210222-15-dvwu50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=207&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385441/original/file-20210222-15-dvwu50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=260&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385441/original/file-20210222-15-dvwu50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=260&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385441/original/file-20210222-15-dvwu50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=260&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Total Australian university enrolments from 2000 to 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiMWExZWZmZDktODBiNS00NzA3LWJkOTgtN2ZkOTA3NzhiNThmIiwidCI6ImRkMGNmZDE1LTQ1NTgtNGIxMi04YmFkLWVhMjY5ODRmYzQxNyJ9">Commonwealth Department of Education Skills and Employment, Selected Higher Education Statistics</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Relying too heavily on casual academic employment could be detrimental in the long term for the student experience, research programs and universities — as well as for the staff themselves.</p>
<p>In 2020, Australian universities responded quickly and nimbly to the immediate emergency created by COVID-19. In 2021, as a fresh round of enterprise bargaining begins, universities have an opportunity to capture the disruption created by the pandemic and reform the terms and conditions for their increasingly contingent and casualised academic workforce.</p>
<h2>A better deal for unis and staff</h2>
<p>Here are five proposals that are readily achievable. Each would give better effect to universities’ stated commitments to value staff and allow them to fulfil their potential.</p>
<p><strong>1. Allow fixed-term engagement for teaching duties</strong></p>
<p>The <a href="http://awardviewer.fwo.gov.au/award/show/MA000006">Higher Education Industry (Academic Staff) Award</a> specifically excludes the use of fixed-term contracts for staff whose main role is teaching. This provision can in turn be linked to the increasing use of casual staff for teaching. It limits the capacity of universities to take on new teaching staff in times of uncertain student demand. </p>
<p>Varying the award to allow universities to engage fixed-term staff for teaching duties would provide greater certainty for staff and a more consistent experience for students.</p>
<p><strong>2. Change employment structures for teachers regularly employed as casuals</strong></p>
<p>Limitations on fixed-term employment for teaching have resulted in expanded numbers of casual teachers. However, simply removing the restraint is unlikely to change employment patterns, as casual teaching tends to be concentrated in particular periods of the year. </p>
<p>A fixed-term contract that allows for engagement and payment across a year but with work more concentrated in specific periods will not only improve security of tenure, but also enable staff to undertake a broader range of tasks, including student consultation. It will also give these staff access to personal and professional benefits such as academic promotion.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="female lecturer points to a laptop as she explains an issue to a male student" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385433/original/file-20210222-13-kgr8rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385433/original/file-20210222-13-kgr8rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385433/original/file-20210222-13-kgr8rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385433/original/file-20210222-13-kgr8rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385433/original/file-20210222-13-kgr8rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385433/original/file-20210222-13-kgr8rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385433/original/file-20210222-13-kgr8rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A fixed-term contract that allows for engagement and payment across a year would enable staff to undertake a broader range of tasks such as student consultation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/male-university-student-working-one-tutor-478396096">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>3. Shift the casual pay structure from the 1980s to the 2020s</strong></p>
<p>The current structure is based on the requirement to deliver hour-long lectures and tutorials and separate hourly rates for other academic duties such as marking, music accompaniment and nursing clinical supervision. All hourly rates attract a 25% loading to compensate for loss of annual and sick leave. </p>
<p>The Academic Salaries Tribunal (AST) <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22publications%2Ftabledpapers%2FHPP032016002288%22;src1=sm1">codified the structure in 1980</a>. The evolution of teaching since then means this structure no longer reflects the breadth of work required. These changes include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>team teaching (staff collaborate on delivery)</p></li>
<li><p>the flipped classroom model (students absorb the lecture and reading materials online at home, then discuss this or work on live problem-solving in classes)</p></li>
<li><p>the use of workshops and other hands-on work</p></li>
<li><p>online teaching where staff must be responsive to student work. </p></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>4. Create a reward/career structure for casual teaching staff</strong></p>
<p>Many of these staff are both expert in their field and excellent teachers. They include industry professionals and practitioners. </p>
<p>Some universities have developed promotion systems for honorary staff, especially where an academic title is important to professional standing. These processes might be adapted for casual teachers. They could then be appointed or promoted to an academic rank based on merit and receive pay to match, albeit as a casual employee.</p>
<p><strong>5. Allow for core entitlements to be portable</strong></p>
<p>The careers of many academic staff are now built on concurrent or consecutive appointments at several universities. Universities generally have provisions for recognising prior service at another university, but these largely benefit continuing staff. </p>
<p>The creation of the higher education industry superannuation scheme, UniSuper, in 1983 is an example of a whole-of-sector collaboration that has benefited staff and universities. A similar cross-sector framework to recognise service at another university should be considered. This might extend to the training and accreditation of casual teachers, ensuring quality across the sector. And in the case of fixed-term staff, it might allow for core entitlements such as annual and sick leave to be more portable.</p>
<p>The pandemic has greatly sharpened Australian universities’ focus on their staff and HR policies, structures and strategies. This presents an opportunity to review and greatly improve the employment practices for casual academic staff, in particular those relating to core student teaching. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>The detailed analysis on which this article is based can be found <a href="https://melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au/lh-martin-institute/fellow-voices/evolving-australian-university-workforce">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/155357/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Janet Beard is affiliated with the Association for Tertiary Education Management and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Teresa Tjia is employed as Dean of Students and Registrar (Interim) at Federation University. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Baré and Ian Marshman do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Universities have legitimate reasons for employing some staff on casual contracts, but the impacts of the COVID pandemic have brought long-standing problems to a head. Now is the time to act on these.Elizabeth Baré, Honorary Fellow, LH Martin Institute, The University of MelbourneIan Marshman, Honorary Principal Fellow, Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of MelbourneJanet Beard, Honorary Senior Fellow, LH Martin Institute, The University of MelbourneTeresa Tjia, Honorary Senior Fellow, Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1475552020-10-26T18:46:31Z2020-10-26T18:46:31ZWage theft and casual work are built into university business models<p>The COVID crisis has exposed the <a href="https://theconversation.com/far-too-many-victorians-are-going-to-work-while-sick-far-too-many-have-no-choice-143600">destructive consequences</a> of an <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-09/coronavirus-looms-as-catastrophe-for-casual-workers/12039154">over-reliance on casual labour</a> across the economy. Australian universities provide one of the clearest examples of this. For the past two decades, universities have leaned into international student fees on the revenue side and casual workers on the expense side. </p>
<p>This approach effectively shifted the risks of the international student fee market onto insecurely employed staff with few entitlements or employment rights. Since the pandemic caused international student fee revenue to dry up, thousands of casual university staff have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/sep/16/almost-500-more-university-jobs-anu-unsw-covid-cuts-bite">lost their jobs</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-70-of-academics-at-some-universities-are-casuals-theyre-losing-work-and-are-cut-out-of-jobkeeper-137778">More than 70% of academics at some universities are casuals. They're losing work and are cut out of JobKeeper</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This is a devastating consequence of the business model of universities intersecting with the federal government’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-australian-government-letting-universities-suffer-138514">ideological aversion to universities accessing JobKeeper</a>.</p>
<p>On top of this, the associated problem of wage theft is widespread. In a newly released National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-16/university-wage-theft-case-hits-federal-court-union-claim/12771128">survey</a> of 2,174 professional and academic staff at every university except Charles Darwin, almost four in five academic respondents claimed one or other form of underpayment.</p>
<p>University managers have been <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lcdocs/transcripts/2413/Transcript%20-%207%20September%202020%20-%20UNCORRECTED.pdf">keen to deny the extent of casualisation</a>. They point to figures showing casuals comprise only a small proportion of their workforce on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis. Universities are only required to report their staffing figures to the Education Department on an FTE basis. This underestimates the actual headcount of casual staff.</p>
