Monash University repays $20.7m in ‘wage theft’ case affecting 11,000 staff

Wage theft, a vote of no confidence, a new leadership team and a boost to research funding have caught the attention of universities this week.

Monash University will backpay $20.7m to nearly 11,000 underpaid staff, in the latest wage theft case to rock the higher education sector.

Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth said on Tuesday that Monash University would also pay a $350,000 fine, known as a “contrition payment’’, for the underpayments spanning 11 years and all 10 faculties.

Most of the 10,877 staff were casual academic staff or research assistants, who were not paid the correct rates for tutorials and lectures, in breach of “multiple enterprise agreements’’.

Parfitt under fire

Staff at the University of Technology Sydney passed a vote of no-confidence in embattled vice-chancellor Professor Andrew Parfitt on Tuesday.

The National Tertiary Education Union said 95 per cent of the 1500 members endorsed the no-confidence vote, in protest against hundreds of proposed job cuts and the suspension of enrolments in 120 courses.

The union’s UTS branch president, Dr Sarah Attfield, said Professor Parfitt had “lost the mandate to lead’’. “Staff are exhausted, demoralised and fearful,’’ she said.

A UTS spokeswoman said the integrity of the vote was “questionable’’.

ARC funding

The Australian Research Council has announced $279m in funding to eight ARC centres of excellence.

At the University of NSW, money will be given to its centres for Our Future Oceans and for Quantum Computer Performance and Integration.

The University of Sydney has won funding for its centre for Advanced Peptide and Protein Engineering, and the centre for Mathematics for Quantum Era Security and Trust.

Board changes

The Group of Eight board has appointed University of Queensland vice-chancellor Professor Deborah Terry as its new chair, replacing University of Sydney vice-chancellor Professor Mark Scott.

Monash University vice-chancellor Professor Sharon Pickering is the new deputy chair.

NATASHA BITA