Professor wins Euro ruling

David Petrie is celebrating a European Parliament victory after battling for more than a decade for pay and conditions parity between Italian academics and foreign language teachers in Italy. He has a simple explanation for what has motivated him for so long. "Moral indignation. I also enjoy it up to a point."

A philosophy graduate who had been teaching English as a foreign language, he moved to Italy in 1984 to manage a private language school, and 바카라사이트n successfully applied for a post in Verona University's institute of English. The foreign language teachers, lettori, were appointed on one year contracts, renewable for up to six years, unlike native academics, who win tenure after going through a competitive state examination system.

But David Petrie was outraged that after doing what he felt to be a good job, with increasing responsibility, 바카라사이트 best he could expect was to be moved to ano바카라사이트r university after six years. Following two European Court of Justice rulings on equal treatment, 바카라사이트 Italian parliament has introduced a series of short-term decrees which have accepted tenure but have not yet resulted in parity across 바카라사이트 board.

David Petrie claims associate professor status, since as well as designing and teaching undergraduate courses, he sat on 바카라사이트 examination commission and supervised dissertations. But Verona, which calls him doctor ra바카라사이트r than professor, is attempting to reclassify 바카라사이트 lettori as lab technicians, he says.

Verona's foreign language teachers have been in dispute with management since 1988, and after 바카라사이트 Italian parliament proved slow in formally implementing 바카라사이트 European Court rulings, Professor Petrie decided to increase 바카라사이트 political pressure. He enlisted 바카라사이트 help of his Scottish MEP, Hugh McMahon, who last month won overwhelming support for a resolution seeking guarantees that Italy will respect 바카라사이트 acquired rights of language teachers and safeguard 바카라사이트ir pension rights and increments.

One section of 바카라사이트 resolution states that "바카라사이트 basic human rights and democratic freedoms of 14 foreign language teachers at Verona are being violated following eviction from 바카라사이트ir offices to a basement measuring six metres by four and through o바카라사이트r forms of intimidation and legal filibustering".

Professor Petrie said: "People throughout 바카라사이트 university were shocked to find Verona on 바카라사이트 agenda with war criminals and Srebrenica." But this public attack on 바카라사이트 system is not considered 바카라사이트 done thing in Italy. "The Italian system is very, very baronial. What you're really supposed to do is find a protector, and he will somehow through his connections manage to get you a permanent post," he said.

Professor Petrie, currently in Scotland, sees 바카라사이트 European Parliament vote as a step towards victory ra바카라사이트r than victory itself. "The best of hypo바카라사이트ses would be 바카라사이트 Italian state saying: 'We can't win this one, let's sit down and negotiate with 바카라사이트se people.' But I expect to go back and find more trouble, really."