More than 100 academics have signed an open letter to the director of the Institute of Historical Research (IHR) regarding the employment status of its staff

Dear Professor Fox

We are over 100 IHR seminar convenors who have jointly signed this letter in support of outsourced workers at the Institute, as we believe that all staff at the IHR – and indeed, across the wider University of London – should be treated equally.

While we welcome the IHR’s commitment to make bringing all outsourced workers in-house a priority, we would request on behalf of these workers that the IHR provide a full details of how this process will work, and a commitment (which the workers themselves have been very clear on) that they will all be in house by June 2019.

We are particularly concerned about the workers’ position in light of the recent revelation that a senior manager in charge of these staff on behalf of Cordant Services, through whom they are subcontracted, had to be moved from this role after he was found to have shared xenophobic and pro-far right posts on social media.

Given that the majority of the outsourced staff are migrant and BAME, we feel that we cannot be assured that they will be treated in a fair and non-discriminatory way until the University of London takes direct responsibility for their employment and working conditions.

We obviously treasure our seminar groups’ long association with the IHR, and would want this to continue, and we hope to have your support in ensuring that these seminars take place in an institution where all workers are treated the same regardless of their role.

We, the undersigned,

Dr Larne Abse Gogarty (University College London; Marxism in Culture Seminar)

Dr James Baker (University of Sussex; Digital History Seminar)

Dr Catriona Beaumont (London South Bank University; Contemporary British History Seminar, and Voluntary Action History Seminar)

Professor Matthew Beaumont (University College London; Marxism in Culture Seminar)

Dr Chiara Beccalossi (University of Lincoln; History of Sexuality Seminar)

Guy Beckett (Birkbeck, University of London; History Acts Seminar)

Professor Jonathan Bell (University College London; North American History Seminar)

Dr Justin Bengry (Goldsmiths, University of London; History of Sexuality Seminar)

Professor Michael Berkowitz (University College London; Jewish History Seminar)

Professor Virginia Berridge (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; History and Public Health Seminar)

Dr Steffan Blayney (University of Sheffield; History Acts Seminar)

Dr. Jeff Bowersox (University College London; Modern German History Seminar)

Professor Alan Bradshaw (Royal Holloway, University of London; Marxism in Culture Seminar)

Dr Sean Brady (Birkbeck, University of London; History of Sexuality Seminar)

Dr Georgina Brewis (University College London; History of Education Seminar)

Dr Ludvine Broch (University of Westminster; Modern French History Seminar)

Dr Warren Carter (The Open University; Marxism in Culture Seminar)

Dr Lily Chang (University College London; Comparative Histories of Asia Seminar)

Professor Gregory Claeys (Royal Holloway, University of London; History of Political Ideas Seminar)

Dr Nicola Clark (University of Chichester; Society for Court Studies Seminar)

Dr Liesbeth Corens (Queen Mary, University of London; Low Countries History Seminar, and European History 1500 – 1800 Seminar)

Professor Penelope J. Corfield (Royal Holloway, University of London; British History in the 18th Century Seminar)

Dr Joseph Cozens (University of Essex; British History in the 18th Century Seminar)

Dr Ruth Craggs (King’s College London; London Group of Historical Geographers Seminar)

Dr Gail Day (University of Leeds; Marxism in Culture Seminar)

Professor Filippo de Vivo (Birkbeck, University of London; European History 1500–1800 Seminar)

Professor Richard Drayton (King’s College London; Imperial and World History Seminar)

Dr Max Edling (King’s College London; North American History Seminar)

Professor Steve Edwards (Birkbeck, University of London; Marxism in Culture Seminar)

Dr Hannah J. Elizabeth (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; History and Public Health Seminar)

Dr Mike Esbester (University of Portsmouth; Transport and Mobility History Seminar)

Dr Elizabeth Evenden-Kenyon (Brunel University London; Religious History of Britain 1500–1800 Seminar)

Dr Charlotte Faucher (University of Manchester; Modern French History Seminar)

Professor David Feldman (Birkbeck, University of London; Jewish History Seminar)

Laura Flannigan (University of Cambridge; History Lab Seminar)

Dr Jana Funke (University of Exeter; History of Sexuality Seminar)

Dr Dion Georgiou (University of Chichester; Life-Cycles Seminar)

Professor Shiri Gilbert (University of Southampton; Jewish History Seminar)

Dr Stefan Goebel (University of Kent; War, Culture and Society Seminar)

Professor Anne Goldgar (King’s College London; Low Countries History Seminar)

Professor Martin Gorsky (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; History and Public Health Seminar)

Professor Richard Grayson (Goldsmith’s, University of London; War, Culture & Society Seminar)

Dr Craig Griffiths (Manchester Metropolitan University; History of Sexuality Seminar)

Dr François Guesnet (University College London; Jewish History Seminar)

Dr Bérénice Guyot-Réchard (King’s College London; Comparative Histories of Asia Seminar)

Professor Jane Hamlett (Royal Holloway, University of London; Studies of Home Seminar)

Dr Alana Harris (King’s College London; Modern Religious History Seminar, and Women’s History Seminar)

