As the cost of living crisis deepens with energy bills increasing by almost £700 per year, food prices rising and National Insurance going up, an increasing number of people are struggling with basic living costs. While a minority of academics still enjoy a high salary and a comfortable standard of living, some university staff in Bristol say they are struggling to find a place to rent and some are having to give up their homes and move out of the city.
One University of Bristol researcher, who does not wish to be named, has been sofa surfing at friends’ houses because her close to zero hour contract means that few landlords would take her in. Her contract only guarantees her three hours per week and although she often works more than that, on paper her salary doesn't guarantee an income high enough for landlords to feel confident that she can pay the rent.
When she went on strike in December 2021 she wrote on her placard “pathway 2 homelessness”, a play on words to highlight the precarious situation for university staff, like herself who are employed under 'Pathway 2' contracts. She said she later regretted her slogan when several weeks later she was made homeless after being evicted from her rented accommodation. The University of Bristol says it is "listening carefully to our staff's concerns".
READ MORE: Bristol University lecturer on strike says he will be working until he 'drops dead'
The researcher said: “When my landlord evicted me in January, I somewhat regretted this choice of slogan. I almost can’t bear to carry that placard this time round - it feels too close to the bone now, having spent weeks sofa surfing whilst finding a new place to live. In the current housing crisis in Bristol, homelessness is all too real a possibility for casualised workers.
“What is the point of a contract for three hours per week? It may as well be zero hours. It grants no security. It means I cannot get a mortgage and move out of precarious rental arrangements. But far worse than that, I cannot even get a rental contract through an agency as my work contract does not guarantee enough income.”
Luckily she was able to find a landlord who did not ask to see her contract. The researcher is worried about the future and although she is determined to pursue her passions and begin her PHD in the autumn, she said that she questions her choices every day.
She said: “Somehow, I still believe in the power of research. But I question this as a life choice every single day. Without the possibility of securing a mortgage, I will be stuck in this precarious rental market for my entire four years of study, barely able to cover my costs on the maintenance grant.
“And for what promise of security at the other end? Absolutely none. If I had no personal support network in the form of family and friends, this option would be completely unavailable to me.
“This system is so exclusionary that it shuts the door to a career in academia to all but a privileged few.”
Another member of staff said that she is going to have to give up her family home, move in with her parents and take her child out of nursery school because she can not afford to live off the contract provided by the university. She said: “My family and I live off our credit card and are now preparing to give up our home and move in with our family.
"The fact that I don't have work secured for after this contract (which ends in 12 months) has caused great depression and anxiety that has taken over my life. I can't focus on my current work because I'm so panicked or because I am constantly distracted by job applications.”
Another researcher at Bristol University spoke of being stuck on insecure contracts for the last ten years, having to secure funding each time and going through eight redundancies during that time.
She said that the situation has caused her to move house because she can no longer afford her mortgage: “Each and every time, my anxiety levels start to rise when I reach the 9-month end point of a contract. I start worrying about how I’m going to pay my mortgage and feed myself.
“I’m currently in the process of moving house to reduce the pressure of this financial worry. It’s not productive for staff to work whilst feeling this way and it’s also not humane.
“My feeling is that the current structure for 'Pathway 2' staff is dehumanising, toxic and patriarchal. So many of my colleagues are leaving academia at the moment – brilliant researchers, who just do not want to live this way anymore. This cannot continue.”
In a joint statement written by The University of Bristol and Bristol UCU in 2019, the university stated its commitment to reducing casualisation: “The University and the UCU recognise that many casualised roles are precarious ones, roles in which staff are not able to plan their future, feel vulnerable and are often under pressure because of concerns regarding loss of work. We do not believe that it is sustainable or reasonable for our staff.
“We are committed to providing secure terms and conditions of employment to University of Bristol staff, and to the fair and equitable treatment of part-time members of staff. While the use of fixed-term contracts or hourly paid contracts is appropriate in certain circumstances, we agree that staff should be offered a more secure contract if there is a clear case to do so.”
Three years later and staff feel the situation has become worse, some argue that the pandemic was used as an excuse to increase the casualisation of the university workforce in order to make redundancies easier.
Alice Willatt and Malu Villela are two members of staff at Bristol University who are campaigning to put an end to what they call “precarious contracts” at the university.
Malu said: “We see lots of colleagues in very insecure positions and they don’t feel safe enough to speak about their experiences. We see ourselves in academia as second class citizens, with no security of our jobs.
“It’s an increasing trend in universities, with cases of more than half the staff of precarious contracts. A trend that is expected to grow and we want to raise awareness on this before it becomes the full reality at The University of Bristol.”
Alice said: “Nationally the UCU has identified that 68 per cent of researchers are on these contracts. What it means is that they don’t have any opportunity to progress and when the grant funding comes to an end they face unemployment and redundancy.
“This means that lots of people have breaks between employment. We are speaking to people whose contracts are so casual that we’re hearing stories quite regularly of people having to give up their homes. It’s really clear that there is a profound impact on women and people who are carers, who are particularly disadvantaged."
Last week staff at Bristol University joined other UK universities on a five-day strike over pay, pensions, working conditions and workload. There could be further strikes announced in the coming months if UCU members vote in favour of further action.
University's response
A University of Bristol spokesperson said: “Regrettably, the University and College Union (UCU) has planned further industrial action at the University of Bristol and other UK universities this week. It’s part of the ongoing and complex national dispute over staff pensions and pay.
"We have been listening carefully to our staff's concerns and today [Monday, March 28, 2022] published a joint statement with Bristol UCU which outlines how we will be working together to lobby for key changes to be made to the USS pension scheme. Ultimately, we want to secure a future valuation outcome that is sustainable and that more colleagues are likely to support.
"It is important that the next valuation is concluded in the shortest possible timescale to deliver potential benefits to staff and rebuild their confidence in USS.
"As a University, we are proud of the way that we have worked with the local branch of UCU and the other trade unions to make things better for staff. We are open to continuing the conversation and being pro-active in addressing their concerns.
"During the strike action, we hope that most teaching and learning will proceed as usual but ask that students keep a close eye on their email for any last-minute changes to their timetable as academic colleagues do not have to inform us in advance if they are taking action. Libraries, study spaces, and wellbeing services remain open and available to students.
"We appreciate that some students may be worried about the impact of the dispute on their studies. If they have any concerns, we’re asking they raise these with their school office or personal tutor in the first instance."
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