By Gavin Mackintosh-
Oxford University, known for its academic prestige, is facing legal action as two long-serving lecturers, award-winning playwright Alice Jolly and novelist Rebecca Abrams, challenge the university’s use of zero-hours contracts.
The lawsuit, filed at the Reading Employment Tribunal Centre, accuses the institution of breach of contract and unfair dismissal.
AD: Capeesh Restaurant
Jolly and Abrams, both former lecturers on the university’s creative writing course, allege that they were abruptly removed from their roles after nearly 16 years of service under what they term as “insecure” zero-hours contracts.
The legal challenge sheds light on the contentious employment practices within the academic giant, drawing attention to the alleged ‘Uberisation’ of teaching contracts.
The academics argue that they were treated as gig-economy workers, emphasizing that the university kept them on insecure casual contracts for 15 years, treating them as if they were on-call employees.
AD: Oysterian Sea Food Restaurant And Bar
Their fixed-term ‘personal services’ contracts were abruptly terminated in August 2022 after the lecturers made a formal complaint to the university.
The two academics remain officially employed by the University of Oxford but they have not been assigned students since 2022 – which they claim amounts to a dismissal since student supervision made up the bulk of their work.
The tutors claim that the university commonly relies on casual zero-hours contracts as the standard workplace status for many lecturing staff.
They argue that this approach results in poor hourly rates that do not adequately compensate for essential tasks such as marking or course preparation, nor do they provide fair compensation for holidays or guarantee future employment.
Expressing her frustration, Jolly told The Eye Of Media.Com: ” I have worked for 16 years on a zero-hours contract for teaching on this course and was dismissed when I complained.
”This is injustice of the highest level. It amounts to the university objecting to legitimate complaints. One would expect an elite university like Oxford to uphold standards of fairness and reasonableness.
However, it appears this particular institution is comfortable with unfair treatment”.
The lecturers emphasize that although officially employed by the University of Oxford, they have not been assigned students since 2022, amounting to what they claim is a de facto dismissal since student supervision constituted the majority of their work.
This legal action follows a trend of increased scrutiny on employment practices within higher education institutions.
Oxford University’s alleged reliance on zero-hours contracts has prompted comparisons to similar controversies involving academic staff in the past.
The dispute raises questions about the fairness and sustainability of employment practices within renowned educational institutions. The outcome of this legal battle could have broader implications for the treatment of academic staff across the UK.
AD: Heritage And Restaurant Lounge Bar