I absolutely love teaching and having the opportunity to positively contribute to students’ learning.
I’m a PhD student & GTA and have been on strike.
There are so many issues to be fighting against, but casualisation and inequality are closest to my heart.
Casualisation
Extended Workforce Policy doc (Dec ’18) mentions multiple-year contracts for GTAs.
I personally don’t know any GTAs who have this type of contract, excluding us from: “If your contract is for more than one year, you will receive incremental pay increases in the second and subsequent years.”
I’m grateful to have taught for five years, during every year of my PhD. However, I’ve received a new contract annually without any pay increase.
Why is this included in the EWP if it isn’t put into practice across the institution?
UCU Glasgow fought for the introduction of this policy, but in their most recent anti-casualisation report (Oct ’21), they noted that this “was not happening in many areas of the university.”
Decolonising
The University is committed to transforming curricula & decolonising the curriculum, as stated in the L&T Strategy 2021-25 + Understanding Racism Action Plan (Feb ’21).
In practice, it won’t pay precarious staff who are passionate about doing such work.
In 2020-21 I spent many unpaid hours revising content because there was no chance I’d replicate existing power structures & inequalities with students. (Coincidentally, our preparation time was completely cut for repeat classes this year – during the pandemic).
Equalities
One of the UCU’s four fights is to end the gender, disability, and ethnic pay gaps.
Following an EIA assessment, UCUG noted how BAME staff are overrepresented in terms of less secure contracts, with the university not having made any progress in addressing this.
This is just my experience & doesn’t touch on many of the other issues staff are facing.
I have huge respect for my students. That’s just one reason why I’m involved in strike action, calling for change – staff working conditions are student learning conditions, after all.
If you’re a postgrad who teaches, I urge you to join UCU Glasgow for FREE to fight for better conditions – the UCU GTA representatives have been tireless in doing so (as have many GTAs across the wider uni; PhD Society, PGR reps, etc.)!
Sources
Extended Workforce Policy
https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/mgrs-admin/extended/extendedworkforcetoolkit/
Information for GTAs & Demonstrators
https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_598400_smxx.pdf
GTA Code of Practice
https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/senateoffice/policies/general/gtacodeofpractice/gtacop/
UCU Glasgow Anti-Casualisation Report 2021
https://ucuglasgow.files.wordpress.com/2021/10/ucug-annual-casualisation-report-2021.pdf
Learning & Teaching Strategy 2021 – 2025
https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_775156_smxx.pdf
Understanding Racism, Transforming University Cultures – Action Plan
https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_772919_smxx.pdf