Deakin University wage theft victims ‘haven’t seen a cent’, union claims

More than a year after Deakin University admitted to systematically underpaying casual academics, some staff claim they haven’t seen a cent of back-pay – and are instead being forced into lower-paid positions.

Deakin University casual academics who are still collectively owed as much as $10m after a wage theft scandal, say they are being forced into lower-paid positions. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

Casual academic staff Deakin University still owed as much as $10m after a wage-theft scandal say they are being forced into lower-paid positions – and most haven’t seen a cent of back-pay.

Kate Hall, who worked at as casual tutor at Deakin’s Waurn Ponds and Melbourne campuses between 2006 and 2023, said she was just one of many owed money for long hours she spent marking student essays.

She said she accumulated most of the unpaid hours while working in the School of Communication and Creative Arts.

“There was this expectation to mark beyond what was physically possible,” she said.

“Because we didn't think we’d be offered work again in the following trimester if we didn’t.

“It’s a culture of exploitation … and a culture of fear and anxiety around speaking up.”

In May 2024 the university admitted it had been underpaying causal academic staff in the Arts and Education Faculty since at least 2017.

Ms Hall said more than a year since that admission, the university had given her no indication of when she would be reimbursed and she wasn’t holding her breath.

She said she took a voluntary redundancy in 2023 to “get out”.

The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) said this year Deakin had begun offering casual academics new 16-week contracts, with no 25 per cent casual loading and bundled tutorial and lecture rates.

The NTEU criticised Deakin for the move, and added it was pushing other staff into junior pay rates despite years – and in some cases decades – of experience.

NTEU Victorian division secretary Sarah Roberts said the contracts added “insult to injury”.

“Deakin’s wage theft admission is totally meaningless without repaying the money

stolen from its staff,” she said.

“These casual academics are now being forced onto lower pay rates with dangerous workloads.”

Sarah Roberts, Victorian division secretary of the National Tertiary Education Union.

A former casual academic at the Waurn Ponds campus, associate teaching fellow Dr Tom Sandercock, said he was one of just “a handful” of staff who were back paid in May last year, directly after Deakin admitted to wage theft.

He said he was very aware there were potentially thousands of staff who were still owed money.

“They haven’t got a cent back,” he said.

“It’s been a very degrading experience for a lot of people.”

He said Deakin had switched to largely fixed-term contracts for a lot of former casual academics.

“As a casual I would probably have made a lot more money,” he said.

Deakin University was contacted for comment.

Originally published as Deakin University wage theft victims ‘haven’t seen a cent’, union claims