Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has responded to reports that RMIT will pay back up to $10 million to casual staff for work dating back to 2014.
Senator Faruqi said:
“Casual university staff are absolutely sick and tired of being underpaid, undervalued and taken for granted.
“Wage theft at our campuses is systemic and universities are finally realising they can no longer run away from this. This wage theft disproportionately affects casual staff and women.
“As universities have casualised their workforces, wage theft has been allowed to fester, and it’s now been revealed that staff at campuses in all parts of the country are affected.
“My congratulations must go to the staff and unions who continue to fight hard for the rights of university workers.
“The Senate Inquiry into Job Security, which I sit on, has made numerous excellent recommendations with respect to wage theft which should be implemented as a matter of urgency.”
