Dear Mariya,
Many thanks for initiating this very important discussion. Your email was passed on to me to reply to as Director of COMPAS. Casualization of labour is a serious problem, particularly in academia which is one of the most highly casualized industries in the UK. Indeed a lot of COMPAS staff, including many above post-doctoral level, are on time limited contracts and we work extremely hard to ensure continuity of employment, whether in this or other institutions.
There are some situations when it is hard to avoid short term contracts. For example, projects where it is unlikely that one person would have the range of language skills that are required for interviewing. Research projects that acknowledge the multiple diversities of contemporary Britain can support and be supported by researchers whose qualifications are not postdoctoral but who make a valuable contribution to research that is acknowledged in the production of results. We endeavour to be as supportive as possible to all our staff, no matter how long their contract, in order to ensure best practice within a highly constrained environment. In all of these circumstances we recognise how important it is to consider researcher roles and power relations within our research practices.
Once again, thank you for comments.
With best wishes
Michael Keith
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