ON CAMPUS campusreview . com . au
NTEU members inside Solidarity Hall in Melbourne . Picture : Supplied .
‘ Like an abusive relationship ’
Deakin casual on working conditions .
By Emilie Lauer
Seasonal academic Dr Jack Kirne said he has been driven well past his breaking point .
Jack , who has worked on a casual basis at Deakin University ’ s communications faculty since 2018 , rallied alongside fellow staff from the University of Melbourne and Monash University in May .
He told Campus Review he decided to strike for respect .
“ I feel betrayed and disrespected in a way that ’ s sort of shocked me ,” he said .
“ People are constantly raising very legitimate concerns and being told they don ’ t exist , and that sort of gaslighting is at all levels of the university , and that ’ s what pushed people - they ’ ve had enough . “ It ’ s just a total lack of respect .” In 2021 , nearly one-third of Australia ’ s academic staff were employed on a casual basis .
According to Jack , the ‘ dangling carrot ’ of being allocated a permanent role has continued to push him to keep working - despite facing increased workloads .
Research has shown that academics employed in Australia worked more than 50 hours a week , with casual staff reportedly working up to 15 extra unpaid hours than their permanent counterparts .
In 2021 , universities reportedly offered fewer than 1 in 100 casual staff a permanent position .
According to the National Tertiary Union , 41 per cent of staff employed at Deakin University are on casual contracts .
Jack said his inability to assume a permanent position has affected his anxiety levels and self-confidence .
“ At first , you blame yourself , and you think you are not good enough or not working hard enough . You sort of process it as a horrible personal failing ,” he said .
“ It gets you into a pretty low place , constantly feeling sad , rejected and a failure , but also making all kinds of desperate gestures and working all the time to prove yourself .
“ I went from being extremely angry to being constantly extremely anxious .
“ That kind of system where you are constantly being gaslit ; it ’ s like an abusive relationship .”
Like many casual academic staff across Australia , Jack said his employment status has impacted all aspects of his life .
According to NTEU National President Dr Alison Barnes insecure work does not only hold back casual ’ s careers but impacts their personal circumstances .
University workers are sick of being asked to take the hit .
“ It ’ s not too much to expect some economic security so you can tend to the basics of life such as illness , holidays or buying a home ,” Dr Barnes told Campus Review .
“ These principles are at the heart of the strikes ripping across Victorian university campuses and across the nation .
“ University workers are sick of being asked to take the hit .”
Last year , Western Sydney University agreed to offer casuals first preference over 150 jobs , a move followed by the University of Technology Sydney and the Australian Catholic University .
The University of Sydney also agreed in April to offer 330 new ongoing positions , with 110 of them to be attributed to long-term casual and fixed-term staff .
Jack said he is hopeful the strikes will send a “ strong message ” to universities .
“ Casuals deserve to be working reasonable hours , to have a pay rise , and to have a secure job ,” he said .
“ We need that dignity .” ■
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