Colleagues
This in the Independent coheres with today's postings
Shaun
ACADEMICS should receive pay rises of up to
45 per cent to prevent a "brain drain" from British
universities, the Government will be told next
month.
The Independent has learned that an independent
inquiry, chaired by a senior civil servant, will
recommend the largest rises for researchers at the
bottom of the academic ladder, to reflect their
status as the potential world-class academics of
tomorrow.
A report on university pay, due to be published
later this month, will argue that professors should
get a 30 per cent rise, coming into effect by 2002.
The 18-month inquiry, chaired by Sir Michael
Bett, will call for a dramatic reduction in the use
of short-term contracts for researchers, arguing
that "significantly more staff should be offered
permanent - ie. open-ended - contracts."
It will also call for action to eliminate stark
differences in the pay of men and women at
universities, and will recommend a reform of
academic pay scales to open up opportunities for
promotion.
Research carried out for the inquiry found that 93
per cent of all researchers are on short-term
contracts, some lasting as little as a few months.
In the "new" universities, 38 per cent of academic
staff are paid by the hour.
Research jobs are traditionally the proving ground
for young postgraduates, and academics fear that
low pay and job insecurity is forcing promising
PhD students to leave UK universities for industry
or well-funded research posts overseas.
Peter Cotgreave, director of the academic
pressure group Save British Science, said: "There
is no question in my mind that there is a brain
drain. People might have a PhD and a couple of
post-doctorate years and then go to the US, but
don't come back. They don't appear on the
figures because they never had a proper job
here."
Full text available at
http://www.independent.co.uk/stories/A0505903.html
Shaun Fielding email: [log in to unmask]
School of Education phone: (+44) 121 414 4378
The University of Birmingham
Birmingham B15 2TT
UK
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