<p>The NTEU <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lcdocs/submissions/68329/0022%20National%20Tertiary%20Education%20Union.pdf">estimates</a> the proportion of casual employees in Australian public universities is about 45%. </p>
<p>This estimate closely matches the data universities provide to the <a href="https://www.wgea.gov.au/">Workplace Gender Equality Agency</a>. It’s the only government agency that requires all Australian universities to report their total staff numbers by employment category. The agency’s data show the proportion of casual staff is <a href="https://data.wgea.gov.au/organisations/3496">as high as 58%</a> at some universities.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/casual-academics-arent-going-anywhere-so-what-can-universities-do-to-ensure-learning-isnt-affected-113567">Casual academics aren't going anywhere, so what can universities do to ensure learning isn't affected?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Casual work and wage theft go together</h2>
<p>University managers typically downplay the problem of wage theft. In a recent <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Economics/Underpaymentofwages/Submissions">submission</a> to the <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Economics/Underpaymentofwages">Senate Inquiry into Unlawful Underpayment of Employees’ Remuneration</a>, the Australian Higher Education Industrial Association (AHEIA), an employer group representing universities, claimed wage theft is not a systemic issue in Australian universities.</p>
<p>Yet we now know that in NSW alone seven of the 11 public universities have indicated they are being, or have recently been, audited for underpayment of staff – Sydney, UNSW, Western Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, Charles Sturt and New England. <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-18/rmit-uq-now-among-universities-accused-of-underpaying-staff/12565528">Other Australian universities accused of underpayment</a> include Melbourne, Monash and RMIT in Victoria, the University of Queensland, and UWA and Murdoch in Western Australia.</p>
<p>This is an indication of the scale of the problem. And <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/more-australian-vice-chancellors-earning-a1-million">well-paid vice chancellors</a> value casuals for more than just being able to end their employment at a moment’s notice. Casuals can be paid less than they are owed. Wage theft, normally associated with the hospitality industry, has become rife within universities.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/shocking-yet-not-surprising-wage-theft-has-become-a-culturally-accepted-part-of-business-121038">Shocking yet not surprising: wage theft has become a culturally accepted part of business</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How are casuals underpaid?</h2>
<p>There are several common forms of underpayment for casual workers.</p>
<p>The first is a semantic sleight of hand where managers classify teaching work in a way that attracts a lower rate of pay. For example, tutorials are regularly classified as “demonstrations”, meaning the casual is paid less for the same type of work. </p>
<p>Last year at <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-05/university-of-melbourne-exposed-in-decade-long-wage-theft-case/12519588">Macquarie University</a> the NTEU negotiated about A$50,000 in back payments for casual staff whose tutorials had been reclassified as “small group teaching activities” with a lower rate of pay. Similarly, at the <a href="http://www.nteu.org.au/article/Dispute-at-UWA%3A-Halting-wage-degradation-%28Connect-12-02%29-21518">University of Western Australia</a>, tutorials have been classified as “information sessions” that attract a lower rate of pay. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young male tutor talks with class" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/364406/original/file-20201020-19-tiyqu2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/364406/original/file-20201020-19-tiyqu2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364406/original/file-20201020-19-tiyqu2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364406/original/file-20201020-19-tiyqu2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364406/original/file-20201020-19-tiyqu2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364406/original/file-20201020-19-tiyqu2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364406/original/file-20201020-19-tiyqu2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One form of wage theft is when tutorials are reclassified so the hourly rate of pay is lower.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/rear-view-male-tutor-leading-discussion-1127599325">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another frequent source of underpayment is a failure to pay casuals their full entitlements. For example, casual workers are entitled to be paid for a minimum number of hours per engagement, but university payroll systems, which only look at time sheets, might ignore this. This is why auditors have been called into Sydney University where casual workers might have been <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/sydney-uni-reveals-tens-of-millions-in-staff-underpayments-20200813-p55lj8.html">underpaid as much as A$30 million</a> over six years.</p>
<p>But perhaps the most common and insidious form of wage theft is requiring casuals to work for no pay. Typically, key tasks simply aren’t part of a casual worker’s contract, yet are expected to be completed. This could be consultation with students, class preparation, familiarisation with labyrinthine policies, or being required to complete marking within unrealistic timeframes.</p>
<p>At the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-05/university-of-melbourne-exposed-in-decade-long-wage-theft-case/12519588">University of Melbourne</a>, the Fair Work Ombudsman is investigating underpayments in relation to casual marking based on the improper use of piece rates, rather than payment for the hours worked. About A$1 million has already been paid out. The NTEU is also in <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-18/rmit-uq-now-among-universities-accused-of-underpaying-staff/12565528">dispute with RMIT management</a> over a similar issue. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Exhausted female academic rests head on pile of assignments" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/364424/original/file-20201020-23-1r2p0xz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/364424/original/file-20201020-23-1r2p0xz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364424/original/file-20201020-23-1r2p0xz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364424/original/file-20201020-23-1r2p0xz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364424/original/file-20201020-23-1r2p0xz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364424/original/file-20201020-23-1r2p0xz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364424/original/file-20201020-23-1r2p0xz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">At some universities, underpayments for the hours academic staff spend marking run into millions of dollars.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/teacher-student-sleeping-on-pile-books-165250475">DJ Taylor/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why has the problem become so entrenched?</h2>
<p>Because of their insecure employment and fear of losing work, casuals are often reluctant to raise underpayments with their supervisors.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dependent-and-vulnerable-the-experiences-of-academics-on-casual-and-insecure-contracts-118608">Dependent and vulnerable: the experiences of academics on casual and insecure contracts</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>A recent <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aiXDTewJF9f1-PRKtvnpBmSAw4qW2kMR/view">survey at UNSW</a> found 42% of casuals reported doing unpaid work. A <a href="https://usydcasuals.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/survey-report-2.pdf">survey at Sydney Uni</a> reported 82% of casuals working unpaid hours. </p>
<p>Much of the work casual staff do is not actually casual in nature. It is regular, ongoing and stable over time. Student enrolments, for example, which drive teaching work, are quite steady year on year. </p>
<p>The solution is simple: end the over-reliance of universities on casuals. Just a few months ago, such a proposal would have sounded outlandish. But unprecedented times demand new solutions. </p>
<p>Moving casual university work into salaried positions with greater security and employment rights would be good for staff, good for students and good for the broader community.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/147555/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Damien Cahill is the Assistant Secretary of the National Tertiary Education Union (NSW).</span></em></p>More than a dozen Australian universities have been publicly accused of underpaying staff. Some have paid millions in backpay after audits. And a big factor in wage theft is the rise of casualisation.Damien Cahill, Associate Professor, Department of Political Economy, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1428242020-07-16T10:11:05Z2020-07-16T10:11:05ZUniversities are cutting hundreds of jobs – they, and the government, can do better<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347867/original/file-20200716-19-bf5on5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/melbourne-australia-august-2-2015-hargraveandrew-302819324">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Monash University will <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/monash-university-to-slash-nearly-300-jobs-as-higher-education-sector-battles/news-story/45b3b0fe1868a52c6132a06b35016a45">reportedly cut 277 jobs</a> by the end of the year, due to projecting a more than A$300 million financial shortfall caused by COVID-19. It comes after the vice chancellor of another Group of Eight university, UNSW, Ian Jacobs, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jul/15/university-of-new-south-wales-to-cut-493-jobs-and-merge-faculties">announced on Wednesday</a> the university would cut 493 jobs. </p>
<p>These announcements are the latest in a long line of cuts to university workers’ pay, conditions and job losses across the country in recent months. In May, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/universities-urged-to-bring-back-international-students-as-researchers-face-huge-job-losses-20200520-p54usd.html">Universities Australia projected 21,000 job</a> losses in the next six months, with more to go after that. The <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/media-item/covid-19-to-cost-universities-16-billion-by-2023/">group’s modelling</a> shows Australia’s universities could lose $16 billion in revenue between now and 2023, largely due to the loss of international student enrolments.</p>
