University of Adelaide staff set for pay rises ahead of university mega-merger
Lower-paid University of Adelaide staff could receive pay increases of up to 3 per cent as negotiators rush to finalise a deal before Christmas ahead of the looming mega-merger.
Lower-paid University of Adelaide staff could pocket pay bumps of up to 3 per cent to bring them in line with their University of South Australia counterparts, as negotiators race to seal a deal before Christmas ahead of the looming mega-merger.
Adelaide University and the National Tertiary Education Union are pushing to finalise a sweeping “best of both worlds” enterprise agreement for its 11,000 staff by Friday, December 19, leaving just days to sign off before the Christmas shutdown or risk significant delays into the new year.
Its understood a central part of those talks is a one-off “equalisation” lift to wipe out long-running pay gaps between the two universities as they merge into a single institution.
Many University of Adelaide employees, who are currently paid less than UniSA workers for the same roles, are expected to receive rises of around 1 to 3 per cent to bring everyone onto the same scale.
On top of that, the union is seeking a second, overall pay increase, arguing for a competitive CPI-linked rise to prevent staff falling further behind as living costs surge.
Union officials say the combined package is crucial to ensure no staff member goes backwards as the new Adelaide University takes shape.
The pay push comes after University of Adelaide chair Professor Peter Høj received a 24 per cent pay rise last year, lifting his salary from about $1m to roughly $1.3m.
That brought him in line with his current co-vice chancellor, David Lloyd, who earned about $1.3m in 2024 for this top role at the University of South Australia.
In a statement, Adelaide University recently said it would not publicly comment on negotiations while they remain underway but praised staff for their commitment during the transition.
“The University is immensely grateful to its staff for the enthusiasm and commitment they have shown in co-creating Adelaide University,” a spokesman said.
“Merging two universities with a combined community of nearly 500,000 staff, students and alumni was never going to be easy, but staff retention during the merger process has been among the highest either foundation institution has ever seen.”
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Originally published as University of Adelaide staff set for pay rises ahead of university mega-merger
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