MQ casual staff job security petition
MQ Executive Deans; MQ Vice Chancellor; MQ Executive; MQ Council
MAJOR REDUCTION IN CASUAL JOBS. Since Tuesday 13th August 2024 several announcements have been made by the University Executive which suggest that Macquarie will reduce its casual workforce by a very large amount in 2025. While it is laudable to move towards more permanent and secure work for all university employees, there are potentially devastating consequences for current casual staff who could be left without income in 2025.
Sponsored by
To:
MQ Executive Deans; MQ Vice Chancellor; MQ Executive; MQ Council
From:
[Your Name]
70 ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT JOBS. Publicly commit to bringing forward the entire 70 promised permanent positions to reduce casualisation so that they begin by first semester 2025.
FTE EQUIVALENT JOBS. Publicly commit to creating permanent jobs of equivalent teaching FTE as that which is currently done by casual staff. In Arts, for example, there are 97 FTE workload done by casuals that it is implied will be abolished. This workload cannot be made up for by existing permanent staff.
MQ CASUALS. Publicly commit to appointing MQ casuals (employed in 2023 or 2024) to all new positions, unless there is a substantive reason not to (such as specialised skill sets required).
0.4 FTE POSITIONS. Publicly commit to creating a substantial number of these positions as 0.4 FTE, meaning that there is work for those who don't want full time work, compatibility with scholarships, and also potentially more positions created across the university.
20% RESEARCH. Publicly commit to the 70/30 Teaching and Leadership positions be offered (at the discretion of staff offered positions) the opportunity to be 20/60/20, with a 20 percent research allocation.
PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS AND CASUALS WITHOUT PHDS. Publicly commit to making the conversion open to current casuals who do not have PhDs and/or are not research oriented.
FIELDWORK. Publicly commit to making means for students who go on long term fieldwork to be able to get work when they return.
LABOUR POOL. Publicly commit to setting up and resourcing a labour pool made up of MQ casuals employed in 2023 or 2024, who shall be prioritised for employment in any new or vacant positions across the university so long as they do not displace existing employees. Staff in this pool would be prioritised for teaching, research, professional staff, and service roles that become available, so as to provide an alternative source of income should they not get teaching work in 2025.
NO GTAs. Publicly commit to not implementing the proposed Graduate Teaching Associates (GTA) program as it's workload is extremely exploitative, the prospects for conversion to permanent jobs is weak or not existent, and the linking of graduate student enrolment, career progression, and a very high workload position creates potential for coercive control and work that could breach modern slavery laws.