The associate professors of the Autònoma join the strike against the university law

taketonews

  • “The new norm will maintain our job insecurity. If we stop, the university stops,” warns Neus Molina, a professor at the UAB

The university associate professors (40% of all teachers) are up in arms against the recently approved university law (Losu). They are professionals who earn, in the best of cases, between 800 and 900 euros and have to renew their contracts every year. The Losu -which was born with the aim of fighting against precariousness- promises them a permanent contract and reduce the maximum teaching hours (from 180 to 120). However, the associates assure that lack guarantees and that their job insecurity will continue despite the entry into force of the regulation. Hence, they have gradually joined a indefinite and intermittent strikewhich was initially convened weeks before the Losu was ratified in Parliament.

Associates from Catalan universities, such as the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), the University of Barcelona (UB) and the autonomous (UAB), will meet tomorrow at a demonstration, which will take place at 6:30 p.m. in Plaza Universitat and in which they will present the reasons for their protest. “If we stop, the university stops,” he warns neus molina, professor and researcher at the UAB. “Our job insecurity affects our mental health and, of course, the quality of teaching. It is something that a public university cannot afford & rdquor ;, she adds.

The State Association of Associate Professors of Public Universities called, on January 31, an indefinite and intermittent strike for three days a week: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The reason was to protest against the new university law. Two weeks later, the strike had an uneven follow-up, with greater support in Valencia, Castellón, Murcia and Granada. Some associate professors from the UPC joined in February, like those from the UB. Starting tomorrow those of the Autonomous will do it under the motto “No to Losu. Enough of precariousness in the university. For a teaching and research at the service of the working class & rdquor ;.

The Losu is already in force, although for everything that has to do with teachers and their job stability, the application will be postponed until the course 2025-26. It has been of little use meeting held last week among various spokespersons for associated teachers from all over Spain with the General Secretary of Universities, Jose Manuel Pingarron. “He did not give us any solution”, he laments Isabel de la Cruz, president of the State Association of Associate Professors of Public Universities. “For not knowing, we don’t even know what we are going to charge from now on. We have no guarantees,” she adds.

Associates are professionals with solid and relevant work experiencel in the subject they teach. They must have another job off campus, but since many do not, are listed as self-employed something frequent in Humanities degrees. Their contracts at the faculty are renewed every year and every three they pass a contest. “If we were really associates, we would always have the same schedule and we would give elective subjects instead of core ones. But the reality is very different. We have a very big responsibility, just like a tenured professor, and we earn three times less. Not to mention the hours we dedicate to correcting exams, preparing classes or holding seminars. Many of us are false associates and false freelancers. Our taxation is chaos & rdquor ;, complains Molina, who is doing her doctorate at the AUB and that she is registered in the self-employed regime because she does not have a job off campus.

“What does it matter to me if they make me a permanent contract if I’m going to charge 400 euros?”

Neus Molina, associate professor and researcher at the UAB

“What does it matter to me if they make me a permanent contract if I’m going to charge 400 euros?” protests Molina, who teaches classes in Cultural Journalism, Gender and Media and Journalistic Writing.

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The associated teachers criticize that the norm, indeed, does not specify the mechanisms of their new contracts. And therein lies the problem. Each university is autonomous and, therefore, will set the criteria it deems appropriate to convert our contracts into permanent ones through a merit contest. “What guarantees do we have? None. We are very concerned about the lack of security & rdquor ;, she explained, in February, Enric Mir i Teixidorarchitect and associate professor at the UPC.

When the strike was called, the president of the association of associates predicted that many would be fired despite chaining years and years of contracts. She still stands by that prognosis.



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