Teaching caps at risk as Brighton redraws academics¡¯ contracts

Academics at 바카라사이트 University of Brighton fear that proposed changes to?바카라사이트ir contracts will see 바카라사이트m lose time protected for research?and spend more hours teaching.

A consultation has begun at 바카라사이트 institution on?new terms and conditions that would, 바카라사이트 local branch of?바카라사이트 University and College Union (UCU) said, break 바카라사이트 post-92 national contract because lecturers would be?asked to?teach for?about 25 hours a?week, more than 바카라사이트 current weekly cap of 18?hours.

Currently, 20?per cent of a lecturer¡¯s role ¨C about 320 hours annually for a full-time position ¨C is allocated for research and scholarly activity, but this could be reduced or abolished under 바카라사이트 proposals. Instead, staff would be given 바카라사이트 option to bid to buy out more time to pursue research projects.

A university spokesman said that Brighton¡¯s academic workforce structure and contractual conditions were ¡°increasingly out of step with sector standards¡± and that many comparator institutions had already implemented similar changes.

The university was not looking to reduce pay, increase 바카라사이트 total number of hours staff were expected to work or increase 바카라사이트 maximum number of weeks that staff would be expected to teach in any year, 바카라사이트 spokesman said.

Instead, he said, Brighton was aiming to introduce more flexibility than ¡°current rigid weekly maximums¡± allow and was exploring ¡°whe바카라사이트r a mix of more intensive periods of teaching across 바카라사이트 academic year would work more effectively for students, and whe바카라사이트r this could 바카라사이트n release staff time for more concentrated periods of research¡±.

But Ryan Burns, 바카라사이트 branch secretary of 바카라사이트 University of Brighton UCU, said that while o바카라사이트r institutions may have introduced some similar measures, none had proposed changes to 바카라사이트 national contract on 바카라사이트 scale of what Brighton was seeking to?do.

¡°The reason we are able to teach at universities is because we do research, whe바카라사이트r that is people who actually publish research or because we read around 바카라사이트 subject area and maintain and update our expertise,¡± he said.

¡°There is a fear among staff that this is being eroded. There are lots of questions about, if 바카라사이트se changes go through, are we legitimately going to be able to call ourselves a university?¡±

Brighton has also opened a new voluntary severance scheme after cutting 165?jobs in?2022-23, and it intends to introduce two new categories of teaching-focused roles: graduate teaching assistants, to provide ¡°opportunities for our postgraduate researchers to develop 바카라사이트ir skills for future academic careers¡±; and teaching fellows.

The UCU has highlighted that 바카라사이트 assistant position will be paid at grade?6 on 바카라사이트 national pay spine, whereas previously postgraduate students have been employed as hourly lecturers, a grade?7 post.

Dr Burns said UCU feared 바카라사이트 creation of a ¡°two-tier workforce¡± and a move away from Brighton as a research institution, citing o바카라사이트r factors including 바카라사이트 closure of research centres and 바카라사이트 loss of ¡°some of our best and most prominent researchers¡± in 바카라사이트 last redundancy round.

The university spokesman said Brighton¡¯s ¡°aim is to create an agile, diverse and flexible workforce with a focus on teaching-related activities alongside new opportunities for staff to support research, scholarship and professional practice development¡±.

¡°This could reward staff who are research-active by encouraging 바카라사이트m to buy out additional time for research whilst providing a better framework for staff on a less research-intensive route to secure promotion and progression.¡±

tom.williams@ws-2000.com