More than 800 lecturers were underpaid for 8 years

(Dan Tri) - An Australian university is under investigation after admitting it underpaid 838 lecturers 1.25 million Australian dollars over eight years.

The incident has raised public concern about the situation of unpaid wages and delayed salaries that still exists in many universities in this country.

According to the University of Adelaide (Australia), the errors were discovered during a review of salary payments, after similar violations were reported at many other educational institutions. These violations occurred between March 2017 and May 2025.

According to the audit report, 838 lecturers with PhD qualifications or participating in teaching modules were underpaid a total of about 1.25 million Australian dollars.

“Although this represents less than 0.05% of the total payroll for that period, it is still a serious error,” a University of Adelaide representative said. The school apologized and said it was urgently returning the outstanding amount to the lecturers involved.

University of Adelaide campus (Photo: University of Adelaide).

The school has reported the incident to the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) and is committed to continuing to review and improve its management process. “If we discover any similar cases, we will proactively contact and resolve them immediately,” said a school representative.

The FWO confirmed that it is investigating the incident and asked the schools involved to cooperate fully during the investigation. The agency also encouraged those who have worked at the University of Adelaide to contact them directly if they have any questions about their rights.

Since 2022, the FWO has stepped up its enforcement of pay-for-staff breaches at universities. To date, the agency has signed legally binding commitments with a number of universities, including the University of Sydney, the University of Technology Sydney, the University of Newcastle, La Trobe University, the University of Melbourne, Charles Sturt University and Griffith University.

FWO also won its case against the University of Melbourne and is continuing its lawsuit against the University of New South Wales.

The University of Wollongong recently refunded $6.6 million to more than 5,000 staff after it was found to have underpaid them.

Xuanzang

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/hon-800-giang-vien-bi-tra-thieu-luong-suot-8-nam-20251027114724710.htm