Mandate 40000£ minimum starting annual salary for all UK postdoctoral positions.

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

I hereby put forward a formal request to increase the minimum starting salary of all postdoctoral positions in UK to 40000£ yearly.

The majority of ground-breaking scientific discoveries in the UK are made through the scientific excellence of postdocs. Yet, given the cost of living and family maintenance, they struggle to support themselves. Most postdocs work 50-60 hours/week (irrespective of contractual minimum) but their pay is not commensurate with their effort, causing chronic stress which in turn greatly diminishes the achievable productivity and long-term economic and social gains from scientific research in the UK.

Why it was rejected

It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.

Individual institutions of higher education are responsible for how much they pay postdoctoral students, not the Government or House of Commons.

We can only accept petitions about funding for public sector pay, or changes to the minimum wage. Decisions about wages for other workers are a matter for individual employers.

Timeline

27 Jun 2020	Petition opened for signatures
18 Aug 2020	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21

Status Rejected

Rejected 18 Aug 2020

Follow this petition