Editing London School of Economics (section)

==== Industrial disputes ====
In the summer of 2017, dozens of campus cleaners contracted via Noonan Services went on weekly strikes, protesting outside key buildings and causing significant disruption during end-of-year examinations.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/gender/2016/11/14/justice-for-the-lse-cleaners/|title=Justice for the LSE Cleaners!|date=2016-11-14|website=Engenderings|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-27|archive-date=28 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228065634/https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/gender/2016/11/14/justice-for-the-lse-cleaners/|url-status=live}}</ref> The dispute organised by the [[United Voices of the World|UVW union]] was originally over unfair dismissals of cleaners, but had escalated into a broad demand for decent employment rights matching those of LSE's in-house employees.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/25/lse-striking-cleaners-outsourced-university-injustice|title=The courage of the LSE's striking cleaners can give us all hope {{!}} Owen Jones|last=Jones|first=Owen|date=2017-05-25|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-02-27|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=25 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225224003/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/25/lse-striking-cleaners-outsourced-university-injustice|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Owen Jones (writer)|Owen Jones]] did not cross the picket line after arriving for a debate on grammar schools with [[Peter Hitchens]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/left-wing-columnist-owen-jones-snubs-lse-debate-solidarity-striking-cleaners-1622133|title=Left-wing columnist Owen Jones snubs LSE debate in solidarity with striking cleaners|date=2017-05-18|website=International Business Times UK|language=en|access-date=2019-02-27|archive-date=28 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228004158/https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/left-wing-columnist-owen-jones-snubs-lse-debate-solidarity-striking-cleaners-1622133|url-status=live}}</ref> It was announced in June 2018 that some 200 outsourced workers at the LSE would be offered in-house contracts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://notesfrombelow.org/article/rebellion-lse-cleaning-sector-inquiry|title=Rebellion at the LSE: a cleaning sector inquiry|website=Notes From Below|language=en|access-date=2019-02-27|archive-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226045714/https://notesfrombelow.org/article/rebellion-lse-cleaning-sector-inquiry|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since 2014/15, levels of academic casualisation have increased at the LSE, with the number of academics on fixed-term contracts increasing from 47% in 2016/2017 to 59% in 2021/2022,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=HESA |date=2023 |title=HE academic staff by HE provider and employment conditions, Academic years 2014/15 to 2021/22 |url=https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/staff/employment-conditions |access-date=27 July 2023 |website=HESA |archive-date=27 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727181844/https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/staff/employment-conditions |url-status=live }}</ref> according to Higher Education Statistical Agency data (internal LSE data puts the latest figure at 58.5%).<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2023 |title="The Crisis of Academic Casualisation at LSE" |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FQiPscs_epkMnBdPyp-h8Wosyuw1oWVgsOHnFivDELE/edit#heading=h.6vvsvf1up4kq |access-date=27 July 2023 |website=LSE UCU Report 2023 |archive-date=27 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727181834/https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FQiPscs_epkMnBdPyp-h8Wosyuw1oWVgsOHnFivDELE/edit#heading=h.6vvsvf1up4kq |url-status=live }}</ref> During this same period, comparable universities such as [[University of Edinburgh]], [[University College London]] and [[Imperial College London|Imperial]] all increased their rates of permanent staff relative to those on fixed term contracts.<ref name=":0" /> Only Oxford had a higher proportion of casual academic work for the 2021/2022 year (66%) although in contrast to LSE, the proportion remained constant rather than rising.<ref name=":0" /> As a result, the student-to-permanent staff ratio at LSE has worsened and had, as of July 2023, the worst student-to-permanent staff ratio among comparable universities in the UK, according to HESA data.<ref name=":0" /> According to research conducted by the LSE UCU Branch into staff well-being, 82% of fixed term academic staff at the LSE experienced regular or constant anxiety about their professional futures.<ref name=":1" /> In the same survey, overwork and mental health issues were reported as endemic among respondents, with 40% of fellows reporting that their teaching hours exceeded LSE's universal teaching limit of 100 hours per academic year for LSE Fellows.<ref name=":1" />

In response to industrial action, which included not marking student work, taken by [[University and College Union|UCU]] in the summer of 2023 over pay and casualised working conditions, the LSE management took the decision to not accept partial performance of duties and to impose pay deductions on academic staff participating in the action.<ref name="pay deductions">{{Cite web |last=LSE |date=2023 |title="Industrial Action: marking and assessment boycott – frequently asked questions (FAQs) for staff and managers" |url=https://info.lse.ac.uk/staff/divisions/Human-Resources/Assets/Documents/Industrial-Action/Industrial-Action-FAQs-for-staff-and-managers-marking-assessment-boycott-May23.pdf |access-date=27 July 2023 |publisher=London School of Economics |archive-date=27 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727165444/https://info.lse.ac.uk/staff/divisions/Human-Resources/Assets/Documents/Industrial-Action/Industrial-Action-FAQs-for-staff-and-managers-marking-assessment-boycott-May23.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The LSE also introduced an 'Exceptional Degree Classification Schemes' policy,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=LSE Registrar's Division, Student Services |date=June 2023 |title="Marking and Assessment Boycott Summer 2023 Exceptional Degree Classification Schemes for Provisional Classifications" (PDF). |url=https://info.lse.ac.uk/staff/divisions/academic-registrars-division/Teaching-Quality-Assurance-and-Review-Office/Assets/Documents/Calendar/MAB-Summer-23-Exceptional-Degree-Classification-Schemes-for-Provisional-Classifications.pdf |access-date=27 July 2023 |publisher=London School of Economics |archive-date=27 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727194732/https://info.lse.ac.uk/staff/divisions/academic-registrars-division/Teaching-Quality-Assurance-and-Review-Office/Assets/Documents/Calendar/MAB-Summer-23-Exceptional-Degree-Classification-Schemes-for-Provisional-Classifications.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> allowing undergraduate and taught postgraduate students to be awarded provisional degrees on the basis of fewer grades than normally required. In the event that the final classification (once all marks are available) is lower than the provisional classification, the higher provisional classification will stand as the degree classification.<ref name=":2" />