Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 59.36
Liaison Ben Dharmendra
Submission Date July 30, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of Sydney
PA-12: Employee Compensation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.25 / 3.00 Zoe Morrison
Strategy Advisor
Strategy Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Living wage for employees

The local living wage (based on a family of four and expressed as an hourly wage):
25 US/Canadian $

Percentage of employees that receive a living wage (benefits excluded):
100

Part 2. Living wage for employees of contractors

Does the institution have significant contractors with employees that work on-site as part of regular and ongoing campus operations?:
Yes

A list or brief description of significant on-site contractors:
On site contractors include cleaners, waste contactors, maintenance services contractors (e.g for fire systems, electrical, lifts, mechanical etc.).

Percentage of employees of on-site contractors known to receive a living wage or be covered by collective bargaining agreements (i.e., union contracts):
0

Part 3. Minimum total compensation for employees

Total compensation provided to the institution’s lowest paid regular, part-time or full-time employee or pay grade meets or exceeds what percentage of the living wage?:
150 percent

A brief description of the minimum total compensation provided to the institution’s lowest paid employee or pay grade:
Based on 35 hours worked per week:
The lowest rate of pay at the University of Sydney is HEO1 step 1 with an annual wage of $64,697.49 including 17% of base salary as superannuation (rising to $56,459 + super in 2021). This is 153% above the living wage. Casual employees are paid $37.85/hr on a casual basis (including loading - super, annual leave compensation). HEO (Higher Education Officer) is considered a professional role/non-academic staff grading. This is 150% above the living wage.

Optional Fields 

Has the institution made a formal commitment to pay a living wage?:
Yes

A copy or brief description of the institution’s written policy stating its commitment to a living wage:
The University of Sydney enterprise agreement (https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/documents/agreements/fwa/ae428081.pdf) details wages including minimum wages and entitlements of all casual and annual salaried staff, which provides an agreement for wages in excess of the living wage. All information relating salary and its components are available too all employees on the University's staff intranet (restricted behind logon details). Details can be found in Schedule 1, pages 75-88.

Website URL where information about employee compensation is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The Living Wage data has been cross referenced to ABS, ACOSS, ACTU and RAFFWU data and definitions. The quoted living wage is the highest hourly rate from these sources taken for an individual contributing to the household income.
The living wage is defined as 60% of the median Australian wage.
The ABS, Australian Bureau of Statistics, defines the median wage as $1,463, thus a living wage of 60% for a 36.25h/w = $24.22/h.
The ACTU, Australian Council of Trade Unions, the peak body to co-ordinate union campaigns representing Australian workers, also defines a living wage as 60% of the median wage. The RAFFWU, an example member union, defines the living wage is $25/h.
ACOSS, The Australian Council of Social Service, is a national advocate for action to reduce poverty and inequality and the peak body for the community services sector in Australia. The ACOSS Poverty in Australia Report 2020
http://povertyandinequality.acoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Poverty-in-Australia-2020_Part-1_Overview.pdf https://www.acoss.org.au/

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.