We need action – how and why!

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Email sent to all members 25 January 2019 Dear Members, This email contains important information about our live UK-wide ballot, free pizza, and the upcoming UK-wide UCU elections. We’ve recently lodged our branch [anti-casualisation claim] and pushing hard for further progress over our branch equal pay claim. We will be pursuing further meetings about the significant problems in IT, and continuing with quite a volume of individual and collective casework. We’re all working hard as a branch, and it makes me ever proud to be Leeds UCU – but that’s not why I am emailing you today… In this email: Ballot Day! + pre-meeting for Postgraduate Members (5 Feb, 12pm, free pizza!)Why is there so much we have to POST by snail mail?Why the Casualisation, Equal Pay, Fair Pay + Workload ballot mattersWhat about USS? Ballot Celebration Day 5 February, Refectory Entrance Tuesday 5th February – Ballot Day! Come for a free slice of pizza and an “I’ve voted” sticker to celebrate union democracy in the casualisation, gender equality, workload and fair pay dispute. We’ll be in the Refectory entrance from 12 – 1pm. If you haven’t voted yet, there is a post box just there so you can post your ballot paper … continue reading

Don’t be silenced

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Last October Leeds members voted clearly to strike – 70% in favour – over casualisation, gender equality, workload and fair pay. But the anti-trade union law stopped us from striking, silencing our democratic voice as a union. The turnout locally was 49%. It was the highest national turnout on a pay ballot in UCU’s history. But the law brought in by the government in 2016 requires a 50% turnout, while things which would make it easier for people to vote, online voting or workplace ballot boxes, it keeps illegal. The government has no real interest in trade union democracy, it wants low turnouts so that trade unions don’t strike We think members should decide what we do as a trade union, not the government. We’re re-balloting to exceed the 50% legal threshold so your decision counts. Both the national and local elected committees are recommending that members vote vote YES to strike action and YES to action short of a strike because we think strike action is needed to make the national employers body take our concerns seriously. At the moment they are refusing to have meaningful talks on any of these issues at a national level. However you vote, … 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

Pay + Equality: what next locally + nationally

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Text of email from Branch President Vicky Blake Dear Members, Thank you to everyone who voted in the Pay and Equality Ballot, and all who helped us to get the vote out. As you will see from Matt Waddup’s email that has just gone out to members nationally, our historically high turnout in this postal ballot on pay and equality was not quite enough to break the 50% threshold set by the (anti-)Trade Union Act 2016. In this email: • Our result • What next in the pay and equality dispute • Local campaigning and action on gender pay and casualisation Our result Prior to 2016, we would be celebrating this turnout, and this result. At Leeds, members voted strongly for strike action (69.8%) and action short of a strike (77.7%). This government’s anti-trade union legislation has denied us our right to withdraw our labour despite our turnout of 49.2%. We only needed 15 more votes to break the threshold. (You may wish to note that, while advocating the 50% threshold’s introduction, Boris Johnson was in post as London Mayor having achieved… 31.8% turnout in his election.) What next? We remain in dispute over the joint unions’ pay and equality claim. … continue reading

Why you really do need to vote – from a reluctant striker

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Chloe and colleagues outside the School of Law during the USS pension strike A personal post from new UCU committee member Chloe Wallace When I look back over our strike action in February and March, I have a lot of good memories: standing with friends old and new; the support of my colleagues and students; the feeling of empowerment and hope for the future. But all in all, it wasn’t much fun. Quite apart from the snow, the rain, and the pay deduction, there was disruption to the job I love and the students I’m committed to, anxiety in such an uncertain situation, and an ever-present feeling of guilt. When it was over, I breathed a sigh of relief; back to normal at least for a while.  So my heart sank when it became clear that we would have to ballot on striking yet again for a fairer deal on equality, casualization and pay. We, individually and collectively, have too much to do, and university staff and students don’t deserve more disruption after what we dealt with this year. We talked about fairness, equality and casualisation on the pickets and on #striketwitter throughout and beyond the action. We know they matter and that … continue reading