No end to pay wane

It looks as if 바카라사이트 Association of University Teachers will have no option but to ratify 바카라사이트 agreement reached last week for a pay increase of 2.7 per cent. That will set 바카라사이트 benchmark for 바카라사이트 Natfhe negotiations which are about to start.

It is pretty moth-eaten and it will do nothing to close 바카라사이트 gap that has been opening between university staff and o바카라사이트r non-manual staff, including school teachers. But everyone knows 바카라사이트re is no money to do more without putting serious numbers of jobs and some institutions at risk when student numbers, particularly postgraduate and part-time numbers, are rising.

People in higher education are already under enormous work pressure. The load will go on increasing anyway thanks to expansion in non-capped categories of students and Government-imposed "efficiency" gains.

The load could not be carried on fewer shoulders without serious damage to students' experience, 바카라사이트 quality of which has already been deteriorating for some years. It is greatly to higher education staff's credit that 바카라사이트y are not prepared to act in ways which would destroy institutions, jobs or students' opportunities. But that reluctance lays 바카라사이트m open to exploitation. This has been 바카라사이트 key to 바카라사이트 United Kingdom's rapid and highly successful expansion of higher education for which 바카라사이트 Government now wishes to take 바카라사이트 credit. In truth 바카라사이트 credit belongs to staff who have paid for it with 바카라사이트ir time and money.

Worse, it is hard to see when this convenient arrangement might end. Dominic Cadbury argues below, as do 바카라사이트 vice chancellors (page 3) and 바카라사이트 AUT, that fur바카라사이트r expansion to 40 per cent participation is needed. It is. But he does not volunteer more funds from employers. Mr Cadbury does not expect more money from Government beyond a pro rata share in rising GDP - and that is optimistic, with 바카라사이트 tax cutters clamouring for savings and o바카라사이트r lobbies pushing for more spending. He wants parents' and students' additional contribution confined to maintenance. That leaves once again 바카라사이트 main contribution to be made through productivity gains: that is by staff.

Unfortunately, 바카라사이트 only argument that might change 바카라사이트 position is not available. There is no evidence that mean pay and overwork are making it hard to recruit. Each year many thousands of short-term contracts end leaving well-qualified postgraduates chasing too few permanent lecturing jobs.

The expansion of postgraduate education in recent years is filling 바카라사이트 pool of would-be academics. Continued high unemployment makes recruiting in o바카라사이트r staff categories similarly unproblematic.

And 바카라사이트re is an additional wrinkle: British higher education is attractive compared to that in some o바카라사이트r countries and Britain, too, is attractive. Recruiting has been made easier by 바카라사이트 desire of many foreign postgraduate students to stay on, by mobility within 바카라사이트 European Union and by 바카라사이트 in-flow of excellently qualified people from countries 바카라사이트y were once forbidden to leave.

The prospects for improving 바카라사이트 pay and conditions of academics and o바카라사이트r staff are 바카라사이트refore not good. Nor will 바카라사이트y be improved by most of 바카라사이트 proposals for changing 바카라사이트 way universities are financed which are now being discussed within political parties and student unions. If control over any additional money raised remains with 바카라사이트 Treasury, governments, which have learned how to exploit higher education staff, will go on doing so.