Report
says Russell Group universities must show leadership on
casualisation to “avoid further reputational damage”
· Report
says casual contracts affect the physical and mental health of
staff and negatively impact students’ learning
· Report
appears to put Russell Group at odds with universities’
negotiators and suggests splits over how to deal with problems
and resolve strikes
Casual contracts are affecting the physical and mental
health of staff and having a negative impact on students’
learning, according to a secret report from universities in the
Russell Group.
Leaked minutes of a virtual meeting last Tuesday (25
February) on casualisation said Russell Group universities needed
to “show leadership” to “avoid further reputational damage”. The
report warned that politicians and others are starting to express
concerns about the casualisation of university teaching and
research, as well as a lack of support for staff.
The University and College Union (UCU) said the document
showed again how divided universities are over the issues at the
heart of strikes
currently affecting 74 UK universities. The union urged all
university heads to speak out and get their negotiators to back
to the table to talk seriously about how to resolve the
disputes.
The report details how the number of staff on fixed-term
contracts has increased at Russell Group institutions since 2012.
Previous analysis of data from the Higher Education Statistics
Agency revealed that Russell
Group universities employed more staff on insecure contracts than
other institutions.
However, the body tasked with negotiating on behalf of
universities has sought to play down casualisation
and says its analysis shows
a trend towards more
open-ended and full-time academic
employment.
UCU general secretary, Jo Grady, said: ‘This secret report
shows some universities do understand the extent of casualisation
in our institutions, and the serious damage it does to the health
of staff and education of students. Sadly, it looks like it is
fear of reputational damage, rather than concern for staff or
students, that has prompted universities to act on
casualisation.
‘These minutes show how divided universities are when it
comes to dealing with the issues at the heart of the strikes. Our
message to all university vice-chancellors is simple: speak out.
Make it clear to the people negotiating on your behalf that you
want them to do more to deal with the key issues in these
disputes. We are ready for serious negotiations to try and stop
the strikes and end the disruption at our universities.’
The disputes centre on universities’ failure to make
significant improvements on casualisation, pay, equality,
and workloads, and on the sustainability of the
Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) and rising
pensions costs for members. A
UCU-commissioned report earlier this year found that staff on
casual contracts are vulnerable
and invisible “second-class academics”.