Professor Peter Heather (King’s College London; Earlier Middle Ages Seminar)

Professor Tim Hitchcock (University of Sussex; British History in the Long 18th Century Seminar)

Professor Kate Hodgkin (University of East London; Society, Culture and Belief, 1500–1800; Psychoanalysis and History)

Dr Sally Holloway (Oxford Brookes University; British History in the Long 18th Century Seminar)

Dr Eva Johanna Holmberg (Queen Mary University of London, and Helsinki University; Society, Culture and Belief 1500–1800 Seminar)

Dr Alejandra Irigoin (London School of Economics; Latin American History Seminar, and Economic and Social History of the Early Modern World Seminar)

Professor Heather Jones (University College London; War, Culture & Society Seminar)

Professor Andrew Jotischky (Royal Holloway, University of London; Crusades and the Latin East Seminar, and European History 1150 — 1500 Seminar)

Professor Ben Kaplan (University College London; Low Countries History Seminar)

Dr Innes M. Keighren (Royal Holloway, University of London; London Group of Historical Geographers Seminar)

Professor Sarah Lloyd (University of Hertfordshire; British History in the Long 18th Century Seminar)

Professor Gary McCulloch (University College London; History of Education Seminar)

Dr Jane Mackelworth (Queen Mary University of London; History of Sexuality Seminar)

Dr Anna Maerker (King’s College London; Public History Seminar)

Dr Christine Mathias (King’s College London; Latin American History Seminar)

Dr Charlotte Mathieson (University of Surrey; Transport and Mobility History Seminar)

Dr Daniel Matlin (King’s College London; North American History Seminar)

Dr Owen Miller (School of Oriental and African Studies; Comparative Histories of Asia Seminar)

Dr Joel Morley (University of Essex; Oral History Seminar)

Dr Anne L. Murphy (University of Hertfordshire; Economic and Social History of the Early Modern World Seminar)

Dr Andrew Murray (The Open University; Marxism in Culture Seminar)

Dr Raf Nicholson (Bournemouth University; Sport and Leisure History Seminar)

Dr Angel-Luke O’Donnell (King’s College London; North American History Seminar)

Professor Miles Ogborn (Queen Mary University of London; London Group of Historical Geographers Seminar)

Dr Daniel Peart (Queen Mary University of London; North American History Seminar)

Dr Christopher Phillips (Independent scholar; Transport and Mobility History Seminar)

Dr Eyal Poleg (Queen Mary University of London; European History 1150–1550 Seminar, and History of Liturgy Seminar)

Dr Robert Priest (Royal Holloway, University of London; Modern French History Seminar)

Dr Dominic Rahtz (University for the Creative Arts; Marxism in Culture Seminar)

Dr Thomas Rath (University College London; Latin American History Seminar)

Dr Tim Reinke-Williams (University of Northampton; British History in the 17th Century Seminar, and Life-Cycles Seminar)

Dr Huw Richards (London College of Communication; Sport and Leisure History Seminar)

Dr Charlotte L. Riley (University of Southampton; Reconfiguring the British: Nation, Empire, World 1600 – 2000 Seminar)

Professor Alice Rio (King’s College London; Earlier Middle Ages Seminar)

Dr Michael Rowe (King’s College London; Modern German History Seminar)

Dr Jack Saunders (University of Warwick; Reconfiguring the British: Nation, Empire, World 1600 – 2000 Seminar)

Dr Andrea Schatz (King’s College London; Jewish History Seminar)

Dr David Sim (University College London; North American History Seminar)

Dr Simon Sleight (King’s College London; Life-Cycles Seminar)

Dr Andrew W. M. Smith (University of Chichester; Modern French History Seminar)

Dr Peter Smith (University of West London; Marxism in Culture Seminar)

Dr Martin Spychal (History of Parliament; Parliaments, Politics and People Seminar)

Dr Iain Stewart (University College London; Modern French History Seminar)

Dr Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite (University College London; Reconfiguring the British: Nation, Empire, World 1600 – 2000 Seminar)

Professor Pat Thane (King’s College London; Contemporary British History Seminar, and Women’s History Seminar)

Dr David Todd (King’s College London; Imperial and World History Seminar)

Professor John Tosh (University of Roehampton; Public History Seminar)

Dr Marina Vishmidt (Goldsmith’s University of London; Marxism in Culture Seminar)

Dr Brodie Waddell (Birkbeck, University of London; Society, Culture and Belief, 1500 – 1800 Seminar)

Dr Erica Wald (Goldsmith’s, University of London; War, Culture & Society Seminar)

Professor Patrick Wallis (London School of Economics; Economic and Social History of the Early Modern World Seminar)

Professor Chris Waters (Williams College, Massachusetts; History of Sexuality Seminar)

Dr Rob Waters (University of Sussex; Conversations and Disputations Seminar)

Dr Janet Weston (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; History of Sexuality Seminar)

Dr Nick Witham (University College London; North American History Seminar)

Professor Nuala Zahedieh (University of Edinburgh; Economic and Social History of the Early Modern World Seminar)