After several months of discussions between the union and P & C, another casual tutor has had an underpayment rectified. Halfway through semester 1, 2020, the tutor was paid at the 'other' rate for their tutorials. Not only did this result in an underpayment of several thousand dollars, but it also affected their application for conversion, as only teaching delivery and not 'other' activities are counted when applying to convert to an ongoing role. We urge all sessional tutors to check their pay slips closely each fortnight to ensure they are paid at the correct rate. It is also good practice to download and keep a record of all pay slips as the change over to new systems often results in older versions 'disappearing', making it hard to press for redress. We have launched a new campaign against wage theft at Swinburne. You can get involved here if you have been affected by underpayments or by long delays in receiving your payment.
Online Lectures: Underpayment/Under-allocation
We are dealing with additional underpayment/under-allocated issues across Higher Education. Some departments have misapplied tutorial allocations to online lectures for both ongoing and casual staff. Online teaching must be work loaded in the same way as if it was taught face to face (as per clause 15.1.2i in the HE Enterprise Agreement). Please check your workloads and, if sessional, your pay slips. If you have been affected by this, let us know here.