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UCU committee postgraduate rep vacancy

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We still need a postgraduate rep on the UCU committee for this academic year. Could it be you, or a colleague? The UCU University of Leeds branch committee makes decisions on behalf of the branch in between the general meetings (where all members get to make the decisions directly). The committee meets every two weeks on a Tuesday, 1pm – 2pm to decide on union campaigns and discuss proposals from the university. Committee members will usually get involved in other aspects of union work, but this isn’t a role that involves either doing casework or negotiating with management. We have two postgrads on the committee but they’re doing the anti-casualisation officer and equality officer roles so committee still wants a postgraduate rep. If you’re interested in getting involved please contact us. … continue reading

Event: “Tackling Inequality: The Role of Trade Unions”

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Members may be interested in this event (our branch is an affiliate of Leeds Trades Union Council, which is co-sponsoring the event with the Leeds Social Sciences Institute). Public meeting: Thursday 6th December, 6.30 – 8.00 pm, East Room, Leeds Civic Hall, Calverley Street, Leeds, LS1 1UR Speaker:  Liam Kennedy (Centre for Labour and Social Studies) Discussion panel: Professor Richard Wilkinson (co-author, The Spirit Level and The Inner Level) Jane Aitchison (President, Leeds Trade Union Council) Alex Watson (Head of Human Resources, Leeds City Council) Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS) is a leading left think-tank working to ensure policy is on the side of everyday people. Originating in the trade union movement, CLASS has an authentic connection to working people and a unique insight into the challenges society faces. This meeting will discuss their recent report on Tackling Inequality: The Role of Trade Unions. The report reviews the evidence on the recent increase in inequality in the UK; examines its causes, including the decline in trade union membership and power, and its consequences for economic growth, social justice and political power; and suggests what unions can do to combat inequality. After the presentation of the report by its author, … continue reading

Some USS pension member statements ‘technical glitch’

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Some members have received a letter from USS saying that because of a ‘technical glitch’ they won’t get an automatic pension statement. This seems to be members with more complicated pension calculations. In a statement, USS says this affects around 1% of the pension scheme members. Rather than manually calculate a pensions statement for those members as a matter of course, USS says it will produce on on request within 20 days. Full USS statement including how to request a manual statement for members who won’t receive an automatic one: www.uss.co.uk/news/all-news/2018/11/annual-member-statements … continue reading

UCU call leads to reimbursements for international staff

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University of Leeds has agreed to UCU’s requests to reimburse staff for ‘indefinite leave to remain’ applications and tier 1 visa applications. Senior management say they will reimburse staff for applications made after 8 November 2018. The university will also reimburse the cost of applying to the EU settlement scheme. This article was edited 3 December to include the 8 November 2018 application date and the link to the university website UCU members from outside the EU have complained of a gradual ramping up of fees and costs as working in the UK becomes less and less affordable. The reimbursements the university has agreed to make are significant improvements for international staff.  We’re glad the university has listened to our concerns, but we urge them to move on all the areas we raised. UCU called on the university to reimburse the cost of tier one visas, which they have now agreed. The university already reimburses tier two visa application costs. We have asked for clarification on whether the university reimburses tier four to tier two conversions. UCU also called on the university senior management to reimburse the visa costs for dependents, and for the costs of the (increasing) Immigration Health Surcharge … continue reading

Report from UCU higher education sector conferences 7 November

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Last Wednesday our elected Leeds delegates had a double dose of special Higher Education Sector Conferences (HESCs) which had been called to decide the next steps for UCU in two higher education disputes: Quick summary 1. The Pay and Equality dispute (Wednesday morning) It was decided to have a UK-wide re-ballot in the new year, highlighting the casualisation, equality, and workload aspects of the dispute alongside pay.  See more detailed Pay & Equality report below. 2. The Pensions dispute (specifically what next after the JEP report on USS) (Wednesday afternoon) After the Joint Expert Panel Report and recent revelations about USS valuation methods, the conference advised UCU to negotiate for no increase in our USS contributions and and end to so-called “de-risking”. See more detailed Pensions dispute report below. The Higher Education Committee of UCU and our union negotiators will take forward these decisions and advice. 1. Pay and Equality dispute The first HESC, on the Pay and Equality dispute, was quorate, which means that its decisions complement, confirm, or supersede those taken by the Higher Education Committee (HEC) the previous week.  Decisions taken at the meeting (including amendments) can be downloaded via this link: https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/9939/HESC-1118-pay-decisions/doc/UCU9057Nov18_-_Decisions.doc All the original motion texts can be seen … continue reading