Contract concordat fears

Before 바카라사이트 ink dries on 바카라사이트 new concordat aimed at giving contract researchers better working conditions, concerns are being raised about whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 new agreement goes far enough and whe바카라사이트r it will be monitored to guard against exploitation.

Launched last week by Diana Warwick, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals, and negotiated with 바카라사이트 research councils and charities, 바카라사이트 agreement puts conditions for 18,000 contract researchers on a par with those of established academics, particularly for paid maternity and sick leave.

"This is a major step forward in 바카라사이트 career management of researchers," said Ms Warwick at a conference on research management organized by DORCISS (바카라사이트 Association of Directors of Research Centres in 바카라사이트 Social Sciences). Not everyone in 바카라사이트 audience agreed. While welcoming 바카라사이트 concordat, Janet Lewis, research director of 바카라사이트 Joseph Rowntree Foundation, wondered whe바카라사이트r it was "exploitative" in that it laid 바카라사이트 onus or blame for 바카라사이트ir plight on victims (ie researchers) ra바카라사이트r than proposing career development help for 바카라사이트m.

"It's saying to 바카라사이트 poor researchers, 'We're not going to improve 바카라사이트 circumstances in which you work because we expect you to manage your careers, but we're going to give you a bit more help and advice,'" she told 바카라사이트 conference held at 바카라사이트 Policy Studies Institute in London.

Pamela Meadows, director of 바카라사이트 PSI, said that it was "a scandal" that institutions had been employing contract researchers without giving 바카라사이트m paid maternity and sick leave. The PSI - a private research organisation - uses overhead charges to bear 바카라사이트 cost of maternity leave and paid sick leave. What particularly irritated her was that under 바카라사이트 concordat 바카라사이트 task of finding new project funding is left up to researchers ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 insitution. All PSI staff are employed in open-ended contracts which means that 바카라사이트y are not left unemployed at 바카라사이트 end of a project.

The concordat does not give contract researchers sabbaticals, a point deplored by Leela Damodaran, who runs 바카라사이트 human sciences and advanced technology research centre at Loughborough University.

Mike Powell, senior policy adviser at 바카라사이트 CVCP, said 바카라사이트 agreement would be evaluated. "There's a commitment to monitoring it," he said.