<p>University staff have borne the brunt of this funding crisis. The government has not increased funding for the higher education sector, and excluded public universities from the JobKeeper scheme.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1283515541836070913"}"></div></p>
<p>University after university has sacked casual staff – which <a href="https://theconversation.com/casual-academics-arent-going-anywhere-so-what-can-universities-do-to-ensure-learning-isnt-affected-113567">make up up to 70% of teaching staff</a> at some universities — and declined to extend the contracts of fixed-term staff. While the cuts at UNSW include full time staff, in April, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/this-is-not-a-one-off-hit-sydney-universities-cut-courses-and-casual-staff-20200423-p54mmy.html">around one-third of casuals</a> at the university had reported having lost work.</p>
<p>La Trobe and RMIT university had <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/very-big-hit-indeed-rmit-and-la-trobe-cut-hundreds-of-casual-staff-20200417-p54kvl.html">let go of hundreds of casual “non-essential” staff</a> in the same month.</p>
<p>Casual jobs lost run into the thousands nationwide, but the full extent of losses is unknown. Casual staff are flexible labour, so reliable statistics are not kept. An idea of the scale can be garnered by La Trobe vice chancellor John Dewar’s statement <a href="https://independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/university-staff-pressuring-government-in-a-fight-for-their-jobs,13895">A$7 million had been saved at his institution</a> by cutting casual jobs.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-australian-government-letting-universities-suffer-138514">Why is the Australian government letting universities suffer?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What about the union deal?</h2>
<p>The context for industrial relations in universities is the National Tertiary Education Union’s (NTEU) <a href="https://www.nteu.org.au/covid-19/jobs_protection_framework">National Jobs Protection Framework</a> — an agreement negotiated between the NTEU national leadership and a representative group of four university vice chancellors in March this year.</p>
<p>The premise of the deal was ask some staff to take wage cuts and pay freezes in return for saving some jobs. </p>
<p>Category A universities could implement cuts of up to 10%. Category B universities – those most affected by revenue reduction – could cut some staff’s pay by up to 15%. Category C comprises the small number of universities hardly affected financially by COVID-19, who would not make changes. Clauses requiring consultation before major restructures in existing enterprise agreements would be severely weakened. Union officials estimated 90% of universities would fall into Category A or B.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1283285395480866817"}"></div></p>
<p>This controversial plan sparked a civil war in the union, and was withdrawn on May 26, having been released less than two weeks earlier. </p>
<p>Staff meetings, including branch committees and members’ meetings, in around 15 universities voted against the concessions in the framework. In the end only four (Charles Sturt, Monash, UWA and La Trobe universities) — out of Australia’s 39 vice chancellors signed up to it.</p>
<p><a href="https://nteufightback.site/">Critics of this strategy</a> argued offering reductions to hard-won pay and conditions showed weakness from the union and would only lead to further attacks on conditions by the universities. They said the wage cuts were unnecessary, and pointed to the vague nature of the job protections. Instead they advocated a political and industrial campaign by the union to defend members’ pay and conditions and demand the government fully fund the industry. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-70-of-academics-at-some-universities-are-casuals-theyre-losing-work-and-are-cut-out-of-jobkeeper-137778">More than 70% of academics at some universities are casuals. They're losing work and are cut out of JobKeeper</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Since then, agreements based on, or similar to the union’s framework, have gone through on a number of campuses, supported by the NTEU leadership. </p>
<p>La Trobe University’s amended enterprise agreement allows for pay reductions of up 10%.* This is $135 per fortnight for those on the median full-time wage of $65,000. Shortly after the all-staff vote and despite 239 voluntary redundancies, La Trobe announced it was looking at 215-415 forced redundancies later in the year.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1276027758846468096"}"></div></p>
<p>This indicates there is no guarantee that voting to support cuts to wages and conditions will prevent job losses. </p>
<h2>Staff don’t have to pay for crisis</h2>
<p>At the University of Western Australia, a combination of compulsory taking of unpaid leave and pay cuts means staff will have almost 10% less in their pockets. Monash University, the Western Sydney University and the University of Tasmania have also seen union-management schemes which reduce staff pay. And, as we have seen, Monash will be slashing jobs anyway. Although vice chancellor Margaret Gardner says they have managed to save 190 of them.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1283672091607195648"}"></div></p>
<p>Hundreds of job losses have also been announced at <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-29/jobs-axed-from-cq-university-during-coronavirus-pandemic/12297822">Central Queensland University</a>, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-17/southern-cross-university-vice-chancellor/12364410">Southern Cross University</a> and <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/deakin-uni-to-shed-300-jobs-as-tertiary-sector-s-covid-19-woes-grow-20200525-p54w5a.html#:%7E:text=Deakin%20University%20will%20cut%20400,million%20in%20revenue%20next%20year.">Deakin University</a>. The picture is bleak. But it is by rejecting the notion only staff pay and conditions are the flexible factors in the equation —and being prepared to campaign against university administrations and governments on this basis — that the sector can be improved for staff, students and the public. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-government-is-making-job-ready-degrees-cheaper-for-students-but-cutting-funding-to-the-same-courses-141280">The government is making ‘job-ready’ degrees cheaper for students – but cutting funding to the same courses</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Universities have financial resources — property, bequests and philanthropic funds and access to lines of credit — they can access rather than forcing staff to sacrifice pay and conditions, or lose their jobs. The notion of public education as a public good must be re-asserted, especially in the face of the government’s unfavourable stance towards universities. </p>
<p>By staff rejecting concessions on pay and conditions, fighting for every job, and organising towards industrial action in next year’s bargaining round, they can start to put pressure on universities to treat them better, and the government to increase funding.</p>
<p><em>*Editor’s note: This figure has been amended since publication to show the correct number of 10%.</em></p>
<p><em>Kaye Broadbent was a casual academic at Central Queensland University until she lost her job in a recent round of cuts. She co-authored this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142824/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kaye Broadbent co-authored this article. Both her and Alexis Vassiley are members of the NTEU. Alexis is a member of the Socialist Alternative.</span></em></p>Universities have financial resources — property, bequests and philanthropic funds, and access to lines of credit — they can access rather than forcing staff to sacrifice their jobs.Alexis Vassiley, PhD candidate, School of Management, Curtin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1386232020-05-18T07:05:05Z2020-05-18T07:05:05ZPay cuts to keep jobs: the tertiary education union’s deal with universities explained<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335606/original/file-20200518-138649-1n8n6ys.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/confident-employee-leaving-office-his-personal-604989362">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) <a href="https://www.nteu.org.au/article/Media-Release%3A-Landmark-agreement-preserves-12%2C000-jobs-and-hard-won-university-conditions-22048">last week announced</a> its negotiated draft agreement with universities. The deal aims to save at least 12,000 university jobs at risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic in return for temporary salary reductions of between 5% and 15% for some staff. </p>
<p>The negotiations with the NTEU were <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/media-item/uni-union-talks/">led by Vice Chancellor of Charles Sturt University</a>, Professor Andrew Vann, who is also the president of the Australian Higher Education Industrial Association (<a href="https://www.aheia.edu.au/contact-us/aheia-executive-committee">AHEIA</a>). Also involved in the talks were La Trobe University’s Professor John Dewar, Monash University’s Professor Margaret Gardiner and The University of Western Australia’s Professor Jane den Hollander. </p>
<p>The so-called National Jobs Protection Framework has the support of peak body <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/media-item/uni-union-talks/">Universities Australia</a>, but it not compulsory for all universities. Each university can individually decide whether to join the agreement.</p>
<h2>What’s in the deal?</h2>
<p>The union estimates universities will lose <a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-universities-could-lose-19-billion-in-the-next-3-years-our-economy-will-suffer-with-them-136251">A$5 billion this year</a> due to a reduction in international student enrolments. Many of <a href="https://www.science.org.au/sites/default/files/rrif-covid19-research-workforce.pdf">the jobs at risk</a>, particularly when it comes to research staff, will be be disproportionately borne by early career researchers and women. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-10-000-job-losses-billions-in-lost-revenue-coronavirus-will-hit-australias-research-capacity-harder-than-the-gfc-138210">More than 10,000 job losses, billions in lost revenue: coronavirus will hit Australia's research capacity harder than the GFC</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The federal government has excluded universities from access to the JobKeeper scheme or any assistance offered to other industries. It has <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-12/government-announces-coronavirus-higher-education-relief-package/12142752">only guaranteed A$18 billion</a> for domestic students already budgeted for, and a further A$100 million for discounted short courses in health services, teaching and IT. This latter funding is shared with private providers and uptake is uncertain.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1261148004985126912"}"></div></p>
