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University of Leeds staff supporting the Youth Climate Strike in Leeds – Friday 12th April

Posted on 10 April 2019 by Alan Smith10 April 2019
Image of youth climate strike, young people with placards and banners on Leeds Town Hall steps
Youth climate strike, Leeds

More than 30 climate researchers from the Priestley Centre at the University Leeds attended one of the previous two youth strikes for climate that took place in Leeds in March. At each event they took the opportunity to talk to young people and Leeds residents about the climate crisis, and answered a range of questions. Answers to some of them are online here.

We’re certain that our climate researchers are not the only ones who believe the youth are doing brilliant things by striking for the climate. We’ve spoken to some of the organisers in Leeds (our own students) for the next climate strike taking place 11am-2pm Friday 12th April, and we are calling on University staff to come along to show their support.

The time is now to take action to avoid climate breakdown. It is crucial that staff at the university have a voice and take a stance in this universal human life threatening issue. The children are leading the way. Let’s go and show them that they are right, and that they have our support.

UCU is part of a wider regional network of unions concerned about the climate crisis and searching for coalitions in our workplaces. Locally, we have passed a motion on creating a finance group that monitors UOL external investment that damages the environment and contributes to raising Co2. Leeds UCU is developing a campaign for divestment. Motions to this effect will be brought to the next UCU general meeting (Thursday 2nd May 1-2 pm Roger Stevens 8.04). Please come to this meeting to help us show how important this issue is for our union.

We invite those of you that are able to, to form an audience for the youth strikers, joining conversations and enjoying the range of performances planned for outside the Leeds Town Hall 11am-2pm Friday 12th April

If you cannot walk out during the lunch break, you can still make noise on the day and contribute to supporting the youth climate strike by:
• Talking to your colleagues about what is happening
• Wear something green on the day
• Share the event on social media:
• Like and follow the facebook page LeedsYouthStike4Climate
• Share the hashtag #UOLStaff4ClimateStrike

Gabriella Alberti and Andrea Rylands on behalf of the Leeds UCU Committee Environmental Reps

Posted in Campaigns, Environment, Wider campaigning

Update on anti-casualisation negotiations

Posted on 27 March 2019 by Alan Smith27 March 2019

The first anti-casualisation meeting with the university HR team took place yesterday. Our concerns were listened to and we provided information/clarification on questions arising from the official claim we had submitted earlier this year. You can read the claim here: leedsucu.org.uk/ucu-anti-casualisation-claim-submitted-to-university-of-leeds

The university has agreed to identify parameters they think they can align with to publish a joint statement on casualisation. We anticipate formal time-limited negotiations to begin shortly but further steps in this regard require active engagement from our casualised members. We are putting together a survey to find out the details and extent of the casualisation problem at Leeds and also planning towards a meeting of all casualised staff that will soon be announced.

Posted in Anticasualisation, Campaigns

Meetings for members coming up

Posted on 22 March 2019 by Alan Smith10 April 2019

General meeting, Thursday 2 May

1pm – 2pm, Roger Stevens lecture theatre 4 (8.04). The deadline for motions or agenda items for this meeting is 12pm Tuesday 16 April. If you want our branch to propose an amendment to a motion on the UCU congress 2019 agenda, or propose an emergency motion to UCU Congress, or to encourage our delegates to the congress to vote in a particular way on a motion at UCU congress, this is the meeting to put that to.

Annual General Meeting, Thursday 16 May

3.45pm – 5pm, venue to be confirmed. The deadline for motions for the AGM is 12pm Tuesday 30 April. The deadline for nominations to elected committee positions is 3.45 Wednesday 15 May.

Posted in General Meetings, Open meetings and events

9 April: USS pensions open meeting

Posted on 22 March 2019 by Alan Smith5 April 2019

Tuesday 9 April 1-2pm: USS Pensions Open Meeting: with UCU Pensions Rep Mark Taylor-Batty and UCU national USS negotiator Sam Marsh

Mechanical Engineering LT B (2.37) (Open to members + non-members – bring colleagues!)

