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EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL 5th WORLD CONGRESS

FIXED-TERM HIGHER EDUCATION TEACHING PERSONNEL

The Fifth World Congress of Education International meeting in Berlin, Germany,

from 22 to 26 July, 2007:

A. Affirms:

1. the importance of promoting and protecting the rights and freedoms of all higher

education teaching personnel as defined in the 1997 UNESCO Recommendation

Concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel;

2. that excellence in higher education rests upon ironclad guarantees of academic

freedom, which includes the right of higher education teaching personnel to engage

in teaching, research and scholarship without interference;

3. that academic freedom is assured by the secure and continuing appointment of higher

education teaching personnel through the provision of tenure or its functional

equivalent;

4. that all higher education teaching personnel must have the unfettered right to

organize and the right to full and free collective bargaining;

5. That all personnel with academic qualifications and the necessary experience should

be guaranteed equal treatment and that employment of women and minority groups

in higher education should be actively encouraged.

6. that all higher education teaching personnel must have the right and opportunity,

without discrimination of any kind, to take part in the governing bodies and to criticize

the functioning of higher education institutions; and,

7. that these rights and responsibilities are best exercised when all higher education

teaching personnel, regardless of the status of their appointment, work together in

common cause.

B. Notes with concern:

8. the growing use and exploitation of fixed-term higher education teaching personnel

who are employed on a casual, part-time, and/or limited-term basis without

continuing security of employment and without tenure or its functional equivalent;

EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL 5th WORLD CONGRESS

9. the threats to the academic freedom of fixed-term higher education teaching

personnel;

10. the absence of fair and equitable remuneration and benefits for many fixed-term

higher education teaching personnel;

11. the disproportionate number of women and minorities who are employed on a fixedterm

basis within higher education in many countries; and

12. violations of fundamental labour rights of many fixed-term higher education teaching

personnel, including their right to organize and bargain collectively.

C. Calls on Education International to:

13. recognize the value of the service provided by qualified fixed-term higher education

teaching personnel, but oppose the overuse and exploitation of fixed-term

appointments by higher education institutions;

14. affirm that fixed-term and permanent higher education teaching personnel have a

mutual interest in preserving and promoting academic freedom and collegial

governance;

15. work with the appropriate international bodies, including UNESCO and the ILO, to

promote the rights of fixed-term higher education teaching personnel, including their

right to organize and bargain collectively and their right to freedom from any form of

discrimination;

16. support other international and regional organizations working to improve the status

of fixed-term higher education teaching personnel;

17. lobby for the development and enforcement of legislation and instruments to prevent

the overuse and exploitation of fixed-term employees, such as the European Council

Directive concerning the framework agreement on fixed-term work concluded by

ETUC, UNICE, and CEEP;

18. encourage higher education affiliates to organize both permanent and fixed-term staff

within in a single trade union wherever possible or associations working in common

cause; and,

19. encourage higher education affiliates to ensure that fixed-term higher education

teaching personnel have guaranteed fair and equitable representation at all levels of

any association or union, including membership on executive committees, bargaining

committees and standing committees.

EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL 5th WORLD CONGRESS

D. Further calls on Education International to encourage affiliates to secure

working conditions and terms of employment for fixed-term higher

education teaching personnel which meet the following broad objectives:

20. compensation that is proportionately the same as the total compensation, including

pension and other benefit programs, for a permanent position with the similar duties

and requiring similar qualifications;

21. academic freedom rights on the same basis as permanently employed higher

education teaching personnel;

22. full participation in academic governance;

23. appointments and assignments which explicitly recognize and provide opportunities to

pursue the three facets of academic work: teaching, research and professional activity

and service;

24. entitlement to adequate and appropriate social security protection, including, where

applicable, coverage under employers’ pension schemes;

25. other terms and conditions of employment equivalent to those of permanent higher

education teaching personnel as regards holidays with pay, sick leave and maternity

leave with the relevant pecuniary entitlements determined in proportion to hours of

work or earnings;

26. access to research funds and professional development funds on the same basis as

continuing staff;

27. all necessary equipment and resources to undertake assigned duties, including but not

limited to proper office space, and access to a computer, the Internet, and a

telephone;

28. hiring and advancement procedures which include the full and meaningful

participation of academic peers;

29. seniority rights which provide entitlement to available work based on qualifications

and length of service

30. fair and objective processes to provide fixed-term academic staff with the opportunity

to secure permanent appointments once they have accrued an appropriate level of

experience with a higher education institution;

31. adequate paid preparation time for courses which are assigned; and

32. full union and/or association representation at every step of any disciplinary,

performance evaluation, or grievance process.

 
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