<p>The jobs protection framework is limited – until June 30 2021 – initially. It is founded on the the principles</p>
<ul>
<li><p>no university employee will be involuntarily stood down without pay. Affected staff get 30-50% of pay with the JobKeeper rate as the floor</p></li>
<li><p>some staff at the hardest hit universities may have salaries cut by up to 15%. The vast majority of affected staff will receive between 90-95% of their former salary. But the first $30,000 is exempt, and people on lower wages will not be affected</p></li>
<li><p>temporary salary reductions will only happen after non-staff costs and management salaries have been reduced. Some <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/three-four-australian-v-cs-take-pay-cuts">vice chancellors</a> – including Charles Darwin University’s Simon Maddocks and Deakin University’s Iain Martin – have already taken cuts of 20-30%.</p></li>
<li><p>non-wage conditions such as superannuation and leave continue to accrue at the standard rate</p></li>
<li><p>displaced casual and fixed-term staff will be prioritised for new work</p></li>
<li><p>redundancies will only happen in cases where a university can explicitly prove there is no work.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>The framework allows employees to adjust working hours around family commitments and to shift from full to part-time work. It commits universities to pay out-of-pocket expenses for working from home, and protects probation and performance evaluations from pandemic impact.</p>
<p>Importantly, the NTEU will oversee the implementation of temporary wage cuts in return for no employee being involuntarily stood down. The oversight will be done through joint university-NTEU committees, and a national expert panel will assess university claims of loss.</p>
<p>Other potential staff sacrifices in the deal include</p>
<ul>
<li><p>deferring 2020 salary increases and reclassification and promotion pay rises</p></li>
<li><p>being directed to reduce work by up to 10%</p></li>
<li><p>temporary transfers to other duties</p></li>
<li><p>being directed to take some annual or long service leave.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>The agreement attempts to protect the most vulnerable workers. Casuals <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/node/51696">account for about 44%</a> of around a total of 139,500 academic staff. If converting these actual staff numbers to full time equivalent numbers, then casuals account for 33% of 62,000 full time equivalent academic staff.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1260005612747776002"}"></div></p>
<p>Casuals also make up about 27% of around 142,500 other non-academic staff (or 15% of 72,000 full time equivalent). </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-70-of-academics-at-some-universities-are-casuals-theyre-losing-work-and-are-cut-out-of-jobkeeper-137778">More than 70% of academics at some universities are casuals. They're losing work and are cut out of JobKeeper</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Casual staff will be exempt from any wage cuts. Along with fixed term employees, they will retain work if their work remains to be done. Casuals may also receive two weeks of paid COVID-19 leave.</p>
<h2>Not everyone is happy</h2>
<p>The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) – which competes with the NTEU for non-academic staff including administrative staff, student services and library staff – <a href="https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/workplace/union-blue-over-nteu-deal-to-cut-pay-at-universities-20200513-p54sfz">fiercely oppose the deal</a>. CPSU representatives have argued while a pay cut may not mean much to academics on high salaries, it may be life-altering for many of their members.</p>
<p>Union figures show the average salary for full-time staff is A$110,000. In the worst case scenario for universities that opt-in to the deal, this salary would be cut by A$8,000. But it’s worth noting many staff receive much less than the average, and would have proportionally smaller cuts.</p>
<p>Some universities have already bowed out of the deal. The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/18/university-of-melbourne-opts-out-of-union-deal-despite-loss-of-400m-due-to-coronavirus?utm_term=RWRpdG9yaWFsX01vcm5pbmdNYWlsQVVTLTIwMDUxNw%3D%3D&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=MorningMailAUS&CMP=morningmailau_email">University of Melbourne</a>, which is facing a A$400 million 2020 budget downturn, claims it <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/melbourne-rejects-job-protection-deal">doesn’t foresee</a> stand-downs, forced reduction of hours or substantial pay cuts. </p>
<p>Its governing body also believes the agreement’s requirements conflict with its responsibility “to manage and control the affairs of the university”. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1261146817040809984"}"></div></p>
<p>The Australian Catholic University’s Vice Chancellor, Greg Craven, also said last week the ACU were not interested in signing up to the deal, telling the Campus Morning Mail:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Such deals are being pushed by and designed for institutions facing vastly worse circumstances than ACU, with high enrolments of overseas students, and losses of hundreds of millions of dollars.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Other universities that <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/melbourne-rejects-job-protection-deal">may not sign up to the deal </a> include Macquarie and Murdoch University, and the University of Southern Queensland, Sunshine Coast and Sydney. Some of these are less exposed to the loss of international students. </p>
<p>But the University of Sydney – which is part of Australia’s Group of Eight universities, which stand to lose the most from the loss of international students – has previously said it aims to make savings by <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/university-of-sydney-to-review-casual-staff-budgets-as-part-of-tighter-austerity-measures-20200428-p54nze.html">reviewing casual staffing budgets</a> – the people the NTEU deal seeks to protect. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-19-increases-risk-to-international-students-mental-health-australia-urgently-needs-to-step-up-137596">COVID-19 increases risk to international students' mental health. Australia urgently needs to step up</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Universities that don’t sign up to the deal will be subject to enterprise bargaining clauses governing redundancies and other changes. Otherwise they may seek variations to the agreement, which the NTEU will resist.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138623/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ray Markey is a life member of the NTEU</span></em></p>The National Tertiary Education Union has agreed to a deal with universities that aims to save at least 12,000 jobs. But universities aren’t obliged to sign up.Ray Markey, Emeritus Professor, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1377782020-05-15T04:14:20Z2020-05-15T04:14:20ZMore than 70% of academics at some universities are casuals. They’re losing work and are cut out of JobKeeper<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335282/original/file-20200515-138610-qmh3qt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/female-speaker-giving-presentation-lecture-hall-1055550002">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The National Tertiary Education Union this week <a href="https://www.nteu.org.au/article/Media-Release%3A-Landmark-agreement-preseres-12%2C000-jobs-and-hard-won-university-conditions-22048">struck an agreement with universities</a> that 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>
<p>It’s still uncertain how many universities will sign up to the deal – the <a href="https://campusmorningmail.com.au/news/uni-rejects-job-protection-framework/?utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email">Australian Catholic University</a> has already rejected it.</p>
<p>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 <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/907-Mapping-Australian-higher-education-2018.pdf">teaching-only roles</a>. </p>
<p>The number of precariously employed academics <a href="https://theconversation.com/casual-academics-arent-going-anywhere-so-what-can-universities-do-to-ensure-learning-isnt-affected-113567">has been estimated at 70%</a> of teaching staff in some universities. At the <a href="https://www.southcoastregister.com.au/story/6688113/uow-fails-to-provide-for-staff-during-the-coronavirus-crisis/">University of Wollongong</a>, for instance, around 75% of staff are in insecure work – a figure that includes both teaching and administrative workers. </p>
<p>And yet in March, the university had failed to ensure wage support for casual staff needing to self-isolate for any reason.</p>
<p>In April, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/this-is-not-a-one-off-hit-sydney-universities-cut-courses-and-casual-staff-20200423-p54mmy.html">one-third of casuals</a> at the University of NSW had reported they’d lost work. This reportedly cost them an average A$626 a week, and 42% were working unpaid hours.</p>
<p>Casual academics are not eligible for the government’s <a href="https://community.ato.gov.au/t5/COVID-19-response/Jobkeeper-Casual-employee/td-p/39655">JobKeeper</a> payments due to rules that require more than 12 months continuous employment with an organisation that has lost between 30-50% of its revenue – effectively ruling universities out. Casual academics are often on short-term contracts, such as a semester-by-semester basis.</p>
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<p>Under the NTEU agreement, displaced casual and fixed-term contract staff will be prioritised for new work. This approach leaves many staff in a position of increased precarity. The likelihood of new work emerging over the next few months is low, given the downturn in international student enrolments and uncertainties around conducting fieldwork research given social distancing policies. </p>
<p>This highly skilled yet vulnerable group need greater support from our government.</p>
<h2>A vulnerable workforce</h2>
