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6
7
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As all the members of the Staff accepted the increase in remuneration it would appear that all contracts made prior to the 22nd June, 1923, were rescinded by mutual agreement.
33. In spite of this Resolution there are cases of individual Contracts of Service having been entered into subsequently; and the subject of Agreements was referred to the consideration of the Committee of the Council which made a Report dated 7th December, 1926. The relevant recommendations of this Report are:-
(i) That steps should be taken to ensure that all members of the University
do sign Agreements, if they have not already done so;
(ii) That, subject to the vested rights of persons who were at the time on the staff, all Agreements should be for a period of four years, renewable at the mutual wishes of the parties; and
(iii) That a form of Agreement should be prepared by the Solicitors to the
University.
34. This Report of the Sub-Committee of the Council was referred to the Senate for their views and the Senate took exception to the power given to the Council to ter- minate an Agreement in the case of Professors and Readers, and maintained that their appointments should be of a permanent character. In the case of Lecturers the Senate appear to have assented to the proposal of the Sub-Committee of the Council as to the mutual right to determine the Agreement at the end of each contract period of four years.
35. With regard to Junior Lecturers and Tutors, both the Sub-Committee of the Council and the Senate were agreed that these appointments should ordinarily be made on the understanding that persons recruited for these posts should not expect to be re- appointed on a permanent basis in the Tutor's grade.
36. Most of the witnesses who appeared before us seemed to be indifferent as to whether Agreements were entered into or not; though one or two of them expressed a preference for a formal document of appointment. We think that it would be in the best interests of all concerned and most satisfactorily regularise the relation of the Univer- sity to members of the Staff if in every case a written Agreement were insisted upon. This procedure is particularly important in the case of new appointments made outside the Colony, because it would prevent any question arising as to the conditions under which an appointment was made.
37. As regards the period of the Agreement we recommend that Professors and Readers should be engaged on a permanent basis up to the age of sixty; that in the case of Lecturers the term should be for fixed periods of four years renewable at the end of each period at the wish of both parties; and that the engagement of Junior Lecturers and Tutors should be definitely expressed to be on a temporary basis.
38. We have read the draft form of Agreement prepared by the Solicitors for the University and are of opinion that its terms are fair and equitable as between the University and members of the staff; though, if our suggestion as to the periods of service of Lecturers and Tutors are accepted, these terms must be modified accordingly.
39. There is one further matter which must be referred to. University Statute No. 17 provides for the removal of officers of the University; but the original draft Agree- ment prepared and issued by the Solicitors to the University purported to deal with this matter. We are of opinion that such an important part of the machinery of University government should appear in its Statutes and not in individual agreements, so as to ob- If the existing viate any danger of different rules being applied to different officers. Statute is not satisfactory then it should be amended by the Court.
(c)-Leave Conditions
40. Members of the University Staff are entitled to leave under the following conditions:--
"The first contract does not carry the right to long leave, but upon renewal of the contract the time already served counts for long leave in future.
So far as the exigencies of the service permit, the long leave granted (which is on full sterling pay) approximates to nine months leave (in which a long vacation is included), after four and a half years of actual ser- vice",
41. We consider that, as long leave is primarily intended to enable a member of the staff to recruit his health for further service with the University, the University is under no obligation to grant long leave in the case of a member of the staff who does not intend to return for further service. We agree, however, with the recommenda- tion of the Senate (supported by the Sub-Committee of the Council) that, as far as pos- sible, all appointments to the University Staff should commence at the beginning of September and that members of the Staff serving on a three or four years contract, which is not being renewed, should be allowed to return to England in May at the beginning of the long vacation with full pay until the termination of the contractual period at the beginning of September. In the case of other members of the Staff on permanent con- tracts or on a second or subsequent four yearly contract, we consider that, subject to the exigencies of the service, leave should be granted on the completion of four years resident service at the rate of two months full pay leave for every year of resident ser- vice; such service being taken to include the vacations of the University, whether spent in the Colony or not, but excluding any vacation of the University combined with long leave. Long leave should in all cases include a long vacation of the University. If leave is not taken at the end of the fourth year we would allow it to be accumulated up to a maximum of ten months.
42. The witnesses were generally agreed that the present leave conditions are fair and adequate. But it was suggested by some of them that, after ten years service under the University or after attaining the age of forty five, a member of the staff should be entitled to leave after three years resident service provided that he pays himself one- eighth of the cost of his own and his family's passages. This rule prevails in the Gov- ernment service and we recommend that it be adopted by the University.
43. It was also urged on us that, where it can be done without serious incon- venience to the work of the University, study leave on full pay should be granted after ten years service for a maximum period of fifteen months; such period to include two long vacations so that the absence from duty should only extend to one academic year. Further that, as a condition of such leave being permitted, a programme of work must be submitted by the applicant and a report of his work presented on his return. Subject to the practicability of arranging for the performance of the duties of the absent teacher and to general University considerations, we think that it would be in the best interests, not only of the teacher but of the University itself, if study leave could be granted on these conditions.
(d). Passage Allowances.
44. Passage allowances are granted on the following conditions:—
"Full first class passages (up to a maximum equal to the P.&O. fure) are paid for a member of the staff, his wife, and his children under sixteen, when travelling to take up an appointment and on final retirement in due course, save where it is expressly stated that second class passages only will be paid. Provided that in the case of Junior Lectureships, applica- tions for which are restricted to bachelors, no passages for a wife or children will in any case be paid either for the voyage out or, in the event of retirement at the end of the first contract period, for the voyage home."
"Full passages (up to a maximum equivalent to the P. & 0. return fare) are at present paid for members of the Staff, their wives and children under sixteen, when proceeding on and returning from long leave”.
45. We have received no representations from members of the Staff on this head and the arrangements now in force are, in our opinion, generally satisfactory. We con- sider, however, that the University is under no obligation to grant passages to London to members of its Staff domiciled elsewhere than in the United Kingdom, except in the case of the grant of study leave. We have suggested in paragraph 42 one amendment of
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