Working conditions of untenured instructors at the Western Branch of the University of Costa Rica

Abstract

Introduction

This article intends to socialize the preliminary findings of the study called “Working conditions of untenured staff at the Western Branch of the University of Costa Rica from 2017 to 2019” at the Research Vicerrectoria at the University of Costa Rica.

Objective

The goal is to identify the working conditions of this population as well as the individual, collective and institutional strategies to address them.

Method

The study includes quantitative and qualitative data, among them: the number of the instructors hired by the Department, the hiring modality, and the instructors’ perception of their working conditions.

Results

Among the obtained results, it is identified that by 2018, 83% of instructors are in untenured state, in addition, there is a tendency to deteriorate working conditions, where different hiring modalities seek to reduce the cost of the workforce, such as contracts without continuity, where the instructor is left without salary for up to three months in the so-called inter-cycle periods. Another result is the lack of collective and institutional strategies for the attention of working conditions, as well as the thoughts that the interviewees have of resorting to meritocracy and begging of labor rights.

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