Our pensions rep Mark Taylor-Batty and Sam Marsh (one of UCU’s elected national negotiators on USS) will give an update on the current situation and lead discussion with members. Please bring your questions too! We have deliberately timed this meeting to fall after the next USS negotiation meeting between UCU and UUK.

You can help to publicise this by printing and distributing this leaflet.

Backgroundː 

The employers’ body Universities UK (UUK) has recently conducted a consultation of member institutions regarding the USS 2018 pension scheme valuation. UUK has written to USS with a summary of the institutional responses which they have published [here]. The University of Leeds put its consultation response online yesterday, which is [here].  

We (UCU) have many and growing concerns in the sector over the governance of the USS pension scheme, and poor communications from the USS executive. You can read the latest statement from the UCU National Disputes Committee which was convened after Congress 2018 to steer the USS dispute [here].

We had hoped that our University position would take full account of these concerns. We note that several other key employers in the USS scheme have consulted with UCU branches on these important issues and/or have taken a much more critical / questioning position in their consultation responses, and have made these concerns public. For example, the University of Oxford and the University of Sheffield, have rejected the call for contingent contributions. Sheffield goes further and argues that the institution “continues to have serious concerns regarding the approach taken by the USS Trustee to the 2018 Valuation”. The Deputy director of HR at Sheffield wrote “the contentious nature of the methodology adopted by the USS Trustee in undertaking both the 2017 and 2018 Valuations, and the lack of transparency and explanation/rationale behind decisions and positions of the Trustee, is leading once again to a position whereby key stakeholders do not have trust in the figures and outcomes resulting from the latest valuation.” We find it difficult to believe that the University of Leeds council have been able to look at all the given information and not also come to this same conclusion. The University of Bristol express disappointment that the USS trustees have not “fully reflected the JEP’s recommendations in the 2018 valuation technical proposals to date.” The University of Edinburgh make a similar point and ask for further commentary on that decision. The University of Newcastle, in a similar vein, reiterate that they “support all the recommendations made by the JEP”. The University of Warwick specifically foregrounded the JEP’s assessment and criticism of ‘Test 1’. The University of Bristol’s recommendation that USS should appoint more member-nominated trustees is a proposal we would wish our own employer seriously to consider backing.

What next? Come to this meeting to be part of the discussions we will feed back to UCU at the UK-wide level. We have fought hard to defend our pensions — to keep doing this we need to make sure everyone knows what’s going on and that members are able to feed into what happens next.

Posted in Campaigns, Dispute, Open meetings and events, Pensions

2 April: emergency general meeting on the REF code of practice

Posted on 22 March 2019 by Alan Smith22 March 2019

Tuesday 2 April 2-3pm, Michael Sadler LG 19

We need members’ views on the draft Code of Practice for REF 2021 (CoP) that the university released for consultation yesterday. We are looking to build on the wealth of experience and expertise in our membership to inform the branch’s position. To this end, we have put together a very short survey that can be completed [here]. Alternatively, you can email your comments to us directly at ucu@leeds.ac.uk. 

All thoughts, comments and concerns are welcome. We are particularly keen to receive your views and experiences relating to: 

  • how preparations for REF 2021 interact with Annual Academic Meetings (AAM) and the Staff Review and Development Scheme (SRDS) [CoP para 19];
  • the process for identifying staff with significant responsibility for research and staff who are engaged in independent research [CoP para 35-41]
  • the process for appealing these decisions [CoP para 55-60];
  • and the process for selecting outputs [CoP para 76-84].

Alongside providing your feedback to UCU, we also encourage members to engage with the university’s consultation process by either emailing leedsref@leeds.ac.uk, or by attending one of the three drop-in sessions organised by University Management, details of which can be found [here].

We are holding a Leeds UCU Emergency General Meeting on 2 April, at 2pm, in Michael Sadler LG 19 to discuss the Code of Practice, as well as other REF related concerns. Please do come along if you are able, and if you would like to propose a motion / motions for the branch to consider as policy positions please email ucu@leeds.ac.uk — including if you would like any advice on how to draft them. The motions deadline for the EGM is 2pm on Monday 1 April. 

Posted in Consultations and negotiations, General Meetings, REF
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