Decasualisation and the universities accord: an examination of university approaches

Abstract

Casual and fixed-term employment is rife across Australian universities, with current estimates suggesting that around 60% of the workforce are precariously employed. This level of precarious employment poses substantial challenges for individual employees, and for the quality and sustainability of teaching and research in universities. The Australian Universities Accord identifies that casualisation is a key factor in ‘undermining the workforce’. Drawing on an analysis of current publicly available university Enterprise Bargaining Agreements, this paper presents an examination of the state of play for decasualisation schemes within Australia. Through this examination, we consider possibilities for decasualisation schemes and aim to illuminate pathways for reducing the sector’s reliance on a highly casualised workforce. In doing so, we provide insight into models for decasualisation and ways that university workforces might be re-shaped in coming years.