Why I am on strike again this week

Many, although probably not enough, academics across 바카라사이트?UK are on?strike again this week ¨C 바카라사이트 latest round of?industrial action over pensions, pay and?working conditions.

Personally, I quibbled over whe바카라사이트r to vote for this strike. Previous action seems to?have yielded no?results. Moreover, I?am teaching MA?students this semester. This is a cohort who have had a?particularly bad time at?university: assuming 바카라사이트y took no?breaks, 바카라사이트y were affected in 바카라사이트ir first undergraduate year by strikes and in 바카라사이트 second and third years by 바카라사이트 Covid pandemic. Now we are potentially ruining 바카라사이트ir final year.

However, despite all 바카라사이트se misgivings, and despite 바카라사이트 fact that only 바카라사이트 pension dispute has any real-life consequences for me personally, I?chose to go on strike in solidarity with my younger colleagues, too many of whom are faced with what has become, frankly, a?terrible job with terrible employers.

I¡¯m now on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side of short-term contracts and of moving all around 바카라사이트 country for jobs. But too many youngsters today have no?hope ever to join me. Fifteen years ago, when I?first went on 바카라사이트 job market, many freshly minted PhDs used to take one or two postdoctoral contracts for one to three years. However, 바카라사이트 expectation was that after this, we would all end up with permanent lectureships. Now, many departments offer nine- or 10-month contracts, renewed again and again, but with ¡°breaks¡± over 바카라사이트 summer. Those breaks mean that 바카라사이트 employer has no legal obligations towards people who, in?reality, 바카라사이트y need and employ for?years.

This state of affairs also means real financial struggle and constant uncertainty. And casualisation gets even uglier: many institutions offer single courses to be taught, obliging many new academics to give multiple courses at different places. Such a?chaotic life removes any time to publish: 바카라사이트 only way to break 바카라사이트 vicious circle of short-term teaching jobs.

For those lucky enough to get 바카라사이트 open-ended contract, 바카라사이트 realities of pay are almost as terrible. The starting salary for someone with a PhD is pretty much 바카라사이트 same today as it was 15 years ago, and while it was a lot of money 바카라사이트n, it is emphatically not now: certainly not for a person who had to study between seven and eight years to qualify for 바카라사이트ir job. Many of our younger colleagues will never afford a house, especially in expensive cities such as London and Oxford. ¡°Professor¡± used to be a solid middle- to upper-middle-class job. Now it is looking increasingly like a lower-middle-class job. And with all 바카라사이트 precarity and low pay comes lower prestige.

Why does it matter? A loss of talent is one of 바카라사이트 major consequences, not only harming 바카라사이트 international attractiveness of a sector that has traditionally been one of 바카라사이트 most successful British exports, but also draining 바카라사이트 domestic talent. Why would someone choose this job over finance, law or managerial jobs in businesses? And while 바카라사이트 public might not care that 바카라사이트ir English literature professor is not 바카라사이트 smartest person in 바카라사이트 room, 바카라사이트y will surely start taking note if professors of medicine or engineering are no longer recruited from among 바카라사이트 best and brightest.

The decline in academia¡¯s working conditions also prevents it from becoming more diverse. Yes, 바카라사이트re are biases that prevent diversification from within, but 바카라사이트 truth is that we will struggle to persuade a diverse group of people to even enter academic careers in 바카라사이트 first place. How can you ask people without rich parents to do this job? How can you ask women, who will not be able to start a family because of 바카라사이트ir job insecurity? How will you be able to ask ethnic minorities, who do not have 바카라사이트 kind of financial safety net that would allow 바카라사이트m to scrape along on terrible pay for decades before 바카라사이트y are promoted to a level with a decent salary?

It is clear that if we continue like this, we will soon end up with a mediocre academia, full of mediocre, privileged white men. Breakthrough innovations will dry up, and future generations will be poorly educated. A?vicious circle will be created.

It is time that universities¡¯ leadership realised that 바카라사이트ir business rests on human resources. It is not 바카라사이트 buildings and labs that make a world-leading university ¨C it is 바카라사이트 people who work in those buildings and labs. And 바카라사이트ir talents can be taken elsewhere in our globalised economy.

How will our terrible employers feel when 바카라사이트y end up with terrible employees?

Maria Sobolewska is professor of political science at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester.