University and college staff target MPs in day of action against zero-hours and casual contracts

UCU's anti-casualisation day of action aims to highlight how both further and higher education are overly reliant on casualised staff. Millions of students are taught by temporary teachers with little or no employment rights or job security. Three in five (61%) colleges and over half (53%) of universities employ teaching staff on zero-hours contracts.

The union is encouraging members to write to their MP to highlight the use of casualisation and the problems it creates for employees. There will also be events taking place at colleges and universities across the country with meetings, stalls and drop-in sessions. On social media, members will use the hashtag #AntiCas14 to show their support and outline how they are affected.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'Students in colleges and universities would be horrified if they knew that many of those who teach them have little or no employment rights, no job security and that most of our ground-breaking research staff are without permanent contracts.
 
'We hope MPs will take note of what our members have to say about the issue. As we approach the election all the parties need to clearly set out what they will do to tackle to no-rights culture so many teachers and researchers find themselves stuck in.'