Today, I'm joining colleagues across the UK in the #UCUstrike to defend pay & improve working conditions. In particular, I want everyone to be more aware of the uniquely difficult position precarious staff find themselves in. Some thoughts on casualisation from the front lines(1)
I've been lecturing at multiple institutions since 2012, and not once has this been on a permanent contract. I've never had one individual job in that time. In order to pay my bills, I've always worked across at least two institutions - and, at one point, across six (2)
The vast majority of my students don't realise how many of their lecturers are on fixed-term contracts. They don't know how much less we earn as a result, & they aren't aware of the particular stress and anxiety that we experience as we come to the end of yet another contract (3)
I genuinely love teaching. I don't know how I would function without it. And my students mean so much to me that it's not an easy decision to cause disruption to their studies at any point. But this system is unsustainable and it's only getting worse (4)
I'm taking part in this strike because I want things to improve for my PhD students & all recent grads entering the academic job market. I want students to have a fulfilling experience at university, taught by staff who aren't burned out & exhausted. We ALL deserve better (5)
Finally, if you are a student who wants to support our action, please know that you have a voice - write to the Principal and ask the University of Edinburgh to support a negotiated settlement and put an end to the strike: ucu.org.uk/studentvoice (6)
