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A fair day ’ s pay
RMIT settles in payment dispute , set to pay casual staff back $ 10m .
RMIT has admitted to underpaying thousands of casual staff members and agreed to pay back approximately $ 10 million . The news came after another union-led effort to investigate claims of underpayments , this time dating back as far as 2014 .
The dispute centres around the rate of pay for marking . The university was accused of paying academic casuals the “ standard ” rate of pay per hour for marking , instead of the required “ academic judgement ” rate – a difference of between $ 10 and $ 20 per hour .
The issue was referred to the Fair Work Commission late last year and a settlement was reached between the NTEU and RMIT .
The university will increase each “ standard ” rate payment to casual academic staff for assessment work since 3 July 2014 to the “ academic judgement ” rate .
The union says this will affect nearly 3900 past and current employees and cost RMIT around $ 10 million .
Sarah Roberts , NTEU Victorian Division assistant secretary , said RMIT deserves no praise for the settlement as they only agreed to pay because they were caught .
“ Make no mistake , if it weren ’ t for the NTEU members who fought RMIT tooth and nail for this outcome , it is unlikely casual staff would have seen one cent in back pay from the university ,” she said .
The Fair Work Ombudsman is investigating 14 universities for potential wage theft , as reported by The Nine Papers , and the problem is so large that Ombudsman Sandra Parker said the strain it is putting on her office is preventing them from investigating other cases .
RMIT interim vice chancellor Dionne Higgins said : “ RMIT greatly values the contribution our casual employees make and we apologise unreservedly to any who may have felt undervalued , and for any confusion or distress they may have experienced in regard to this matter .” ■
‘ Good policy ’
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese . Photo : NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper
Labor announces free TAFE plan .
School leavers eyeing off a future in hospitality , child care or a trade could soon receive free training under a proposal designed to help sectors smashed by the Covid-19 pandemic .
In an address to Labor faithful in Sydney , Anthony Albanese outlined his pitch to open up 20,000 additional university places and make TAFE free for courses that address areas of critical skills shortages .
Under the $ 1.2 billion plan , 465,000 free TAFE places will be created in addition to a further 45,000 fee-paying places .
“ This is good policy for jobs , good policy for people looking to train or retrain , and good policy for businesses , which need more skilled workers ,” Albanese said .
The Morrison Government previously boasted it was doing the “ heavy lifting ” to support TAFE .
“ The Morrison Government has delivered the highest number of trade apprentices on record ,” Skills Minister Stuart Robert said .
“ Hundreds of thousands of Australians are upskilling or reskilling thanks to JobTrainer , TAFE funding has increased , and record levels of Commonwealth financial supports are in place to support Australians to get world-leading job-ready skills .”
But since the coalition came to power in 2013 , there are 85,000 fewer apprenticeships and traineeships .
“ One in four Australian businesses are experiencing critical skills shortages at the same time there are two million Australians who are either looking for a job or want to work more hours ,” Albanese said .
“ While many states and territories have invested in the skills and training sector , the Morrison Government has neglected the backbone of our vocational educational system – public TAFE .”
Albanese will also promise that if elected a Labor government will invest $ 481.7 million to deliver up to 20,000 extra university places over two years .
Funding would be prioritised for universities who offered additional places in areas of national priority , such as engineering , nursing , IT and education .
Places would also be prioritised for universities offering places for people in regional , remote and outer-suburban areas , those who are the first in their family to study at university , and Indigenous Australians . ■
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