<p>Some estimates place revenue losses at Australian universities at around <a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-universities-could-lose-19-billion-in-the-next-3-years-our-economy-will-suffer-with-them-136251">A$19 billion over the next three years</a> due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The university sector estimates this puts more than <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/media-item/uni-viability-crucial-to-national-recovery/">21,000 jobs at risk</a> over coming months, and countless more in the future. </p>
<p>The loss of international students is potentially <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/apr/14/a-downward-spiral-coronavirus-spins-australian-universities-into-economic-crisis">catastrophic</a> for the sector. An <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/opinion/conversation-covid-19-university-funding/">estimated A$2 billion</a> in fees could be lost mid-year as international students are unable to arrive in Australia to start semester two studies. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-universities-could-lose-19-billion-in-the-next-3-years-our-economy-will-suffer-with-them-136251">Australian universities could lose $19 billion in the next 3 years. Our economy will suffer with them</a>
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<p>Some universities, such as the University of Tasmania, have had to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-10/university-of-tasmania-cuts-degree-number-in-cost-cutting/12043294">reduce the number of courses offered in 2021</a> to recoup funding. And universities have had to scale back spending, for example, on <a href="https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=202004221408487">major construction works</a>.</p>
<p>This week, <a href="https://campusmorningmail.com.au/news/vc-warns-hundreds-of-la-trobe-u-jobs-at-risk/?utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email">Vice Chancellor of La Trobe University</a>, John Dewar, said revenues could be A$150 millon under budget this year and up to A$200 million next year. </p>
<p>If this year’s required savings were to be made solely from staff cuts, this would require 200-400 job losses, he said. The 2021 budget gap could equate to 600-800 jobs.</p>
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<p>In April, <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/very-big-hit-indeed-rmit-and-la-trobe-cut-hundreds-of-casual-staff-20200417-p54kvl.html">La Trobe and RMIT university</a> had let go of hundreds of casual “non-essential” staff. Western Sydney University <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/this-is-not-a-one-off-hit-sydney-universities-cut-courses-and-casual-staff-20200423-p54mmy.html">warned staff</a> in April it would cut casual workloads as it faced mounting financial shortfalls over the next three years. </p>
<p>Despite these realities, both tenured and untenured academic staff are being asked to do more in teaching and research to support the country in the face of this pandemic. They are doing this with fewer resources.</p>
<h2>What can be done?</h2>
<p>Even before the NTEU agreement, <a href="https://www.nteu.org.au/covid-19/scorecards">many universities</a> responded with clear policies and support in response to COVID-19. For example, executive staff at some universities – such as <a href="https://www.latrobe.edu.au/mylatrobe/la-trobes-senior-leadership-team-takes-a-voluntary-20-salary-reduction/">La Trobe</a> and the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/this-is-not-a-one-off-hit-sydney-universities-cut-courses-and-casual-staff-20200423-p54mmy.html">The University of Wollongong</a> – took a 20% pay cut, and froze any non-essential travel.</p>
<p>Many universities, such as Deakin, are providing paid leave for staff with caring responsibilities and paid isolation leave for those exposed to coronavirus. And others, like <a href="https://www.nteu.org.au/covid-19/scorecards">ANU and ACU</a>, have extended benefits to their casual and contract staff. These include honouring existing contracts, paying sessional tutors despite reductions in teaching hours and paying casual staff to attend online professional development. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dependent-and-vulnerable-the-experiences-of-academics-on-casual-and-insecure-contracts-118608">Dependent and vulnerable: the experiences of academics on casual and insecure contracts</a>
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<p>All workers need transparency around expectations and pay. But this is particularly important for casual staff, whose immediate and long-term work prospects are under threat despite having often spent years in universities building expertise. Although casual academics are on temporary contracts, some have been working for universities <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360.2018.1545749">longer than their colleagues on continuing contracts</a>. </p>
<p>In the United States a <a href="https://www.academicsolidaritystatement.com/">statement of solidarity</a> started by <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/Prominent-Scholars-Threaten-to/248651">70 prominent academics</a> has so far received more than 2,000 signatures. The signatories have refused to work with any university that does not support its staff. </p>
<p>Some might argue such declarations are performative. But <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Making-It-as-a-Contract-Researcher-A-Pragmatic-Look-at-Precarious-Work/Spina-Harris-Bailey-Goff/p/book/9781138362598">our research interviews</a> with precariously employed academics highlight how support from ongoing academic staff is critical to their experiences in academia. This includes their mental health, job prospects and future career paths. </p>
<p>Casual staff members already experience isolation and anxiety. Missing out on benefits such as special leave provisions extended to tenured staff while working from home may exacerbate this.</p>
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<p>Breaks in an academic career or a lack of visibility – which could result from working from home, not holding a current contract or a lack of recent publications – can irrevocably damage future job prospects for any academic. </p>
<p>Tenured academics and leaders <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Making-It-as-a-Contract-Researcher-A-Pragmatic-Look-at-Precarious-Work/Spina-Harris-Bailey-Goff/p/book/9781138362598">can make an enormous difference to non-tenured</a> staff by being proactive in maintaining networks, ensuring transparent communication, providing mentoring and offering paid opportunities to co-author research publications. </p>
<p>The government has pledged to support employees from many other industries impacted by COVID, through policies like JobKeeper. As our <a href="https://internationaleducation.gov.au/research/Research-Snapshots/Documents/Export%20Income%20CY%202017.pdf">third largest national export</a>, higher education is crucial for building new knowledge and preparing our future workforce. </p>
<p>While the NTEU framework offers a starting point, further government funding is required to provide appropriate security to those who work on casual or fixed-term contracts in higher education. </p>
<p>Recognition of their work and clarity about prospects and pay can make a massive difference to the lives and careers of our non-tenured colleagues.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137778/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Hundreds of casual academics have lost work in the COVID-19 crisis. They make up the majority of the teaching workforce at universities but they don’t quality for any government assistance.Jess Harris, Associate Professor in Education, University of NewcastleKathleen Smithers, PhD Candidate, University of NewcastleNerida Spina, Senior Lecturer in Education, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1186082019-07-17T19:49:50Z2019-07-17T19:49:50ZDependent and vulnerable: the experiences of academics on casual and insecure contracts<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284419/original/file-20190717-173325-5777x7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Academics in precarious employment struggle to feel a strong sense of self.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/ewGMqs2tmJI">Nathan Dumlao/Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/starvation-wages-majority-of-victorian-university-workers-in-casual-teaching-trap-20190501-p51j1y.html?_ga=2.212777556.1730763659.1563165940-1590352956.1491349426">majority</a> of academic staff at some of Australia’s top universities work in casual or fixed-term positions. This <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1017621.pdf">reflects a trend</a> towards casualisation in academia, and other industries, in <a href="https://theconversation.com/casual-academics-arent-going-anywhere-so-what-can-universities-do-to-ensure-learning-isnt-affected-113567">Australia</a> and <a href="https://www.union.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/NZCTU-Submission-on-New-Models-of-Tertiary-Education-2016-.pdf">New Zealand</a>. </p>
<p>Fixed-term employment is also a form of precarious employment. This is usually when the <a href="https://melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/2564262/2016-contingent-academic-employment-in-australian-universities-updatedapr16.pdf">university employs</a> research staff working on externally funded projects only for the extent of the project. So, in effect, the research funds the academic’s employment (from a research grant) while enhancing the reputation of the university. </p>
<p>Precarious employment particularly affects young academics. In some Australian universities, more than <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/education/casualisation-of-university-workforce-is-a-national-disgrace-20180803-p4zvcm.html">80% of staff under the age of 30</a> are insecurely employed. This insecurity significantly restrains their <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/house-children-pets-on-hold-as-universities-exploit-staff-20190521-p51pk1.html">lifestyle options</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/casual-academics-arent-going-anywhere-so-what-can-universities-do-to-ensure-learning-isnt-affected-113567">Casual academics aren't going anywhere, so what can universities do to ensure learning isn't affected?</a>
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<p>For my PhD, submitted in 2017, <a href="https://monash.figshare.com/articles/Being_becoming_an_academic_Spatio-temporal_experiences_of_precarious_employment_and_wellbeing/4796608">I explored the experiences</a> and well-being of young academics in precarious work. I interviewed ten young academics employed at Monash University in Melbourne on three occasions over a year. </p>
