Lecturers demoralised over new contracts

A long-running dispute over management attempts to impose a new contract at the former Guildhall section of the London Metropolitan University (London Met) has left the workforce feeling undervalued, ignored and poorly led by their senior management.

In a survey by lecturers' union NATFHE, administered by Electoral Reform Services, at the end of last year, 72% of the staff responding were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the support they got from the university. Also, 65% were dissatisfied with the amount of influence they had over decisions and 67% with the extent to which the institution valued their work.

Not a single respondent thought that management had handled the introduction of new academic department structures very well, and 63% thought it had been done poorly or very poorly.

On staff appraisal and the university's performance-related-pay scheme, which is a key part of the contract that management is trying to impose, 63% of staff rejected its validity "in a university context". Nearly half (46%) of those who actually took part in the scheme agreed or strongly agreed that it is "a divisive scheme for academic staff".

NATFHE was balloting London Met members as Labour Research went to press for industrial action.

The union is demanding a negotiated contract and reinstatement of the two staff issued with redundancy notices for refusing to accept an un-negotiated contract.