It is time to address some gross inequities which are creeping into the UK universities’ default retirement age (DRA) saga. For recent details of the saga, see these pages. The simplest way of doing this is to put universities into separate categories in increasing levels of progressiveness. This may also be of help to those seeking employment at UK universities.
Category 1. “65 stayers: the ageist cullers”. These are universities who are sticking to their historical DRA of 65 in the face of the wind of change. They just carried out a cull this September and they are just beginning the 2010 cull. They cynically hope to beat the 2010 government review of the DRA by forcing retirement on as many academics as they can before a change in the law.
Category 2. “67 stayers” . Many universities already have a DRA of 67. This lack of fairness may be exaggerated in the following way. Those currently aged 64/65 at these universities can ride out the next two years and may be able to take advantage of a change in the law to stay on even longer.
Category 3. “65 movers”. I am told that there are some universities who are currently “65 stayers” but who are moving their DRA to 67. Although this will not help current 67/68 year olds it will be a great relief to those current 64/65 who are about to be culled in 2010. It is a move of quiet simplicity and humanity which also puts the universities in a good light.
Category 4 “Abolishionists”. It is very surprising that no university, or none that your editor has heard about, has broken ranks and simply abolished the DRA in line with the progressive thinking in UK public life (see eg the links to the Employers Forum on Age). They would have a clear vision of a future in which an active academic would NOT have the humiliation of having to apply for their own jobs, of being told that they are being kicked out in favour of “new blood”, are only being offered to continue on an hourly paid teaching basis, of having to scrabble around even for travel money, to have their research programmes run down, to beg for a desk and other support and to have to deal with the look of incomprehension on the faces of their USA counterparts as they explain that they have essentially been sacked.
So, we will draw up lists in each category and publish it here. If their own imagination cannot change the policy of vice-chancellors then maybe shame can.
Please let me know via the comments section which category your university in.
Ed.
