Drastic Termination of Contracts of Teaching and Non-Teaching Members at TISS: Facts and Demands

Women’s Studies, TISS, Alumni Statement

We, the alumni of Women’s Studies (WS), Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai; are appalled at the recent news published in various news platforms (30th June 2024 The Hindu; 1st July 2024, Indian Express among others)  with regard to  the mass termination of contracts of faculty members and non-teaching employees. More than 100 faculty and non-teaching employees across the Mumbai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, and Tuljapur campuses of the institute were given letters on 28th June, 2024 stating that their contracts would come to an end on 30th June, 2024 without any further renewal of contracts. The affected faculty and non-teaching employees include those whose contracts are supported by the Tata Education Trust (TET), as well as those who were hired and remunerated under the UGC 12th Plan. This led to a sudden loss of employment for a wide pool of teaching and non-teaching employees, many of whom have been working in the institution for more than a decade. Their contributions to  teaching, research and administrative services have ensured that TISS became one of the premium research institutions in the country. They have nurtured hundreds of scholars and fieldworkers who are employed in universities and organisations around the world. 

Media reports suggest that the move to discontinue the contracts came unexpectedly. Earlier, when several staff members had enquired into the status of renewal of their contracts in the previous month, the administration had assured them that there was no cause for concern and that they should continue working on the ongoing admissions process. Yet, while issuing discontinuation notice of the said contracts, with only two days’ remaining, TISS cited the non-clearance of dues from the Tata Education Trust as the reason, something the institute would definitely have foreseen. 

As this highly unethical and unprofessional move on the part of the administration was highlighted in the media, the TISS administration released a circular withdrawing the letters of termination, assuring that “positive developments” had taken place during discussions with the Tata Education Trust and funds would be made available to pay salaries of the affected teaching and non-teaching employees. With this press release, it would seem that the issue with all contractual employees has been “resolved.” No further information, however, was provided regarding any decided timelines though the faculty and non-teaching employees have been instructed to continue their work. Further, the administration is not transparent regarding the status of tenure of faculty members and non-teaching employees hired under the 12th Plan of the UGC, which includes three teaching and one non-teaching member at the Advanced Centre for Womens’ Studies at TISS, Mumbai. Even after repeated enquiries by WS faculties, the administration remained nonchalant. 

It must also be noted here that the WS centre runs MA and PhD programmes and there are many PhD and MA students, under the faculties, who are extremely anxious with the current developments. The first year MA batch is going to start in a week’s time and there is no direction about who will teach in the current scenario. It must be mentioned that many PhD and MA students come from very marginalised locations, who have fought economically, socially and academically to be admitted to TISS. The consistent negligence of the institute, especially of the WS centre, not only highlights its irresponsibility but also shows its lack of vision. 

The situation of the ACWS at TISS reflects the changing labour arrangements within university spaces and increasing privatisation of higher education.  Over the years, there has been a trend of hiring qualified employees without appropriate remuneration who share equal teaching and administrative responsibilities with their non-contractual colleagues in the department.

Historically, departments of Women’s Studies have been allied to feminist movements in India. Women’s Studies departments have been rooted in the political recognition of the marginalisation of women through the UN International Decade for Women (1975-1985), and the Committee on Status of Women in India (1974). The first Women’s Studies centre has been functional in India since 1974, and the discipline has been a part of the National Education Policy since 1986. Currently, there are nearly 160 Women’s Studies centres across the country. However, Women’s Studies centres have constantly struggled with irregularity of funding by the UGC, which has committed to strengthening teaching and research in these departments since the 12th Plan (2012-2017). Consequently with the discontinuation of the 12th Plan, an uncertainty gripped the WS centres across institutes in 2017. In this context UGC came up with the category of “ UGC scheme for WS” under which the WS contractual positions in TISS continue. We intuit that the maintenance of the precarious labour conditions in the departments dilutes the commitment to critical thinking and teaching practices. It is to be noted that this anti-gender narrative is evidence of the gradual erosion of democratic principles.   

It is pertinent to note that besides perspective and knowledge, Women’s Studies has also enabled the development of  diverse skills that ensure strong career prospects and employability. As alumni of the ACWS, we wish to highlight that many of us have carved promising careers equipped  with a Women’s Studies degree. Some have gone on to work as public policy experts and development sector professionals, while others have contributed to academia as researchers and teachers. The interdisciplinary training has equipped us to productively engage across verticals like education, health, livelihoods and labour, law and justice, art and culture, climate change and sustainability and other such areas. Alumni of the ACWS also work in various government-supported programs to ensure better access of rights, entitlements and welfare policies to under-served communities. Some of us are also employed in the philanthropy sector, mobilising resources and bridging funding shortfalls in the development ecosystem.  Our alumni have been working at esteemed academic institutions like Yale University, Chicago University, University of Illinois Chicago, Kentucky University, Toronto University, University of Bristol, Innsbruck University, University of York, University of Leeds, Purdue University, National University of Singapore, Ashoka University, University of Calicut, Central University of Jharkhand, CEPT, Ambedkar University, Savitribai Phule Pune University; and prominent National and International organisations like UNWomen, Frida Fund, Women’s Fund Asia, Azim Premji Foundation, DASRA, Nirantar Trust, CEHAT, ICRW, Ipas Development Foundation, Jagori, PUKAR, Samvada, Point of View, The YP Foundation and Sappho for Equality among others.

Recently, there has been a practice in TISS, of not including faculty in interview processes and decision making regarding recruitment of teachers and admission of students. We strongly condemn such unethical practices, where faculties are not given due respect and discriminated against on a daily basis in relation to institutional work, which only strengthens the vertical hierarchy of the institution, thereby once again violating the scope for democratic functioning. 

Noting the above context, we express full solidarity with all the teaching and non-teaching employees at the Advanced Center for Women’s Studies, and the teaching and non-teaching body of TISS at large. We make the following demands of the TISS administration: 

1. We demand that all contractual faculty and non-teaching staff under UGC 12th Plan to be reinstated with immediate effect, their pending salaries released and the terms of their employment to be regularised at par with the permanent employees on UGC payroll. 
2. We demand an official timeline and long-term planning of regularisation of both TET and UGC contractual employees to ensure their financial sustainability, on-time disbursal of salaries, which the TISS administration has been delaying for many years. 
3. We demand transparency and a plan of action regarding all permanent UGC positions that remain vacant even as there are several WS faculty and non-teaching staff that have been in contract positions for over a decade. 
4. We demand that faculties are included in key decision making processes of the institute, regarding recruitment, admission, functioning of the institution and any decision making regarding their own schools and centres.
5. We demand that the institution adheres to the values of equality, social justice, and democratic functioning that have been vital in its making.

This statement has been endorsed by 164 TISS WS alumni.