Regulation of professional and labor relations of university teachers: international practice and national characteristics

Abstract

The present article is focused on a general analysis of labor relations in a modern university, as well as on the study of some specific characteristics of these relations. In recent decades, economic policy in higher education has changed significantly in different countries of the world. The goal of the study is to analyze modern approaches to regulating the labor status of a university teacher and its elements. The authors investigate the history of the transformations of higher education since the 1990s which resulted in higher education turning from the sphere of human capital production into an independent branch of the service sector. The article shows that, as a result of the higher education system reforms, changes in university management, the system of labor relations, and the socio-economic status of university teachers are taking place. Various university management models are explored. It is demonstrated that in the modern setting, internal control is replaced by external control, academic freedom is pushed aside by administration, and academic standards are modified and replaced by formal rules. These reforms are accompanied by major changes in labor relations and the role of management and teaching staff in universities. Various examples of the construction of labor relations with teachers adopted in different countries are studied. Close attention is paid to approaches to stimulating teaching activities. In the light of the current difficult situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the problems of labor relations aggravated with the transition to distance and blended learning are considered. The drawbacks preventing a higher quality of higher education in Russia are identified. Proposals for improving the regulation of labor relations in the field of higher education aimed at improving its quality are presented.