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The current funding crisis in New Zealand universities has not happened in a vacuum. It is a byproduct of the\u00a0neoliberal<\/a>\u00a0\u201creforms\u201d introduced here in the 1980s and which have affected every aspect of university work.<\/p>\n Nor is this confined to New Zealand. The stress on corporate capitalism, adoption of business practices, and prioritisation of economic goals over all others has transformed higher education in the western world.<\/p>\n We see this time and again when universities cite financial losses and implement staff cuts. This has many consequences, including the exploitation of\u00a0unpaid labour<\/a>\u00a0by casual staff. Submissions to the Australian\u00a0Senate Select Committee on Job Security<\/a>\u00a0suggested underpayment of casual teaching staff in Australian universities is rampant.<\/p>\n The same applies in New Zealand, but the problem is likely worse than we know, with\u00a0precarious workers<\/a>\u00a0unlikely to complain about their working conditions for fear of compromising future employment prospects.<\/p>\n Full-time staff are struggling too. Intensification of workloads, job insecurity amidst seemingly constant restructures, pressures to obtain competitive external funding, research excellence and student outcome targets, and toxic work environments are all\u00a0threats to staff wellbeing<\/a>.<\/p>\n To understand how university workers experience these realities of the modern university, our current project aims to capture their voices and stories. And those stories make for a depressing read.
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