<p>Participants had been employed by Monash for between five weeks and six years at the time of the first interview (the average was two years). The average age of participants was 27.</p>
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<p>My research found participants on casual contracts felt vulnerable and of lower status than “permanent” staff members. They sometimes minimised instances of exploitation as part of an authentic academic experience.</p>
<h2>You’re on your own</h2>
<p>Formal induction programs, professional mentoring or performance review processes were often reserved for “permanent” staff. Academics in precarious employment made sense of what it means to be an academic, as well as gained knowledge about workplace norms and expectations, informally.</p>
<p>Participants said they gleaned information from chats with colleagues and supervisors, listening to presentations, reading emails, seeing media coverage of academic employment issues, as well as observing normative social practices in the workplace. </p>
<p>Positioned as early career researchers (ECRs), participants often sought solace from others like them. One ECR told me:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[…] talking to my friends and people in the ECR group, it is that communal moaning kind of thing, which is cathartic and helpful in that respect. But it is not going anywhere, we are all complaining about the same things we face, we just complain about it because we have got to tell it to someone who can understand […]</p>
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<p>Tenured academics may be sympathetic to their precarious position but, according to the stories I heard, they weren’t necessarily helpful. </p>
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<p>Will* described when tenured staff members would compare their position to his in a way that highlighted his situation.</p>
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<p>Well <strong>my</strong> position’s secure and thank goodness <strong>I’m</strong> not on a fixed-term contract because that’d worry <strong>me</strong> […] <strong>you’re</strong> new so <strong>you</strong> have to get good evaluations because <strong>your</strong> probation is in a year and a half and <strong>you</strong> need to achieve that to be able to stay here.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Will found this type of interaction distressing as the communication style distanced himself (an insecure worker) from others (tenured workers). </p>
<p>Research participants were constantly reminded they did not have the status or privileges of permanent employment.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/higher-education-cuts-will-be-felt-in-the-classroom-not-the-lab-86400">Higher education cuts will be felt in the classroom, not the lab</a>
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<p>For instance, Logan described how, despite having his PhD and being employed full-time by the university, he still spent most of his time “hanging out with the PhD students” because his desk was positioned in an open-plan space with them. </p>
<h2>Defending exploitation</h2>
<p>There was a sense among participants of constantly trying to impress their supervisors. This came from knowing their future employment depended on the approval of the university and people in it. </p>
<p>Participants had a somewhat defensive attitude towards their exploitation. For instance, Mike said he worked on average an extra one unpaid day per week, which caused him stress and pressure. But, straight after saying this, he added:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I don’t feel like the organisation is a demanding environment. Like I don’t know what would happen if I did start working less […] </p>
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<p>Mike also minimised the issues associated with feeling insecure and working unpaid hours by saying: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>[…] there are a couple of funny things about how they (the university) handle contracts and staff and stuff. </p>
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<p>Mike’s comment painted questionable employment practices, and working without pay, as part of the authentic academic experience.</p>
<p>It was difficult for many of the participants to be critical of their working context and the people in it, even if they were working unpaid hours. This was because, as Jasmine said, “I can’t escape work because that is my entire world, basically.”</p>
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<p>Although casual academics are on temporary contracts, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360.2018.1545749">some have been working for universities longer</a> than their colleagues on continuing contracts.</p>
<p>Max told me he felt emotionally attached to the university:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I have just been here a long time. I studied here, I lived on campus here for two years, I was involved in a lot of student things when I was a student. I have seen the campus physically change a lot […] I can definitely see how much I have changed since I got to Monash. So it feels like I am a part of Monash or Monash is a part of me […]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Others felt more pragmatically tied to the institution, noting it was arduous changing employment. Ruby said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>If I went to another institution I have to learn it (the systems and policies) all over again.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Constantly anxious</h2>
<p>My research found the insecure nature of the participants’ work interfered with their sense of identity, personal security, feelings of trust and self-confidence. Such feelings, which come from a constant state of flux, are encompassed in a term coined by British sociologist Anthony Giddens in 1991: “ontological security”.</p>
<p>In his book exploring the effects of modernity on social psychology, he referred to <a href="http://voidnetwork.gr/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/The-Consequences-of-Modernity-by-Anthony-Giddens.pdf">ontological security as</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>the confidence that most human beings have in the continuity of their self-identity and in the constancy of the surrounding social and material environments of action. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Ontological security is linked to identity as it refers to feelings of security, trust, sense of familiarity, and the reliability of interactions across time and space.</p>
<p>The participants in my research had a threatened sense of well-being. As precarious workers, they felt vulnerable, dependent and of a lower status. Feeling continually at risk of being excluded from the university made them anxious and caused high levels of stress.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-three-things-universities-must-do-to-survive-disruption-117970">The three things universities must do to survive disruption</a>
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<p>Will mentioned the word “probation” 25 times during his first interview. And Mike said the university could “get rid of people” by simply not offering them another contract.</p>
<p>But the participants also felt their precarious employment could help increase their sense of identity because it could lead to more (possibly permanent) employment. </p>
<p>In many instances, participants wanted information on how to develop their careers, forge ongoing working relationships, contribute to the academic community and gain the respect of their colleagues and supervisors.</p>
<p>Universities must consider the well-being of their workers, particularly those on precarious contracts, as well as the influence of tenured staff on their experience.</p>
<ul>
<li><em>Participant names are pseudonyms.</em></li>
</ul><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118608/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kate Bone does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Academics on casual contracts often feel vulnerable and of lower status than “permanent” staff members. They can minimise their exploitation as if it’s part of the authentic academic experience.Kate Bone, Lecturer, Massey UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1135672019-04-07T19:53:03Z2019-04-07T19:53:03ZCasual academics aren’t going anywhere, so what can universities do to ensure learning isn’t affected?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267741/original/file-20190405-123413-l9g9hd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Casual academics provide flexibility for universities at a time when student numbers are uncertain.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>More Australian universities are relying on casual academics to teach their students. It’s difficult to estimate the exact proportion of academic staff on casual contracts, but reports suggest up to <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1017621.pdf">80% of undergraduate courses</a> in some Australian universities have been taught by a casual academic. By mid-2018, an estimated 94,500 people were employed at Australian universities on a casual basis, primarily in <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/907-Mapping-Australian-higher-education-2018.pdf">teaching-only roles</a>.</p>
<p>Research suggests the higher education sector is the <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1124426">third largest employer</a> of casual staff nationwide, just behind health- and social-care and retail. </p>
<p>Although casual academics are on temporary contracts, some have been working for universities <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360.2018.1545749">longer than their colleagues on continuing contracts</a>. This trend is not unique to Australia. There are concerns the number of casual academics working in higher education is <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1017621.pdf">growing worldwide</a>. Current research suggests several explanations. </p>
<p>First, the casualisation of academic labour mirrors the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0170840616686129?journalCode=ossa">growing number</a> of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0950017017751806">part-time and temporary contracts</a> in <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0950017016638023">other employment sectors</a>. </p>
<p>Second, casual academic contracts provide workforce flexibility at a time when student <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/undergraduate_applications_offers_and_acceptances_2018.pdf">enrolments are fluctuating</a> and budgets are limited. This means universities can service their teaching needs on a just-in-time basis. </p>
