Petition calls for fair hourly-paid rate for Sciences

A petition has been started by the Students’ Union (SU) and representatives from the Faculty of Sciences calling for a rethink to the university’s new framework for hourly-paid staff.

The new framework, focusing on how hourly rates are calculated, is currently in the pipeline. There are also ongoing discussions with hourly-paid staff – most often postgraduates – being held.

The idea behind the framework is to create common practices of payment and standardisation of pay scales. However, the SU has worries that the outcome may result in Science staff being paid less than those in the Social Sciences and Arts for comparable work.

The petition currently has over 540 signatures from Science postgraduate researchers (PGRs), which is 40% of the total number of PGRs in the Sciences faculty.

As such, the petition has called for the university to adopt six principles when it comes to deciding hourly rates for different duties.

The petition currently has over 540 signatures from Science postgraduate researchers (PGRs), which is 40% of the total number of PGRs in the Sciences faculty.

Among the principles suggested by the petition are: teaching in the Sciences is of equal value and importance to that of the Arts and Social Sciences and should be paid as such; and teaching should be decoupled from bursaries and paid for transparently on top of the bursary.

The university has been made formally aware of the petition via the Sessional Teachers’ Payroll (STP) steering group, as well as in a meeting with the university’s Vice President Jan Palmowski.

We are confident that in relation to other Russell Group universities, we have developed a framework that has amongst the best overall rates of pay for postgraduate tutors.

Peter Dunn, Director of Press and Policy

Nat Panda, Warwick SU’s Postgraduate Officer, cited that Sciences teaching could be valued up to 20% less than teaching in other faculties. However, this figure is disputed by the university who claim that this is due to Demonstrator roles that are available in the Sciences but not in other faculties, and it is only these that are paid less.

In response, Nat Panda stated: “The University is peddling a gross mischaracterisation and undervaluation of the skills required to perform teaching in the sciences.

“The fact is that the majority of students teaching under the pilot science frameworks have been paid at a whole pay grade lower than those in the social sciences and arts. This is not restricted to lab demonstration as the University would have us believe but applies to tutorials and help classes as well.”

He added: “It is clear from the overwhelming response to the petition that students feel passionately about these issues and are not going to let them go. If students do not feel that there is a meaningful outcome from the consultation then I am sure students will consider other ways to get their voices heard.”

It is clear from the overwhelming response to the petition that students feel passionately about these issues and are not going to let them go.

Nat Panda, Postgraduate Officer

The university have claimed discussion has been had with all affected parties. They also stated that: “Sessional tutor roles are grouped by type of teaching, not by Faculty and they are linked to the national pay framework”.

Peter Dunn, Head of Press and Policy at Warwick, commented: “We launched our endeavour to create a common university framework for the academic year 2015/16: this has significantly increased rates of pay for postgraduate tutors in all pilot departments.

“We are confident that in relation to other Russell Group universities, we have developed a framework that has amongst the best overall rates of pay for postgraduate tutors.”