Junior faculty sign employment agreement with university heads, ending several years of conflict

University junior faculty representatives signed an employment conditions agreement last night with the committee of university heads, ending a struggle they had been waging for several years. The agreement covers the terms of employment for adjunct faculty, who until now were employed as contract workers with virtually no social benefits. The Technion - Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, was the only university that did not sign the deal.

An abbreviated version of the agreement was signed last May, but a full version was only compiled last night.

At the center of the agreement are 5,000 adjunct instructors who are not classified as lecturers. Most hold doctorate degrees, but are not part of the university's permanent faculty.

The deal turns these instructors into "teaching associates," or non-tenure track faculty members. Their contracts now resemble those of junior faculty.

The salaries of the adjunct faculty will be determined after a payment agreement is reached between the universities and senior faculty members.

Until now, adjunct faculty have been released at the end of the school year, then re-hired according to universities' needs. Now, they will receive salaries for 12-month periods, and will be eligible for seniority.

They will also receive social benefits, including pension funds, workers' compensation and health benefits. In addition, universities will establish a fund for teaching associates to participate in conferences and exchange scientific information worldwide.

To be eligible to receive the conditions outlined in the new agreement, instructors will have to prove they are not receiving pay exceeding NIS 15,000 a month from an outside employer.