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Carrying over annual leave

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UCU reps asked for staff to be allowed to carry over more than the usual 5 days of annual leave into the next annual leave year if they would find it difficult to use their annual leave during the lockdown, to help us recover from this crisis period. This has been refused and we are told we must still take our annual leave during the year to 30th September. If you had a holiday planned and you now want to cancel your leave because the holiday has been cancelled, and work from home instead, you should discuss this with your line manager in the usual way. If you are part of the ‘critical activity team’ needed on campus, it might be difficult for you to take time off and therefore it might be possible to carry more annual leave over to next year. continue reading

Announcements to students without staff time to prepare

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Significant recent announcements to students have had implications for staff but staff have been told at the same time as, or some time after, students were told. It has left staff unprepared to answer the questions of students about what the arrangements will be. UCU reps have reminded senior management that, while these are difficult circumstances, it is still both practical and respectful to communicate with staff in advance of announcements to students where there will be a need for staff to prepare and plan so they can communicate specific local arrangements and answer the questions students have. continue reading

Home working, equipment and health and safety

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UCU national website has guidance on working from home and teaching online. The university advice on homeworking during the pandemic says “Working from home expenses, such as internet provision … will not be covered by the University.” UCU branch officers advise you contact your line manager or head of school or service if you need any equipment to work from home. The IT team is sending some IT equipment out by courier, according to the priorities set by heads of school or service. The university won’t give general approval for everyone to buy what they need and claim it back, so we are advising members that if you feel you need some equipment, you should get prior agreement from your line manager or head of school or service that the cost will be reimbursed, before you buy it, so you don’t risk being out of pocket. The home working arrangements are still being seen as “temporary”, which is why the university is saying not to complete the usual display screen equipment workstation assessment, but clearly we all need a decent set-up to work in which isn’t going to cause us health problems. Here’s the advice from the university’s Wellbeing, Health … continue reading

How much work can you do at home?

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University guidance about what can be achieved working from home has improved following trade union interventions but UCU reps are still concerned about how the current wording could be and is being interpreted by some line managers and heads of schools or services. Senior HR managers have agreed with union reps that many staff will not be expected to perform their full normal duties while working from home. Some may be able to, but many staff will not be able to commit to their full hours or complete all their normal duties because they have childcare, caring or other responsibilities and/or may be finding the pandemic and lockdown personally difficult to cope with. We understand from our discussions that people in those circumstances are not expected to do the same amount of work differently but that they will do what work they can. The university seems to be having some difficulty committing those expressed views into written advice for staff and managers. If you are feeling pressured to do more work than your circumstances allow and your line manager or head of school or service isn’t listening to you, contact ucu@leeds.ac.uk, or speak to the local HR manager first if … continue reading

Fixed term contracts – awaiting an answer on extension/renewal

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UCU is calling for all contracts due to finish during the crisis period to be extended at least until recruitment starts again in the sector. Otherwise the university will be making people unemployed when it is almost impossible for them get a new job. We think all universities across the sector need to step up and do this. UCU reps raised this issue with senior HR managers on 1 April. They told us the university is involved in discussions at a national level with UKRI about securing research funding and with the government about whether universities can apply to the government’s Covid-19 Job Retention Scheme (“furloughing”). It is clear the university considers getting this funding will be a major factor in how it can respond on staffing issues. HR told UCU reps that if they hope to get a response to us in a few days. There are also of course many research staff not funded by the UK research councils, and many teaching and other staff on fixed term contracts due to end later in the year when the government furlough period may have ended. We believe the university has a moral responsibility to support its casualised staff, many … continue reading