Sasha Borissenko: Are universities giving their workers a fair go?

Massey University staff strike at the Albany campus. Photo / Alex Burton

OPINION:

In early October more than 7000 people from all eight of New Zealand's universities walked off the job in support of a Tertiary Education Union's (TEU) claim for an 8 per cent pay rise to match the rising cost of living and better working conditions.

The decision to strike followed a vote by 87 per cent of union members across 18 collective agreements on September 21.

Annual reports are generally a nightmare to navigate. Nevertheless, for 2021 the University of Auckland had a surplus of $89.7 million for its core activities. Auckland University of Technology had an operating surplus of $12m. Canterbury University returned a $5.7m surplus.

Lincoln University reported a deficit of $4.8m but its wider consolidation group saw a surplus of $2.8m. Massey University achieved a surplus of $24.2m. Otago University recorded a $3m deficit but its consolidated group made a surplus of $16.5m.

Victoria University of Wellington had a surplus of $21.9m. The University of Waikato returned a deficit of $2.1m in 2021 and the University Group saw a surplus of $3m.

When asked to respond to the claim that the universities value profit over people the sentiments were the same across the board.

Namely, that staff are the legs the universities stand on, and they're committed to reaching a fair and reasonable offer.

Specifically rejecting my claim, an Auckland University spokesperson said the university was acutely aware of the pressures brought about by the rise in the cost of living.

One of its offers included a salary increase of 9 per cent over two years, rising to 11 per cent for staff earning $60,000 or less. It was significantly higher than any other university in New Zealand or Australia.

"Without a significant increase in funding from central government, the university isn't in a position to go higher than this."

A Victoria University spokesperson said no university is in a financial position to meet the 8 per cent pay increase but it was committed to engage in meaningful and realistic dialogue with the unions.

Another side to this exhaustingly common tale of underpayment and poor working conditions is the precariousness of contractual agreements across the universities' most vulnerable. Namely, those on rolling fixed-term or casual contracts - and for long periods of time.

"I've worked at the university since 2018. Continuously, ever[y] semester. But because my whole career has been on fixed-term contracts that evaporate every five months, I was never entitled to paid maternity leave. I had to take an unpaid semester off of teaching after baby was born," a person* said via Twitter, garnering 622 likes.

"I worked for a New Zealand university. I had 16 limited term contracts in four years. Each one gave me more hours/areas of responsibility," another commented.

Full disclosure, I have been fortunate - and I say this sincerely - to have been one of these casual staff members at a university for some years.

Being partial to the idea of a portfolio career, it's worked wonderfully for me. But, that doesn't mean it has for many others. First, you don't have the sense of security, bargaining power, or the same legal protections.

Second, unlike the permanent academic staff you don't get paid between semesters, for sabbaticals, or for time taken for research. Imagine!

In 2021, Simpson, Joliffe Simson, Soar, Oldfield, Roy, and Salter produced a sobering report, "The Elephant in the Room: Precarious Work in New Zealand's Universities".

"Little is known about the conditions of insecure academic work, the size of this workforce, nor how these workers have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic," the report read.

Among the 760 participants surveyed, more than a quarter had been precariously employed for five years or longer. Nearly 60 per cent had accepted extra work, even if it jeopardised other opportunities.

Nearly half of the participants described their workloads as always or often unsustainable and negatively impacting their health and well-being.

More than half of all students, and nearly two-thirds of PhD students held three or more employment agreements at a university in a 12-month period. Seventy-two per cent of respondents cited financial need as a reason to engage in precarious work.

"The lack of information on the extent of precarity in universities in Aotearoa obscures the level of this marginalisation; official data only distinguishes between full-time and part-time staff, and collects no information on the relative security of these roles," the report read.

Across the ditch, the situation may differ in context, but much of these issues remain the same. Since June, 11 universities have been the subject of an investigation into wage theft by the Fair Work Ombudsman.

The federal workplace watchdog has said exploitative workforce practices - particularly with regard to casual workers - had become the contractual norm. Last year's Senate inquiry revealed casuals and staff on fixed-term contracts made up two-thirds of the sector.

The decades-old practice has meant universities such as UNSW and the University of Melbourne have either set aside or paid for claims of wage theft by casual staff.

Contrast this situation to the many Australian universities that have surpluses in their annual reports. The University of Sydney reported an A$1.04 billion operating surplus last year.

Monash, UNSW, and Queensland reported surpluses of more than A$300m. Charles Sturt reported a surplus of A$143m, and Newcastle reported a surplus of A$185m.

What's the situation in New Zealand's universities?

Waikato, Auckland, and AUT did not respond to my request for the specific number of staff on casual or fixed-term contracts, meaning I'd have to obtain the information by way of the Official Information -it-will-be-another-year-before-I-get-the-numbers Act.

Otago University generously said they had 1696 staff on fixed-term contracts and 3025 casuals as of September this year. Massey University had 2163 casuals and 753 staff on fixed-term contracts. As of October 14, 271 people were on casual contracts and 1239 were on fixed-term contracts at Victoria University. Lincoln employed 305 casuals and 76 fixed-terms as of September 30. Canterbury recorded 539 fixed-term staff and 61 casuals.

I'll leave you with a quote from "The Elephant in the Room: Precarious Work in New Zealand's Universities":

"Changes to funding models combined with pressures to generate surplus revenue has contributed to the corporatisation of universities and the creation of an academic 'precariat' – a highly skilled workforce defined by insecurity, relative deprivation, and a sense of disposability and marginalisation."

*I chose not to name those quoted for fear of jeopardising their working relationships.