University apologises for payroll errors that led to thousands of underpaid staff
The University of Wollongong (UOW) is repaying $6.6 million to 5,340 employees whom it underpaid between 2014 and 2024.
The repayment is part of the Enforceable Undertaking (EU) that the university has entered into with the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO).
The EU also requires the university to make a contrition payment of $130,000, according to the FWO. A second contrition payment will also be made after the finalisation of two matters that are still under review.
The backpay comes after UOW failed to pay employees their minimum engagement period entitlement under the Higher Education Industry – General Staff Award.
Employees were also underpaid their weekend penalty rates, public holiday pay, overtime rates, other leave entitlements, as well as entitlements related to redundancy, severance, and retirement.
The underpaid employees were casual professional staff in a variety of non-teaching roles who were located at the university's main campus.
According to the FWO, the underpayments were a result of the university’s poor governance processes and fundamental payroll system errors. It self-reported its non-compliance to the regulator in 2023.
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