What is the Fairness for GTAs Campaign?
We are a PhD students led campaign that seeks to tackle precarious working conditions for PhD students that teach under the Graduate Teaching Assistant figure, and to recognise the unpaid labour done by PhD students who labour as research assistants.
Our historic victories since 2014 have been:
- The increase of the hourly pay rate of GTAs in line with the rest of the salary structure as part of the collective bargaining agreement between KCL and staff.
- Establishing the GTA Framework that recognises paid training, office hours, seminar preparation, marking and lecture attendance.
- A guarantee that every GTA at King’s has a clear contract and payslip that reflects the standards in the GTA Framework.
- To guarantee GTA rights to collective representation by not using external contractors or outsourcing services to hire internal PGRs as GTAs.
Our recent victories since 2022 have been:
- Ensuring the GTAs who missed their 2022 one-off payments were paid the appropriate amount.
- A seat on the College Education Committee to represent GTAs views.
- A review of the marking and assessment policies in King’s to curtail overwork conditions.
What are our current goals?
- Increase of GTA hourly pay rate in line with inflation
- Review of King’s Teachers platform that allows GTAs to request extra hours when necessary.
- No more unpaid marking!
- Regulate Research Assistance (currently largely unpaid) labour
- GTA representatives in education committees across KCL
- A full review of the GTA framework to avoid discretionary interpretations by Departments and line-managers.
- Receive the same reward payments as KCL staff
Find out more about the Fairness for GTAs campaign here:
Our website: https://kclgtas.wordpress.com/
Mailing list: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-Q_DqLdF2T1x585j0cerj-O85bmFYxWRxgytEyMRkKDRJAA/viewform
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kclgtas/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kingsgtas/