Postgraduate teaching assistants (PGTAs) are professional workers contributing vitally to the mission of our university, and are entitled to fair treatment and decent pay as employees of UCL. Unfortunately, mistreatment and exploitation are not uncommon.
But as workers we have rights, and by taking collective action we gain the power to fight back and demand that we are treated decently and with respect. Through the Postgraduate Association and the UCU trade union, PGTAs are doing just that. Click to find out more about our campaign "Fair Play for TAs". And on this page, find a little information about your rights.
Your rights as a worker
As workers, the law protects our right to a minimum standard of pay and conditions. As professionals contributing vitally to our university’s teaching mission, we are entitled to demand appropriate treatment.
If you have a question about your employment rights, you can contact UCL UCU trade union (see below) and/or UCLU’s Rights & Advice service, both of which can offer expert information on a wide range of issues. You can also contact the Postgraduate Students’ Officer for support and advice about campaigning for improvements. The National Union of Students and the UCU trade union have created a charter about PGTAs' rights.
Some issues that often arise include:
- Pay for every hour worked: failure to pay workers is a breach of UCL's regulations and illegal under minimum wage laws. PGTAs should be paid a wage appropriate to their responsibilities, and not just for time in a lab or seminar, but for all hours reasonably required to complete required tasks such as marking, preparation and open office hours. UCL PGTAs in one department not only pushed their department to increase the hours paid to reflect true workload in future, but got a retroactive deal that included pay for lost hours in previous years!
- Holiday pay: All workers, including those on irregular hours, “as and when” or “zero hours” contracts, are entitled to a legal minimum of paid holiday. If you have not been paid your legal entitlement of holiday pay, under many circumstances you are entitled to claim it back later - in full.
- A safe and healthy work environment: if you are worried that your working environment or tasks you are asked to carry out are unsafe or unhealthy, you should seek advice immediately.
- Training and support: If you are required to undertake training for employment, this should be paid. More broadly, we believe that like all UCL staff, PGTAs need access to appropriate training opportunities as well as support and constructive feedback to aid professional development - not just for our benefit but for those we teach!
- Joining a trade union: You have the right to join a trade union (see below) and stand up for your rights. It is illegal for an employer to require you to leave or change your trade union or prohibit you from joining one, or to fire you or treat unfavourably for your trade union membership or activities. If you are told you don't have the right to join a union - well, your employer is lying to you.
- The right to be accompanied: If you have are facing any kind of disciplinary meeting as a worker, you have the right to be accompanied to that meeting by a colleague or trade union rep who will help you defend your rights. You're not alone!
- A clear contract: You should receive a written contract that clearly sets out your pay, the work tasks you are expected to perform, your hours, terms relating to holidays and leave and other details. See here for more information. But even if you don't receive a contract on paper, as soon as you agree to take a job then a contract does legally exist between you and your employer and you have certain protected rights.
- Freedom from discrimination, bullying and harassment: the law and UCL's commitments enshrine certain protections against discrimination, bullying and harassment. Seek advice if you believe any of these are happening to you - you don't have to suffer in silence.
This isn’t anything like an exhaustive list, so if you are worried about anything, do get in touch. And remember that as vital contributors to UCL’s teaching mission we should be unafraid to say that the bare minimum offered by the law and UCL regulations is often not good enough, and that we deserve better than that. Through the collective strength we gain as part of a student union and a trade union, we can win a fairer deal.
Joining a trade union
UCU – the University & College Union – is the trade union that represents PGTAs and other academic and academic-related staff. It exists to help these staff defend their rights and improve their pay and conditions. As a trade union, UCU can offer you types of expert support, and the ability to take certain actions (e.g. industrial action) that a student union is unable to provide. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you join the UCU. We work closely with the UCL branch of UCU to make sure postgraduates’ needs, as both students and workers, are fulfilled. The full-time UCLU Postgraduate Students’ Officer for 2013-14 is also a member of the UCL UCU Executive Committee.
Every postgraduate student is entitled to join UCU. Until you’re performing paid teaching work, you can access free student membership, and once you’re earning, membership fees are based on your pay – so if you’re not earning much, they will remain inexpensive. Members receive resources and support, and once you’re working and paying dues, you can access expert caseworker advice. And as a union member, campaigning and negotiating collectively with your colleagues will make you far more powerful than any individual worker could be in isolation. Union members are also legally protected against being targeted by employers for union activity.
Organising in your workplace
The strength of any union or campaign for workplace rights comes from active, organised members who can take action together. If there’s a problem in your department, whether it’s bullying from your bosses, poor pay, insufficient training, or anything else, your best chance to make change happen is by coming together as workers. The Fair Play For TAs campaign exists to make that a reality, so get involved!