Academic tenure under attack
By Marina Cameron
In a bid to drive down university operating costs — the result of government funding cuts — jobs are being cut and remaining staff are being forced to take on greater workloads and give up conditions.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported on July 3 that only 38% of academics across Australia still hold tenured positions, compared with 81% in 1981 and 58% in 1995. Despite a government campaign to present tenure as a "privilege", it means little more than having the right to a permanent position and an open-ended contract.
In a submission to the government's West review into higher education, the National Tertiary Education and Industry Union states that tenure "is construed as providing an artificially sheltered existence for academics ... Tenure provides staff with conditions of continuing employment similar to those enjoyed by Commonwealth public servants and employees in other sections of the economy."
All other staff are employed as casuals or under limited-time contracts as short as three months, leading to a lack of continuity in teaching and supervision.
An argument frequently used against tenure is that it discriminates against women and young academics. Women account for only 17% of senior decision makers, 27% of those in tenured positions and 42% on limited contracts. But undermining work conditions across the board will do little to ameliorate the position of women employed in higher education.