All entries for Monday 16 November 2009

Warwick Anti–Casualisation Campaign

Writing about web page http://www.kwiksurveys.com/online-survey.php?surveyID=OLJII_9ef5da6e

More info on the WACC here (pronounced: 'whack').

I like the title of this campaign. It makes me think there are a group of bookish, bespectacled hospitallers running around in white robes with red crosses on, trying to heal all the poor Post-Graduate Teaching staff who have been bludgeoned to the ground by evil, contract-wielding Human Resource infidels. (I've been playing Assassin's Creed, in anticipation of AC2's release next week, so that stuff is in my head. No religious significance at all to the analogy.) That's just a fiction in my head, of course and bears no real fact within it, though a creative writer might spot some 'emotional truth'.

The important bit:

Warwick's UCU is undertaking a survey of casual staff across all departments, whether they're unionised or not. It doesn't matter if you aren't a member, the point here is that there are some angels in UCU want to make the situation better for everyone employed by the university on a casual basis - hourly paid, fixed term contract, fixed term attached to project funding, etc. If you're not a permanent member of staff, the outcome of this campaign should benefit you.

They need more information, which is why they're asking you to fill in a survey for them. I just did it, in five minutes - they said it would take ten, so I'm now using the other five to blog about it.

Some background:

At a UCU meeting last academic year, it became clear that Warwick's HR Department don't keep records of all the contracts they issue, by department. They couldn't (or wouldn't?) provide information on how, say, contracts for hourly paid staff in the Sociology Department compared to contracts provided to staff on employed on a similar basis in any other deparment - such as English of Medical Depts.

However, at the meeting, it very quickly became clear that there's a massive disparity in the terms offered to staff in different depatments, not only in this university, but across the country. Also that the University Sector is second only to the Hotels & Catering Sector in employing staff on a casual basis. This used to be a whopping 60% or so, I think, but has come down due to the Harmonisation Campaign, to about 40%, I think, possibly better in other universities.

What this means is nearly half of the 5500 staff employed at Warwick don't have job security, and are potentially exploited in their contracts with absolutely no way of defending themselves legally. I stress potentially - I know I'm paid a third of the salary I should be on, given the teaching load and responsibilities I carry, but other, more reputable (or, less disreputable?) people might be overpaid - who knows? If HR don't keep clear track of the kind of casual contracts they're dishing out, the potential for exploitation is great; and if HR doesn't keep track, it's up to the Union to find out as much as they possibly can and do something about it.

I'm talking from personal experience here. I've been employed on a casual basis for, um... 7 years? Yes, since the 2002-3 Academic Year, first as a part-time tutor, then as an Honorary Teaching Fellow. Not as long as some I know, mind. And I've had it fairly cushy too, in some regards. But it's important to see the scope and scale of inequality across departments, in order to create fair harmonisation rules for casual staff contracts.

So go on, if you haven't already, please do fill in the survey. At the very least, it'll satisfy my curiosity when they publish the analysis.

George Ttoouli : 16 Nov 2009 17:05 |  Tags: Casual Staff Ucu Union |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem