Law flouted on contract staff

Universities are using breaks in contract to avoid switching staff to permanent status. Claire Sanders reports

Short-term contracts are still "endemic" in universities despite new European laws designed to eradicate them, a nationwide survey has shown.

Many of the 1,200 fixed-term and hourly paid academics who responded to the survey by the Association of University Teachers were furious that universities were doing little to comply with European Union employment laws that come into effect on July 10. Some said universities were deliberately seeking to undermine the legislation by introducing breaks in contracts to avoid offering permanent posts.

"We anticipate a rash of employment tribunal cases this summer," said Jane Thompson, an AUT policy officer.

The union believes that the widespread anger and frustration felt by academics could be fuelling the pay dispute. An AUT spokesman said: "Many more fixed-term contract staff are joining the AUT and are strong supporters of its campaigns."

The 1,200 staff who responded to an online survey this year complained of endless short-term contracts, lack of career development, poor pay and long hours.

In 2003-04, just over 66,000 academics - 45 per cent of the total - were on fixed-term contracts, according to the AUT. Of those responding to the latest survey, about 1,100 said that they were on fixed-term contracts and 200 said that they were hourly paid.

Just over a fifth of staff on fixed-term contracts said they had had between four and six contracts at their university, and nearly one in ten had had more than ten.

One researcher at Cambridge University said: "I have just started on my 18th fixed-term contract since 1977... 28 years without a break must be something of a record."

The AUT survey says universities are out of kilter with legislation. From July 10, they will have to justify why staff employed for four years or more on fixed-term contracts have not been moved to open-ended or permanent status.

One academic said: "University administration is avoiding complying with the legal requirements to convert research assistants to permanent contracts by encouraging principal investigators to ensure breaks in contracts and pressuring them to let more experienced research assistants' contracts lapse."

Ms Thompson said: "These practices could provide grounds for unfair dismissal."

The AUT and lecturers' union Natfhe are campaigning to improve conditions for casual staff.

Roger Kline of Natfhe said: "New universities have large numbers of hourly paid workers. We will not sign off on the new pay framework agreements until plans to put them on permanent contracts are included, which is why we have only signed off on ten so far."

A spokesperson for the Universities and Colleges Employers' Association said that Ucea anticipates that most staff would be transferred to indefinite contracts as appropriate, "unless there is an objective reason justifying the renewal of the fixed term".

claire.sanders@thes.co.uk