In E'dinburgh University 200 postgaduntes, membens of the Asociation of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs stopped teaching work this week in an attempt to force the Universiry Administration into negotiations over a series of demands.
They and using the tactic of daily mass pickels apsinst key University buisdings to maxieise the effcctiveness of the strike, and have been ploduod support hy lidinbureh University Student Assecution and the National Union of Public Employces as weil as tochnicians, computer operators and seademic stalt in their own ASTMS branch.
Their demands are 1. That the University sct up a staoding connittee to negatiato with ASTMS on postgraduate issues 2. Rates of pay for teaching to be colculated on the basis of purity with junior lectarers 3. Laboratory accidust inseronce for scieocu pestTTLULS 4. The right to participute in decisions about the stracturs and content of coures they beuch. Pastgraduates hare always boen in an anomalous position, halfway hetween undergraduates and acadomie staff. At a rime when British bigher education is in crics they find themsches doubly SODeCZOn. Ene vale oE biCir rosoarcl eraEls na been falling rapidly in the face of inflation: and Toroed te de Unaasity leachiog to sappiement their incomo, they have lound that they are paid farlest than academic staff for the same jol. The Eleiversifies are heine forced hy State rat onalisa tions into reducing the cumber of seff per stident. and postgruduales, by allawing theasclos lo be asod as cheap teuching lahour, ane thus daing thomsulves ou t of future job opportunities, Hy demanding the right to negotiade their owe conditions of work as a collective trade union body, the Edinhurgh postgradeates chalienge the Stato's right to solve its own problems at the posteraduate's ex pene.
Motions of solidaricy and supporl should be scnt to Edinburch Universiy ASTMS Postersdunle Group Branch Office, 14 Coorge Squarc, Edinburpli.
Appleton Lower