UQ's Enterprise Agreement

Salary increases

The Agreement includes:

• A salary offer of a 15% increase in annual salary levels over the life of the Agreement —
  • 2% which was paid administratively from 31 January 2022
  • 3% which was paid administratively from 5 December 2022
  • $1,500 uplift to annual base salaries prescribed in the Agreement, with pro rata increases for part-time employees and an adjustment to casual hourly pay rates — to be paid on the first available full pay period after a successful employee ballot
  • 2% — 31 January 2024*
  • 2% — 31 July 2024*
  • 2% — 31 January 2025*
  • 2% — 31 July 2025*
  • 2% — 31 January 2026*.

*to be paid on the first available full pay period after the listed dates.

In addition to scheduled annual increases, employees will still be eligible for annual step progression increases within their current level up to the top step of that level. This provides an additional potential source of wage growth over and above the annual increases in the Agreement.

Generous superannuation benefits — 17%

UQ employees enjoy higher rates of superannuation contribution than the community standard.

The Agreement retains UQ’s 17% employer superannuation contributions for continuing and fixed-term employees.  Casual staff will continue to receive employer superannuation contributions consistent with Commonwealth legislation.

More information

The changes to some leave clauses carefully consider the needs of employees. UQ’s committment to ensuring that our leave entitlements remain as relevant, applicable, and beneficial as possible.  

Existing leave entitlements for eligible employees include:

• 20 days of annual leave per year, including 17.5% annual leave loading
• 1.3 weeks of long service leave for each completed year of service, accessible after 10 years of continuous service
• 26 weeks of paid parental leave subject to eligibility criteria
• generous personal leave entitlements.

New or changed/increased leave options

UQ recognises the need for flexibility around when leave is accessed, and we are committed to supporting employees with a broad range of leave options that can be applied for depending on individual circumstances. This is reflected in the Agreement through:

• the ability to substitute the Australia Day public holiday for an alternative day in the same year
• more options for how paid parental leave can be accessed, including for primary carers, including:
  • spreading the paid component over a greater number of weeks
  • allowing employees to return to work and use the remainder of their parental leave flexibly
• an update of the existing special leave clause which outlines circumstances where this type of leave may apply, such as personal or family circumstances, epidemic or a pandemic, a declared emergency or other disaster
• an increase in paid leave available to employees experiencing family and domestic violence, in addition to the range of other support options already available.

Two new leave types are included in the Agreement:

• for the purpose of affirming gender
• for employees experiencing reproductive health issues.

More information

Aligning with UQ’s inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), the Agreement:

• increases cultural leave provisions to allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees to access up to 8 days of paid cultural leave and 10 days of unpaid leave
• introduces a language allowance of $3,500 per year (subject to eligibilty criteria) in recognition of the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages
• provides that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander employees engaging in cultural activities requested on behalf of UQ will have those activities identified and recognised in their workload allocation and considered in criteria for promotion.

More information

In response to the need for greater job security for casual academic employees, and to facilitate the reduction in the overall use of casual academic employment at UQ, the Agreement establishes continuing Teaching Associate positions. UQ is committed to internally advertising and seeking to fill a minimum of 50 Teaching Associate positions in each 12-month period following the certification of the new Agreement.

UQ is committed to job security and will continue to include specific provisions in the Agreement that ensure:

• casual employment is a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the creation of continuing and fixed-term positions
• compulsory redundancy is a last resort and should be avoided if possible
• natural attrition is the preferred method of effecting change.

Academic freedom

The Agreement reaffirms all employees right to exercise academic freedom, in alignment with UQ’s Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom Policy.   

More information

The Agreement has simplified the existing clauses to make them easier to read and apply for professional employees, including the following changes:

• Span of hours for eligible administrative employees — to be amended to 8am to 7pm, meaning overtime may be applicable for work conducted outside those hours where individual flexible work does not apply.
• Time off in lieu (TOIL) for HEW 1-7 employees — a new mechanism for payment of TOIL where accrued but unused TOIL will be paid out twice per calendar year at the relevant overtime rate.
• Time off in lieu (TOIL) for HEW 8 employees— TOIL can be accrued at the relevant overtime rate where employees are required by UQ to work beyond their ordinary hours. Payment for directed overtime for HEW Level 8 employees will be on a time for time basis only.

More information

• Revised casual academic employment clause — simplifying how pay rates are applied, and relevant minimum engagement periods for various activities.
• Greater clarity on pathways available to professional employees to raise concerns about their workload.
• Revised academic workload clause — with a commitment from UQ to review existing academic workload allocation models by 30 November 2024.
• Introduction of a concurrent casual appointment clause — providing clarity on requirements where a continuing or fixed-term employee is engaged by UQ in a separate and distinct casual appointment.
• Introduction of an end-of-year closure clause outlining processes for accessing leave if UQ closes between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
• Introduction of a stand-down clause — outlining when stand-down with or without pay may occur and the process for any affected employees.