Deakin University concedes it ‘inadvertently’ underpaid staff over several years

Deakin University may have short-changed staff by as much as $10m after finally conceding widespread “inadvertent underpayment”.

Deakin vice chancellor Iain Martin. Picture: Alan Barber.

Casual employees at Deakin University may have been underpaid by as much as $10m after vice-chancellor Iain Martin finally confirmed “inadvertent underpayment” had occurred.

The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) filed a claim against the university two years ago, but Deakin continually denied any wrongdoing.

But in an about-face on Wednesday, Mr Martin said the university had been underpaying causal academic staff in the Arts and Education Faculty since the commencement of the Deakin University Enterprise Agreement 2017.

“We are working hard to identify the extent of the issue across the University, fully remediate affected staff and improve our systems and processes,” he said in an all-staff email.

“This should not have occurred.”

NTEU Victorian Secretary Sarah Roberts said Deakin’s refusal to admit the clear-cut case of wage theft for two years was disgraceful.

She estimated the underpayments could exceed $10m.

“As late as February this year, management was still insisting the piece rate used to fleece workers didn’t exist – despite staff presenting rock solid evidence,” she said.

“This humiliating admission is a huge win for brave NTEU members at Deakin who have been on a two-year journey to expose this shocking conduct.”

Ms Roberts said while the union acknowledged Deakin’s proposed remediation, it had only “fessed up to stealing wages” in two schools.

“We won’t rest until this entire systematic scandal is fully exposed and every cent owed repaid,” she said.

Sarah Roberts, Victorian Division Secretary of the National Tertiary Education Union.

Dylan Holdsworth, who has worked casually at both Deakin’s Geelong and Burwood campuses in the School of Communication and Creative Arts, said he experienced an “unworkable” system first-hand.

“It’s been two years of trying to get the university to listen to us, so you can imagine we’re not necessarily willing to take what they say at face value,” he said.

The unpaid hours, he said, were due to the university paying them for marking students’ work using a formula, rather than hours actually worked.

“You’re trying to meet the expectations that are being set, with not enough time,” he said.

“You’re sitting there going ‘I know I’m not getting paid for the work I’m doing’.”

But the students needed their assignments marked, he said.

“Its very stressful trying to balance important work and completely unworkable timeline,” Dr Holdsworth said.

The NTEU said it believed some Deakin staff were underpaid more than $45,000.

The union’s Wage Theft Report released last year found Victorian universities had underpaid workers by $50m in three years.

Originally published as Deakin University concedes it ‘inadvertently’ underpaid staff over several years