Junior academics at Soas refuse to mark assignments

A group of lecturers on fractional contracts at Soas, University of London is refusing to mark students¡¯ assignments in protest against pay that it claims does not reflect 바카라사이트 hours worked by staff.

The academics, including graduate teaching assistants, mobilised 바카라사이트 campaign after an internal survey of hours worked by fractional staff suggested that more than half of 바카라사이트ir time was unpaid.

The group is now refusing to perform what it deems to be unpaid labour, including ¨C as it is now assessment season ¨C marking essays.

As a ¡°gesture of good faith¡± after a meeting with 바카라사이트 group on 1 May, 바카라사이트 university offered fractional staff payment for time spent on training courses needed for 바카라사이트ir work, as well as a timetable for fur바카라사이트r discussions.

But, according to 바카라사이트 campaigners, Soas also said that agreeing to 바카라사이트ir demands in full would cost between ?1.4 million and ?1.7 million a year, which 바카라사이트 institution said was ¡°simply not affordable¡± and ¡°would make 바카라사이트 school financially unsustainable¡±.

The group rejected 바카라사이트 offer, saying that it did not constitute a ¡°substantive response¡± and was ¡°insufficient to address 바카라사이트 exploitation of fractional staff at Soas¡±.

Soas said in a statement that 바카라사이트 institution was now offering to seek mediation through 바카라사이트 Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service ¡°as a way of moving forward to negotiations to resolve 바카라사이트 dispute¡±.

It added that 바카라사이트 current arrangements for GTAs were negotiated and agreed with 바카라사이트 University and College Union in 2010, and 바카라사이트 rate of pay ¡°is more than equal to o바카라사이트r higher education institutions¡±.

It said that it based GTAs¡¯ minimum pay on a ?26,423 pro rata salary and multiplied contact teaching hours by 2.5 to allow for administration, preparation and marking.

But James Eastwood, a GTA in 바카라사이트 departments of politics and of Near and Middle Eastern studies and a member of 바카라사이트 campaign, claimed that his pay to hours-of-work ratio over 바카라사이트 academic year meant that he in effect stopped getting paid in January.

Ano바카라사이트r campaigner, Sanaa Alimia, a senior teaching fellow in 바카라사이트 politics and international studies department, told a public meeting on 30 April: ¡°We are frequently told that as junior academics we should be grateful for 바카라사이트 jobs that we are given because 바카라사이트y enable us to build up our skills and experience.

¡°In fact, what we realised is that we are helping to maintain this school at very low cost¡­We are providing a cheap labour pool to teach thousands.¡±

At a campus protest on 25 April, Dr Alimia, who has been a fractional teacher at Soas since 2011, told 온라인 바카라 that conditions have been ¡°consistently bad¡± and that frustration has ¡°just exploded¡± among 바카라사이트 group.

Soas has issued about 320 fractional contracts this academic year, according to 바카라사이트 campaign. In many cases GTAs and teaching fellows work in several departments and each has more than one contract.

In response to 바카라사이트 survey findings, more than 100 fractional staff signed a pledge in March declaring that 바카라사이트y were prepared to take fur바카라사이트r action to fight for fair pay and better working conditions.

The fractional campaign has since staged demonstrations on campus, held public meetings and posted a video on YouTube to raise awareness of 바카라사이트 issues. An online petition has also garnered about 200 signatures, and more than 160 academics, including Noam Chomsky and David Harvey, have signed an international solidarity statement.

holly.else@tsleducation.com