University of Technology Sydney staff underpaid more than $5 million in wages and super

The University of Technology Sydney has admitted underpaying 2777 current and former casual professional staff more than $4.4m over almost seven years.

Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker.

The University of Technology Sydney has admitted underpaying 2777 current and former casual professional staff more than $4.4m over almost seven years.

Under an enforceable undertaking with the Fair Work ­Ombudsman, UTS will repay the entitlements as well as $1.3m in superannuation and interest.

UTS reported the underpayments to the FWO in May 2021 after becoming aware during the design of a new payroll system that staff had been underpaid since 2014.

The employees performed work across the university’s seven faculties, primarily at the main campus in the Sydney CBD.

They included librarians, and counselling, computer programming, policy, researching, school and faculty administrator staff, but not academic staff.

The FWO decided against seeking a financial ­penalty.

“Universities are public not-for-profit institutions. The Australian university system is largely funded through government research and teaching grants and student fees supported by a federal government-backed loan scheme,” a FWO spokesman said. “Revenues are directed back to the core functions of teaching and research, as opposed to in private organisations where profit is directed to owners or shareholders.

“The FWO is of the view that the interests of those who have been underpaid were well served by the university’s proactive and open interactions with the FWO and the steps committed to in the enforceable undertaking.”

The FWO said the underpayments occurred because UTS failed to update payroll systems to reflect an increase in pay for casual professional employees.