Staff need a meaningful pay rise that helps them catch up. With the cost of housing, food, and essentials climbing, the pressure on household budgets keeps growing.
What we can win
A salary increase for all staff.
Why it is important
You and your colleagues carried the university through unprecedented crises, adapting to remote teaching and heavier workloads without fair compensation. While you were doing the hard work, the sector posted a $3.6 billion surplus in 2024, and executives continued to take home million-dollar salaries. This claim is about priorities.
You need fair pay that keeps up with the cost of living. Food, rent, and bills haven’t stopped rising and neither should your pay. Your hard work, sacrifice, and increased productivity should be recognised. The university has the money; it just needs to choose to invest in staff.
FAQs
Can universities afford this?
Management might say that they cannot afford it, but if universities can afford million-dollar salaries for executives, why can’t they afford fair pay for the people who make them run?
What is the money being spent on – buildings, executive salaries, or sitting in reserves? Most universities are in surplus. Staff should come first, not vanity projects or million-dollar pay packets.
You and your colleagues shouldn’t have to bear the cost of poor governance. Staff well-being and fair pay should be a core university priority. Investing in staff means preserving knowledge, building a stronger institution, and stopping the loss of skilled and talented people.
This claim is a starting point for negotiations. Management will only agree to something sustainable, but they need to hear from staff about what’s fair and what matters most.
Why should university staff be paid more?
The work done by university staff benefits everyone – from life-saving medical research and cutting-edge technology to educating the next generation of doctors, nurses, teachers, and leaders. What you do shapes communities, strengthens industries, and improves lives.
You shouldn’t be asked to deliver world-class outcomes on wages that fall behind rising living costs. Fair pay reflects the value of your work and ensures you can keep doing it with security, dignity, and respect.
Yes, vice-chancellors and other senior staff are paid too much but their pay is not connected to the pay received by the vast majority of staff who do the work of the University.
What will this do for casual or low-paid staff?
Low paid staff such as casuals and some general staff need a pay rise more than any of us. This is a claim for all staff; all staff should receive fair pay for their work and will face rising costs.
How the final claim is settled is part of negotiations and by supporting the claim you have an opportunity to have a say in how the final pay claim is settled and what is prioritised.
We support improved job security for all staff; the pay claim supports the growth of all wages as we progress and improve conditions. Greater job security and improved wages are not counterposed. We are aiming for greater equality by bringing everyone up, not by pulling the top staff down! We’re stronger together.
Will wage increases mean job cuts?
You should be paid fairly without being threatened with losing your job. If the university is running a surplus, it has the resources to invest in both wages and staffing. The issue is not affordability; it’s priorities.
Cutting jobs to fund pay rises is a decision, not a necessity. Management should be transparent about where the money goes. If they can afford executive bonuses, new buildings, and consultants, they can afford to pay you fairly and maintain staffing.
Strong union agreements protect both your pay and your job security. Across the country, workers are winning better wages, and you should not be left behind or forced to choose between fair pay and job stability.
SEE ALL THE PRIORITIES →
Fair Pay. Better Universities.
Secure Jobs. Better Universities.
