100 signatures reached
To: Mr Simon McKeon AO, Professor Margaret Gardner AC, Dr Megan Clark AC, The Hon Simon Crean, The Hon Peter Young AO QC and the Monash University Council
Monash Must Pay for Student Consultations
This campaign has ended.
Tuesday 10 May, 2022
Monash University is not paying its staff for required meetings with students outside of classes. This petition calls on Monash University to pay casual teaching staff for student consultations and advocates for all Monash University staff to be paid fairly for the work that they perform.
Casual tutors provide the majority of face-to-face teaching that Monash students receive in their degrees, yet their teaching conditions are substandard and precarious. We know that student consultations with tutors are a vital part of our courses, giving students an opportunity outside of class to ask questions one-on-one. The University needs to meet its commitment to best practice pedagogy, and ensure that its tutors have a meaningful and substantive relationship to students, the campus they work on, and the content they teach.
Why is this important?
Monash University is one of Australia’s largest universities, with a reported surplus of $416 million in 2021. The University’s Strategic Goals say Monash will deliver “education of the highest international quality.” But Monash University cannot deliver high-quality education if it continues to erode the working conditions of its teaching staff.
No staff member should be forced to decide between delivering a quality education to their students, and working without pay.
We, the undersigned, petition Monash University Council to recognise that staff working conditions are student learning conditions, that consultation with students is vital pedagogical work, and that tutors must be paid for scheduled student consultation separately and in addition to the “rolled up” tutorial rate.
Our demands are:
- That the University backpays casual academic staff for student consultations conducted separately to tutorials, and the 2-hour minimum engagement where applicable;
- That the University immediately directs all Faculties, Schools and Departments to pay Teaching Associates for all scheduled student consultation, rather than treating this consultation as ‘associated’ tutorial work;
- That the University does not unfairly transfer this workload onto permanent academic staff; and
- That Vice Chancellor Margaret Gardner issues a formal written apology to all affected staff.
SIGNED:
Ben Eltham, NTEU Monash Branch President
Bernard Keo, NTEU Monash Branch Committee
Giles Fielke, NTEU Monash Branch Committee
Scott Robinson
Kai Tanter
Sofie Onorato, NTEU Monash Organiser
Ishka De Silva, Monash Student Association (MSA) President