Fair Work Ombudsman
Citation: FWO-2024-12-12-university-of-sydney-eu-media-release
At a glance
- Penalty
- $23,000,000
- Employees affected
- 14000
What happened
The University of Sydney signed an Enforceable Undertaking with the Fair Work Ombudsman after identifying underpayments totalling more than $23 million to more than 14,000 staff, including superannuation and interest. The underpayments are part of a wider FWO focus on the university sector, where benchmark-based pay for casual academics has repeatedly fallen short of actual hours worked. The university acknowledged governance failures and breaches of its enterprise agreement obligations.
What was decided
Under the EU, the University of Sydney will complete the $23 million in payments and make a $500,000 contrition payment to the Commonwealth's Consolidated Revenue Fund. It must also implement a broad range of compliance measures. The FWO said the measures will strengthen information sharing and consultation between staff and governance bodies. The figures are remediation and contrition, not a civil penalty.
What it means for employers
Universities cannot rely on benchmark rates or assumed activity times to pay casual academic staff. Enterprise agreement and Award minimums apply to actual hours worked. Governance bodies need direct visibility of wage compliance and casual pay reconciliation, not just aggregate payroll reporting.
What it means for employees
If you were a casual academic or professional staff member at the University of Sydney, you may be owed back-pay. The university is contacting affected staff. You can also contact the university's remediation program directly, or the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94, if you believe you have been missed.
Every statement above is drawn from the published decision. Read the original here:
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/newsroom/media-releases/2024-media-releases/december-2024/20241212-university-of-sydney-eu-media-releaseWant more cases like this?
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This summary was drafted by AI from the published decision and reviewed before publishing. It is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, speak to the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) or a qualified lawyer. About these summaries & corrections →