An issue that strikes at the heart of higher education

An employment tribunal brought by two University of Oxford academics is set to be an eye-opener, believes Chris Blackhurst

Teaching students, particularly at a high-class university, should be a profession to aspire to (iStock/Getty)

Be honest: when you think of zero-hours contracts, the University of Oxford does not jump to mind. The hallowed educational institution seems too in-the-clouds, too high-level, to be involved in anything so low-rent.

Yet, Oxford is a major user of the device, so much so that it’s up there – or down there, depending on your point of view – with the traditional followers of the gig economy: the fast-food joints, discount retailers, bars, minicab firms, and the rest.

Now, two academics are suing the historic university for employing them as casual workers. The duo, both lecturers on Oxford’s creative writing course, were employed on fixed-term “personal services” contracts for 15 years.