Contracts and National Holidays

Contracts and National Holidays
Apr 3, 2008 13:14
APAULT Points: Join Date: Mar 11, 2006 Status: offline	If you are a teacher and have a fairly standard contract, you will have National Holidays off. in my college we are being told we must teach the 'lost' classes on other days. This does not constitute the holidays provided for in the contract and by legislation. In my college we are abnout to fight this. In my case I do not teach the full number of hours provided in the contract and in all fairness think I might have to give in. If they want you to work, you should be paid overtime as provided in the contract. What was even worse in my college is that no-one has even had the decency to notify us that there is a holiday today, 4th April. If the students had not mentioned it yesterday, we would have headed for classes wondering where all the students had gone! So as far as I am concerned we attended for duty as required. I strongly recommend we all fight these issues. For too long we have compromised in the interests of harmonios relations. We are teachers, maybe we have also to teach the employers that contracts involve TWO parties and about developing proper staff relationships.

Apr 3, 2008 13:14

APAULT
Points:
Join Date: Mar 11, 2006
Status: offline

If you are a teacher and have a fairly standard contract, you will have National Holidays off. in my college we are being told we must teach the 'lost' classes on other days. This does not constitute the holidays provided for in the contract and by legislation. In my college we are abnout to fight this. In my case I do not teach the full number of hours provided in the contract and in all fairness think I might have to give in. If they want you to work, you should be paid overtime as provided in the contract.

What was even worse in my college is that no-one has even had the decency to notify us that there is a holiday today, 4th April. If the students had not mentioned it yesterday, we would have headed for classes wondering where all the students had gone! So as far as I am concerned we attended for duty as required.

I strongly recommend we all fight these issues. For too long we have compromised in the interests of harmonios relations. We are teachers, maybe we have also to teach the employers that contracts involve TWO parties and about developing proper staff relationships.

Apr 14, 2008 03:31

LEMONCACTUS
Points:
Join Date: Dec 8, 2005
Status: Offline

Hi Apault,

I'm behind you on this one for the simple reason that if China acknowledges the fact that Westerners expect them to play by the rules, this might actually reflect on the way they treat their Chinese staff too.

Strangely I've had to make up only Thursday & Friday classes during National Holidays at both the universities I've taught at over the last couple of years. I never could get to the bottom of it and actually had quite a heated debate about it with the head of English but to no avail. It seems that if its always been done this way (and nobody else is complaining) then there's no need to change it!

However, as the current university expected us to teach on Christmas Day last year - despite the fact that it says we have this day off in our contracts - we explained the fact and managed to get the day off... and with further wrangling... NO make up classes.

I think it depends hugely on the school/uni and who's in charge etc. I don't think there's any reason why we shouldn't contest these issues (harmoniously) and improve conditions for ourselves, future staff and hopefully Chinese staff too.

In your case Apault... dare I say it... you might have a losing battle because of not working your contracted hours.. although I can never understand how this comes about when I've never known a university in China with "too many" English teachers or classes. All I've ever heard is how students want more English classes. It's a great waste of a resource.... anyway...

Good luck and it'd be interesting to hear how it pans out.

Apr 14, 2008 04:10

APAULT
Points:
Join Date: Mar 11, 2006
Status: Offline

Thanks LemonC. Yes , they need to honour contracts and understand that they represent obligations on both parts, not just rules imposed by the employer. If there is an issue like catching up missed classes after taking a holiday, then contracts should be modified so we can 'take it or leave it in the future, it is OPEN and honest that way. But as you say, 'it's Chinese custom' is a great shield to hide behind.

It's also important that we fight these issues - as I have sugegsted elsewhere, we are no longer here for fun (tho that may be an aspect of why we decide to work here), but as a genuine work option. If you like, we are merceneries, we are paid to do a job and we will deliver, tho as professionals most of us want to go one step further - but are generally prevented from doing so. I have never known such conservatism as there is in Chinese business and management. Fear oF change is a massive understatement.

I have just sent two emnails to my supervisor requesting poermission to conduct extra classes, but as with all previous emails he will not reply. Just as he has failed to follow up on everything else he has said he will do. This bloke won a top teacher award last Teachers' Day. He has no concept of people management and is a classic case of promoted techies who cannot give up part of their techie past and spend time managing - but hey, that's a big problem in my home countries too (I'm an ex-Pom Aussie, in case u hadn't picked that up.)

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