Dear all

Maybe this can help strengthen your hand when negotiating this
years pay award...sent to MRC scientists but has pertinence for
everyone!

Steve
***********************************

          Dear Colleague,

          With pay negotiations due to start in the MRC in three weeks
          (assuming MRC gets the go ahead from HMT/OST in time) I
          thought it might be encouraging to remind ourselves of what
          the House of Commons Select Committee on Science and
          Technology said in March this year about pay and careers for
          university/research council scientists and support staff:-

          "Career Paths for Scientists

          67. While the increase to the PhD stipend is welcome, a more
          serious problem lies with the pay and conditions for
          post-doctoral scientists. Many of our witnesses have
          highlighted this problem.[157] Pay is very low. For example,
          post-doctoral research staff at Imperial College are currently
          paid less than office receptionists in Central London. More
          damaging still is the fact that many scientists are
          perpetually on short-term contracts. This insecurity is bad
          for morale, and it also creates mortgage difficulties and may
          affect pension entitlement. Not surprisingly, many people opt
          for more secure, and better paid, jobs in industry and
          commerce, or go abroad, leading to recruitment and retention
          problems in the UK science base. We note that the Education
          and Employment Committee has highlighted the casualisation of
          higher education staff contracts in its recent Report on
          student retention, and has recommended that the Higher
          Education Funding Council for England should investigate the
          reasons why higher education institutions are employing more
          part-time and fixed-term staff.[158] We share the Committee's
          concern. The 1999 Bett Report (the independent review of
          Higher Education pay and conditions) emphasised the risk of
          significant recruitment and retention problems in the "not too
          distant future" and called for extra investment by Government
          to fund pay increases.[159] Excellence and Opportunity
          acknowledged that the career development prospects for young
          researchers were a cause for concern; and stated that the
          Government was encouraging the universities and the Funding
          and Research Councils to promote good practice in career
          development.[160] This is welcome, but not enough. The
          Government can no longer afford to ignore the problem of low
          pay and poor job security for post-doctoral researchers and
          support staff. A shortage of skilled personnel threatens to
          undermine its commitment to strengthening the science base.

          68. We are also concerned that scientists who do succeed in
          securing a permanent position, perhaps as a lecturer, are
          often diverted away from research into broader teaching and
          administrative duties. We do not wish to divorce research from
          teaching. The very best scientists can often be brilliant at
          both teaching and research. But others, though excellent in
          research, are poor in communicating their learning to
          students; and some are inspired teachers while unproductive in
          research. What is important is to build on the strengths of
          the individual and to accord equal value, and rewards, to both
          teaching and research.

          69. We are aware that the Royal Society supports some research
          professorships, which have no teaching commitments. There may
          be a case too for creating career research posts for younger
          scientists and engineers who demonstrate particular promise in
          research. We are encouraged by Mr Byers's willingness to
          consider the possibility of funding such posts.[161] We must
          identify promising researchers and fund them properly. Funding
          should not be limited to projects, but should be available for
          speculative, pre-project, exploratory research. Fellowships
          should be available to support, and encourage, excellent
          researchers through the difficult early years of their
          careers. We note that Sir Gareth Roberts, President of Wolfson
          College Oxford, has been asked to conduct an independent
          review of the supply of skilled scientists and engineers in
          the UK, reporting by February 2002.[162] We welcome this
          review, and hope that it will address the need to provide a
          proper career path for young scientists and engineers. We must
          do more to support excellent scientists and engineers."

          More details of the report can be seen via
          http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmselect.htm

          If you are not a member of your Trade Union, joining now would
          strengthen our hand in this year's negotiations and would also
          mean that you would be involved in the decision when unions
          ballot their members on the final offer.  For more information
          please contact the MRC JNCC Trade Union Side Office.

          Please forward this message to any colleagues who you think
          may be interested.


...................................
Steven Cummins, Research Fellow
MRC Social & Public Health Sciences Unit,
4 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RZ

Tel: (0141) 357 7542, Fax: (0141) 337 2389
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
...................................
Steven Cummins, Research Fellow
MRC Social & Public Health Sciences Unit,
4 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RZ

Tel: (0141) 357 7542, Fax: (0141) 337 2389
E-mail: [log in to unmask]