<
https://theconversation.com/battered-and-broken-i-must-get-out-what-staff-told-us-about-teaching-and-working-in-universities-today-208179>
"The current funding crisis in New Zealand universities has not happened in a
vacuum. It is a byproduct of the neoliberal “reforms” introduced here in the
1980s and which have affected every aspect of university work.
Nor is this confined to New Zealand. The stress on corporate capitalism,
adoption of business practices, and prioritisation of economic goals over all
others has transformed higher education in the western world.
We see this time and again when universities cite financial losses and
implement staff cuts. This has many consequences, including the exploitation of
unpaid labour by casual staff. Submissions to the Australian Senate Select
Committee on Job Security suggested underpayment of casual teaching staff in
Australian universities is rampant.
The same applies in New Zealand, but the problem is likely worse than we know,
with precarious workers unlikely to complain about their working conditions for
fear of compromising future employment prospects.
Full-time staff are struggling too. Intensification of workloads, job
insecurity amidst seemingly constant restructures, pressures to obtain
competitive external funding, research excellence and student outcome targets,
and toxic work environments are all threats to staff wellbeing.
To understand how university workers experience these realities of the modern
university, our current project aims to capture their voices and stories. And
those stories make for a depressing read."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
