While Australia¡¯s vice-chancellors are accustomed to being chastised for earning too much, similar criticism is now being levelled against academic union officials embroiled in a highly charged election contest.

Three National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members have vowed to slash the union leadership¡¯s salaries if their candidacy in next month¡¯s election proves successful.

The three candidates, who have joined forces in a ticket called ¡°¡±, say they will pursue ¡°comprehensive reform¡± of elected officials¡¯ pay at the union¡¯s next national council. In the meantime, they have promised to relinquish annual earnings of about A$100,000 (?57,000) each if elected. ?

¡°The current salaries¡­are excessive and distance the leadership of the union from the conditions that ordinary workers face on a daily basis,¡± the candidates . ¡°We cannot justify salaries of over A$200,000 when an average worker often struggles to earn even A$50,000 per year and is unsure of¡­ongoing employment.¡±

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Their pledge would halve the salaries of the national president and general secretary from A$211,429 to A$105,715 a year. The national assistant secretary¡¯s earnings would plunge to the same level from A$187,937, generating almost A$300,000 a year to bankroll organising efforts and industrial action.

Anastasia Kanjere, a casually employed social science academic running for the general secretary¡¯s position, said current salaries created a ¡°rift¡± between the leadership and ¡°ordinary workers¡±.

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She said lower pay would help bring union leaders back to earth in terms of ¡°really simple things¡± like the pubs they frequented, the cars they drove and the impact of escalating food prices. ¡°When you¡¯re on a salary like A$211,000 a year, lettuce prices skyrocketing is not really a problem for you.¡±

Dr Kanjere said her running mate for national president, casual biology academic Fahad Ali, had earned less than the minimum wage last year. ¡°This is somebody who lectures and develops courses in molecular genetics,¡± she said. ¡°If we are elected, this will be a pay rise for all three of us [who] are, to some extent, precarious workers.¡±

Damien Cahill, candidate for general secretary in the opposing team, said union office bearers¡¯ salaries should be in line with the membership of the sectors in which they worked.

¡°The current pay scales are pegged to the academic rates. I think that¡¯s appropriate, but the pay rates of officers should be and are subject to regular review,¡± said Dr Cahill, who is incumbent secretary of the union¡¯s New South Wales division.

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Pay rates for the three top jobs are currently linked to academic pay scales for professors, who generally attract base salaries over A$190,000.

The election is taking place amid simmering resentment among some NTEU members over the union leadership¡¯s attempts to strike a deal with universities in 2020, in an ultimately fruitless attempt to forestall pandemic-induced job losses.

Dr Kanjere said that while she was not opposed to unions making concessions to save jobs, she objected to the ¡°anti-democratic manner¡± in which it had been pursued. ¡°The first thing that the national leadership of the NTEU did was go into closed door meetings with bosses. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how you respond to a crisis.¡±

Dr Cahill said the election would hinge on members¡¯ judgements about which candidates had the experience and commitment to address job security, ¡°chronic overwork¡± and ¡°rampant workplace restructuring¡±, to campaign effectively for university funding and governance reform.

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john.ross@timeshighereducation.com