We had a win! Federation University has since agreed to include casual staff in paid domestic and family violence leave entitlements.
To: Vice Chancellors of Monash, RMIT, Victoria & Melbourne Universities
DV leave for all University Staff
We, the undersigned, ask that you extend paid leave rights to casual staff experiencing domestic or family violence.
In 2015, Swinburne University was the only Victorian university to guarantee paid leave rights to casual staff experiencing domestic or family violence.
On 29 July 2016, you were sent a letter from the NTEU asking that your university also provide this workplace right to casual staff. Deakin University and La Trobe University have since pledged to extend these new workplace rights to casual staff. ACU have since confirmed that their EB clause on DVL does apply to casuals.
These are not matters to be negotiated over a bargaining table. It’s time to stand alongside Swinburne, Deakin, ACU and La Trobe. Commit today to guaranteeing minimum paid leave to casual staff experiencing domestic or family violence.
UPDATE: Federation University has since agreed to include casual staff in paid domestic and family violence leave entitlements.
Why is this important?
Submissions made to the Royal Commission report into Family Violence, delivered in March this year reinforced that paid leave rights and other arrangements for people experiencing domestic or family violence are crucial in terms of both reporting and recovery.
People employed casually experience intimate partner or family violence too. Workers in precarious employment already have fewer protections. Of course, the casual loading does not consider this form of leave. It is self-evident that domestic and family violence paid leave rights should be extended to all staff of all Victorian universities.