The Case

National Tertiary Education Industry Union v Southern Cross University, CPSU, the Community and Public Sector Union-SPSF Group (2023)

Southern Cross University proposed a new enterprise agreement (EA) that provided for wage increases and a $750 sign-on bonus for casual employees who had current contracts at the date the Fair Work Commission (FWC) approved the EA.

Leading up to the vote on the EA, the university sent employees two emails and a text message, and displayed a notice on the university's human resources portal, stating that if the majority of university staff approve the EA, all casual staff would receive a $750 sign-on bonus. This statement was inaccurate.

The EA was voted on and was approved by a majority of employees, with 685 voting in favour and 604 voting against it. The majority of voters were casual employees.