We refuse to act as external examiners until universities deal with staffing issues

The scourge of insecure contracts (Thousands of UK academics ‘treated as second-class citizens’, 20 January) is sadly just one of the staffing issues that universities must urgently commit to dealing with. We write as senior academics to say we will be resigning as external examiners, and/or refusing to take on new examining contracts, for courses at universities and colleges across the UK, and to urge colleagues to join us. We are refusing to act as external examiners because although we believe that this role is crucial in underpinning the quality of education provided to students, so too is the need to provide fair pay, pensions and job security for those who work in universities.

In the current disputes between the University and College Union and university employers, the union has highlighted the proliferation of casualisation, with half of frontline staff not having a secure contract; cuts in pension benefits which have left Universities Superannuation Scheme members worse off; shocking gender and ethnicity pay gaps; and a systemic culture of work overload which contributes to high levels of staff stress and illness. It is long past time for universities to address these festering problems, and we believe we have a responsibility to staff at the start of their careers to make a stand now. Please join us by resigning external examiner posts and refusing to take on new contracts until universities take action to address these issues.
Prof Melanie Simms University of Glasgow, Prof Jane Holgate University of Leeds, Prof Phil Taylor University of Strathclyde, Prof Jo Brewis The Open University, Prof Sian Moore University of Greenwich, Prof John Kelly Birkbeck, Prof Megan Povey University of Leeds, Prof Claire Squires University of Stirling, Prof Richard Taffler University of Warwick, Prof Cathy Urquhart Manchester Metropolitan University, Prof Keith Attenborough The Open University, Prof Jenny Pickerill University of Sheffield, Prof Natalie Fenton Goldsmiths, Prof Nicki Hitchcott University of St Andrews, Prof Andreas Bieler University of Nottingham, Prof Mike Danson Heriot-Watt University, Prof Julian Eastoe University of Bristol, Prof Erik Swyngedouw Manchester, Prof Jeremy Guggenheim University of Cardiff, Prof Victor van Daal Edge Hill University Prof Sally Munt University of Sussex Prof Ozlem Onaran University of Greenwich, Prof Albert Sanchez Graells University of Bristol, Prof Ruth Aylett Heriot-Watt University, Prof Tony Carbery, University of Edinburgh, Prof Raphael Salkie University of Brighton, Prof Sarah Salway University of Sheffield, Prof Peter Styles Keele University, Prof Willy Maley University of Glasgow