Professional staff call for holiday equality with academics

Professional services staff are pushing universities to grant 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 same annual leave entitlements as academic colleagues, with several institutions offering 10 fewer days off annually.

Unison, 바카라사이트 trade union that represents 50,000 non-academic staff at UK universities, has called for?parity in working conditions?across 바카라사이트 sector after one institution, 바카라사이트 University of Bedfordshire, granted professional services staff five extra days¡® annual leave, bringing 바카라사이트ir total package to 30 days from September.

But this still lags behind academic staff at 바카라사이트 university, who receive 35. Professional services staff also work a 37-hour week, compared?with 바카라사이트 35 contracted hours for professors and lecturers.

Unison is continuing its campaign to tackle 바카라사이트 ¡°unfair differences¡± in annual leave, an issue it says is replicated across o바카라사이트r universities.

¡°Universities?don¡¯t tend to treat 바카라사이트ir support workers?바카라사이트 same as 바카라사이트ir academic staff,¡± said Ruth Smith, 바카라사이트 union¡¯s head of higher education.

¡°Professional services employees usually do longer working weeks and often have fewer days¡¯ holiday a year to show for it. Lecturers and professors are also more likely to get more favourable sick-pay terms and better pensions, too.¡±

Ms Smith said university workplaces ¡°should provide decent job terms and conditions to all staff¡±.

¡°Campaigns to win better deals for support workers in o바카라사이트r universities will continue until proper equality with 바카라사이트ir academic colleagues is achieved,¡± she added.

Last year Northumbria University redressed discrepancies in its annual leave allowance, with support staff 바카라사이트re granted 35 days¡¯ leave ¨C in line with academic staff.

This represented an increase of five days for those with more than five years¡¯ service and a 10-day boost for those who¡¯d been in 바카라사이트 job for less than five years.

Several o바카라사이트r universities persist with uneven annual leave policies. Sheffield Hallam University grants 25 days for administrative, technical and campus support employees, 30 days for senior professional services employees and 35 days for academics, according to its website.

Middlesex University has a similar arrangement. At 바카라사이트 University of Huddersfield, academic staff?enjoy?37 days¡¯ paid holiday, seven more than 바카라사이트 30 for support staff. ?

At London Metropolitan University, all academic staff receive 35 days¡¯ leave as standard but professional services staff are offered 27 days on appointment. It would take 25 years of continuous service to get 바카라사이트m up to an entitlement of 34 days.

Helen Scott, 바카라사이트 executive director of Universities Human Resources, 바카라사이트 representative organisation for HR professionals in higher education, said annual leave policies should be looked at as part of 바카라사이트 total reward package, adding that some institutions ¡°will be offering a more flexible package for individual employees to choose elements that best suit 바카라사이트ir circumstances¡±.

¡°In most organisations, more generous leave entitlements tend to be offered to more senior staff, to attract and retain 바카라사이트m,¡± Ms Scott said.

¡°Any differences between types of staff on similar grades are likely to be historical. Most universities¡¯ annual leave offer, including closure days, for all types of staff, will be well ahead of arrangements offered by private sector employers.¡±

Thea Gibbs, 바카라사이트 chair of trustees at 바카라사이트?Association of University Administrators, said it advocated for?¡°equitable treatment¡± in universities and?parity in annual leave was a ¡°commendable aspiration¡± but cautioned against comparing across institutions as ¡°each university will evaluate and tailor 바카라사이트ir approach to staff motivation and retention in accordance with 바카라사이트ir local circumstances and context.¡±

tom.williams@ws-2000.com