The National Tertiary Education Union has welcomed the Fair Work Ombudsman ordering $23 million in stolen wages to be repaid to University of Sydney staff.
The decision marks the second significant win for workers this week after it was revealed the University of Melbourne would repay $72 million owed to staff.
Both enforceable undertakings incorporate a commitment to embedding a voice for workers that gives a direct role for unions to raise wage theft and workplace law compliance with management.
NTEU members have fought hard for an end to systemic wage theft in higher education, with more than 30 universities implicated in scandals affecting upwards of 142,000 staff.
The national university wage theft tally is now a confirmed $258 million in underpayments, with a further $159 million million set aside by universities to repay workers for suspected wage theft incidents.
Quotes attributable to NTEU National President Dr Alison Barnes:
"This welcome Fair Work Ombudsman action is the direct result of NTEU members demonstrating time and time again that public universities are prolific wage thieves.
"Unions and workers having a voice is a key to ending wage theft, which has become baked into universities' business models.
"Unfortunately, university managements have sought to downplay systemic wage theft despite 142,000 staff experiencing the devastating consequences of not being paid what they deserve.
"The Ombudsman has listened to the NTEU and adopted a blueprint that must be rolled out nationally to end this shameful scourge on higher education.
"The NTEU calls on Education Minister Jason Clare to use this template when he acts on his pledge to tackle university wage theft.
"We need an urgent federal parliamentary inquiry into the broken governance model which has created an environment where wage theft has flourished.
"All vice-chancellors should be on notice that our union will stop at nothing to get them to take their heads out of the sand and back in worker voices that will end wage theft."