<p>Third, because casual academic contracts have none of the benefits of continuing contracts, they <a href="https://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol14/iss1/13/">allow employers to</a> <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1062094.pdf">reduce overall labour costs</a>.</p>
<p>Using casual academics brings benefits and challenges. But casualised labour won’t be done away with any time soon. We suggest universities manage their casualised staff more effectively and equitably – and bring their employment conditions as close to those of permanent staff as possible.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/self-employment-and-casual-work-arent-increasing-but-so-many-jobs-are-insecure-whats-going-on-100668">Self-employment and casual work aren't increasing but so many jobs are insecure – what's going on?</a>
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<h2>Concerns about casual academics</h2>
<p>There are growing concerns about the impact of casual academics on the quality of teaching. Australia’s <a href="https://www.teqsa.gov.au/hesf-domain-3">higher education regulator</a>, for example, states that an “unusually high reliance on casual staff poses risks for the quality of the students experience″. </p>
<p>Our unpublished research suggests casual academics are often recruited on an ad hoc basis, which is unlike the highly regulated recruitment processes for continuing staff. This means more reliance on personal connections, short notice and limited market searches.</p>
<p>Continuing staff are usually required to complete some form of professional development to keep up-to-date with teaching and research innovations. However, professional development for casual academics is often limited, with <a href="https://tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360.2017.1360844?src=recsys&journalCode=cher20">little oversight from the employer</a>. In some instances it has to be in their own time and at their own expense. </p>
<p>Short lead-in times to a casual contract also leave casual academics with little time to prepare course materials. Nor do they allow enough time to understand institutional cultures and policy requirements. Institutions with high numbers of casual staff may also find it difficult to ensure continuity of course offerings which can impact on <a href="https://bmcnurs.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12912-018-0290-2">student learning</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-does-being-second-last-in-the-oecd-for-public-funding-affect-our-unis-46727">How does being second-last in the OECD for public funding affect our unis?</a>
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<h2>Benefits of casual academics</h2>
<p>Despite these concerns, casual academics also bring important benefits to higher education. Many are industry professionals with a deep understanding of the real world practices they are teaching. They can also connect students and other university staff to their industry networks. This can create opportunities for industry research projects and student internships.</p>
<p>Research also shows that many casual academics have high levels of commitment to their students. They <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360.2018.1545749">regularly go beyond</a> their contractual obligations by writing job references, providing career advice and making connections for future employment.</p>
<p>From the perspective of the individual casual academic, casual academic work is something of a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360.2018.1545749">double-edged sword</a>. Some enjoy the flexibility of not having to fulfil service requirements such as attending meetings and annual performance reviews. Yet they also miss out on the benefits of being part of an academic community. This includes restricted opportunities for conference travel, professional development and promotion. </p>
<p>Many casual academics enjoy the flexibility of working across different institutions. Yet they must also contend with less job security. There is no guarantee of work from one semester to the next, which creates a lack of financial security and benefits. For younger cohorts, this is especially problematic for mortgage applications and other loans. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-costs-of-a-casual-job-are-now-outweighing-any-pay-benefits-82207">The costs of a casual job are now outweighing any pay benefits</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<h2>How to make it better</h2>
<p>There is an urgent need for a more effective and equitable approach to managing casual academics. Providing more permanent contracts may be one solution, budgets permitting, but <a href="http://blasst.edu.au/tools.html">there are other options</a>. Besides, some casual academics prefer to retain the flexibility of casual work.</p>
<p>Recruitment and selection of casual academics needs to be more rigorous. Clear job specifications are essential, with systematic interviewing and transparent decision making for all appointments. </p>
<p>There also needs to be enough lead-in time to ensure adequate preparation before the start of a course. Effective induction to institutional learning and teaching policies is also required – especially for new appointees. </p>
<p>Professional development opportunities need to be embedded into work contracts with time paid for by the employer. More attention also needs to be paid to support financial security, including a review of financial institutions’ loan policies.</p>
<p>Increased competition and budget cutbacks in the global higher education sector mean the use of casual academic labour will increase even further. Institutional policy makers must work effectively with these important partners in the education of the future labour force. </p>
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<p><em>This article previously, incorrectly, said the higher education sector was the third largest employer of casual staff globally, rather than nationwide. This has now been updated.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113567/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The higher education sector may be the the third largest employer of casual staff in Australia. More cuts to universities mean the use of casual academics could increase further.Dorothy Wardale, MBA, Deputy Director, Curtin UniversityJulia Richardson, Professor of Human Resource Management, Head of School of Management, Curtin UniversityYuliani Suseno, Senior Lecturer, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/436962015-11-22T21:27:51Z2015-11-22T21:27:51ZWhy Australia needs a new model for universities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/102575/original/image-20151120-22560-1llsg4c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What are the alternative options for higher education to flourish in Australia? </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australia is in need of a new model for universities. </p>
<p>That isn’t the impression you get from the delighted students, contented staff and shining buildings pictured on every university website. But that’s a fantasy. </p>
<p>University managers now hire a considerable number of advertising staff to create the pretty picture. Behind the façade are growing signs of trouble.</p>
<p>A vital one is the gap between management and staff. </p>
<p>The CEOs, still called vice-chancellors, are <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/vice-chancellors-salary-packages-on-the-rise/story-e6frgcjx-1227390365176">paid up to A$1.3 million a year</a>. Their average package in 2014 was 14 times the starting salary of an entry-level academic working full-time.</p>
<p>Surveys of staff show little belief that these highly paid executives are doing a good job. In the <a href="http://www.nteu.org.au/article/State-of-the-Uni-Survey%3A-The-tertiary-education-sector-has-its-say-17799">2015 national survey</a> by the National Tertiary Education Union, over two-thirds of the 7,000 university staff who took part in the survey said changes in the workplace have not been handled well.</p>
<p>Managers evidently don’t trust the staff either. There is a growing mass of surveillance and auditing mechanisms, branding requirements and online control systems imposed on the work of university staff, including research. </p>
<p>Fixed course templates make teaching more controlled and conventional. The trend is towards a de-professionalisation of staff, whose freedom to make judgements autonomously is curtailed. </p>
<p>There is a striking reliance on an insecure workforce to do the bread-and-butter teaching. Managements don’t publicise this – it would undermine the advertising – but the best information is that <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13583883.2013.783617">staff employed on a casual basis</a>, often part-time, now do about 50% of undergraduate teaching.</p>
<p>This has become a <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10301763.2013.839085?src=recsys">secondary labour market</a> in its own right.</p>
<p>With non-academic staff, there has been a trend to outsource trades and services such as maintenance, IT and security, which used to be supplied in-house. </p>
<p>There has also been a trend to take support staff away from departments and faculties and centralise them under the direct control of management. </p>
<p>And the students? HECS/HELP debt exceeds A$30 billion across the country, and there is private debt by full-fee-paying students on top of that. In the US, on which our universities are increasingly modelled, total student debt is <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/halahtouryalai/2014/02/21/1-trillion-student-loan-problem-keeps-getting-worse/">US$1.08 trillion</a>. </p>
<p>What they have gone for is increasing class sizes and more routinised courses. Students too have been increasingly shut out of university decision-making, except through their dollars as customers.</p>
<p>There is no mystery about how this situation arose. </p>
<p>The Dawkins reforms of the late 1980s expanded the university system, but did it on the cheap, following a market-style user-pays logic. </p>
<p>Fees have risen massively since then, while the proportion of university budgets coming direct from government <a href="http://insidestory.org.au/the-university-rankings-no-government-wants-to-talk-about">collapsed</a> from about 90% to under 45%. </p>
<p>Universities have been profoundly re-defined in neoliberal terms, from being sections of a unified public service to being competing firms in a market. </p>
<p>Universities are not collapsing. Staff commitment continues to make them work, despite worsened conditions. But a crisis of sustainability is building up, as we continue to drift towards a privatised system under the neoliberal cover story that there-is-no-alternative.</p>
<h2>What’s the alternative?</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/101798/original/image-20151113-12396-1lzqmul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/101798/original/image-20151113-12396-1lzqmul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/101798/original/image-20151113-12396-1lzqmul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/101798/original/image-20151113-12396-1lzqmul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/101798/original/image-20151113-12396-1lzqmul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/101798/original/image-20151113-12396-1lzqmul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/101798/original/image-20151113-12396-1lzqmul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">University of Berlin: a classic role model?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The history of universities around the world is rich with alternatives, large and small. </p>
<p>Let’s start with the University of Berlin, the model for the modern research university. It came from a German Enlightenment concept of the Bildungsstaat, the educational state, in which supporting cultural and intellectual development was a public responsibility.</p>
<p>Not relevant today? It remains a strong tradition. A year ago, the last of the German Länder abolished university tuition fees. The most successful economy in Europe now has a <a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/education/2014/10/how-germany-managed-abolish-university-tuition-fees">fee-free national university system</a>.</p>
<p>In the “Flying University” tradition in Poland, intellectuals set up clandestine study programs to keep alive the knowledge not wanted by the authorities – under the Tsars and under the Communists.</p>
<p>In the developing world, universities have been centres of reform and social change. Among them are mega-universities like the amazing National Autonomous University of Mexico.</p>
<p>Australia has its own tradition of experiment and invention. </p>
<p>The Australian National University in its early days was an adventure in the integration of knowledge in new forms. </p>
<p><a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=dlN5CAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT9&dq=%22radicalism+in+medicine%22+newcastle&ots=HfjBGE3e1b&sig=TKwu8OxfeII8HG33hiloEzt9VOg#v=onepage&q=%22radicalism%20in%20medicine%22&f=false">Newcastle medical school</a> pursued a remarkable rethinking of medical education, to make it socially responsive. </p>
<p>The small experimental Free Universities of the 1960s ran student-directed courses.</p>
<p>Many mainstream departments and programs have supported student and staff planning, interactive pedagogies, autonomous research groups and more.</p>
<h2>Agenda for change</h2>
<p>Australia needs fresh thinking on four basic issues.</p>
<p><strong>Knowledge itself</strong></p>
<p>We have the tools to re-think curriculum and research agendas around the knowledge a more democratic society needs, rather than what a corporate economy needs.</p>
<p><strong>Finance</strong></p>
<p>Australia can afford free higher education and wide-ranging, adventurous research. That requires a public system. It isn’t credible, and won’t be funded, if it mimics corporate profit-making. A public university must be open in its working, socially inclusive and modest in demeanour.</p>
<p><strong>Universities as workplaces</strong> </p>
<p>Knowledge is now produced by large workforces; universities should be decent places to work, for all the groups who work here. Universities can be far more democratic than they are; means of shared decision-making are crucial.</p>
<p><strong>Public role</strong></p>
<p>Universities have been places of privilege; only as places of public service will they flourish. A key public service is independent critical thought. Another is educating professionals, which has to be re-thought as neoliberalism undermines old models of professionalism.</p>
<p>Those are directions of change, not a ready-made model. </p>
<p>In making a start, it’s important to know that the grey corporate orthodoxy of fees, competition and control was never, and is not now, the only possibility for higher education.</p>
<p><em>Raewyn Connell will be discussing the issues raised in this article at the <a href="http://privatiseduni.com/">Challenging the Privatised University conference</a> on November 23, 2015.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/43696/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Raewyn Connell is affiliated with University of Sydney (Professor Emerita) and National Tertiary Education Union (life member)</span></em></p>A crisis of sustainability is building up as universities continue to drift towards a more privatised system. It’s time we started looking at alternative options.Raewyn Connell, Professor Emerita (social science), University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/138752013-05-05T20:34:32Z2013-05-05T20:34:32ZUni cuts will lead to health problems for academics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/23114/original/snbvrtzk-1367389661.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C5%2C995%2C660&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The recent cuts to universities are only likely to make the health problem growing in the academic community worse.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stressed academic image www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The consensus on the recent <a href="https://theconversation.com/university-cuts-help-pay-for-gonski-school-reforms-13471">A$2.3 billion funding cuts</a> to the tertiary sector is they will do more harm than good.</p>
<p>Plenty of commentators foresee diminishing quality of teaching and research, possible increases in class sizes, job losses, a tumble in our international rankings and a less accessible tertiary sector for disadvantaged students. </p>
<p>I have no argument with these claims. </p>
<p>But what bothers me, indeed, what leaves me nothing less than gob-smacked, is that in all the ink that has been spilled in
response to the higher education minister’s bombshell, there has been little or no mention of the cost of such cuts to the health and wellbeing of university staff.</p>
<p>Research carried out in <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apps.2011.60.issue-1/issuetoc">Australia</a>, <a href="http://www.ucu.org.uk/media/pdf/pressurepoints.pdf">the UK</a>, <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1360080X.2011.605255#.UYZKjitsPcY">USA</a>, and <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hequ.2013.67.issue-1/issuetoc">elsewhere</a> over the last decade or so has clearly shown that <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10615806.2010.548088#.UYZK_CtsPcY">large numbers of academics</a> are exhausted, overloaded, demoralised and depressed. Many are suffering from insomnia and disorientation, as well as from physical illnesses related to workplace stress. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/stress-hits-half-down-under/170696.article">A 2002 survey</a> of 8,732 Australian university staff found that approximately 50% of those interviewed were are at risk of psychological illness, compared to 19% of the Australian population overall. There is little doubt that in the decade since this study was published, the situation has worsened. </p>
<p>We are now surrounded, to borrow <a href="http://www.york.ac.uk/media/sociology/conferences/pgconference2012/Roger%20Burrows.pdf">a phrase</a> from British sociologist Professor Roger Burrows, by a “deep affective <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/somatic">somatic</a> crisis” which threatens to engulf us. This “somatic”, or bodily, crisis is connected to the wide ranging changes in universities driven by neoliberalism. </p>
<p>Under these changes, academics suffer from ever-increasing workloads, ever-decreasing control in the workplace, diminished job security, increased casualisation, expanding surveillance and performance measures, the fragmentation of collegiality and the associated rise of a culture of competition and permanent distrust. Where, then, is the collective outrage that such corrosive changes surely call for?</p>
<p>The success of neoliberalism lies not least in its production of what education researchers Bronwyn Davies and Peter Bansel refer to as the “new enterprise individual”. The individual who embodies and reproduces — whether knowingly or not — the logic of market fundamentalism. </p>
<p>Academic survival now requires that we all, to varying degrees, become such individuals; that we take individual responsibility for our work and our health and wellbeing. But at the same time, inhabiting an ethos in which there is no space for legitimate debate and where critique is treated as seditious, turns us into our own worst enemies. </p>
<p>It is a survival strategy which, ironically, is hampering our survival rather than ensuring it. If academics are to avoid being entirely overwhelmed by the ever-expanding beast of the modern university system, we need to turn our thoughts to our own contexts and experiences.</p>
<p>We need to ask questions about the “enterprise university” and the neoliberal technologies of massification, marketization, and new public management which birthed the behemoth that is swallowing us whole. We need to refuse the idea that wellbeing is solely the responsibility of the individual. Afterall, if we leave things as they are we are likely see a rise in absenteeism, presenteeism, worker’s compensation, the loss of highly-trained staff or re-staffing, and, of course, the financial, emotional and physical costs borne by academic staff. </p>
<p>At the same time, the institutional regimes (from universities to governments) that regulate academic life need to be called on to address the crisis in which we find ourselves. They need to make staff health and wellbeing an organisational priority. In the UK, some universities and colleges have <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hequ.2010.64.issue-4/issuetoc">adopted standards</a> of good management practice developed by the Health and Safety Executive to help employers prevent work place stress. </p>
<p>Surely, in the face of a crisis of these proportions, it is not too much to ask that Australian institutions do likewise.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/13875/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nikki Sullivan is an Associate Professor at Macquarie University and a member of the National Tertiary Education Union.</span></em></p>The consensus on the recent A$2.3 billion funding cuts to the tertiary sector is they will do more harm than good. Plenty of commentators foresee diminishing quality of teaching and research, possible…Nikki Sullivan, Associate Professor, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.