Category Archives: Equality

All three staff unions write to HR to complain about misrepresenting pay offer

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Today, all three campus unions (UCU, Unison, Unite) have jointly written to the Director of HR, to complain about attempts contained in HR communications to misdirect staff in about the current pay and equality negotiations. This is a repeated complaint about behaviour we have also raised in previous rounds of national pay negotiations. Please see below this email for the full text. Please remember we have until 12 noon on Wednesday 27 June to vote in our internal, “indicative ballot” over whether to accept UCEA’s pay and equality offer in response to the joint union claim. UCU advises that you vote to REJECT the pay offer and to vote YES to a willingness to take industrial action. See [here] for a reminder of why UCU advises this in light of a derisory pay offer (especially when placed in context of pay erosion) and very little of note offered on the equality and casualisation aspects of the joint claim. It also reminds you how to find the link to make your vote, and what to do if you can’t find the email. Turnout really matters, and will strengthen the hand of our negotiators – please vote asap! See also [here] for analysis of how the latest pay offer compares with pay settlements elsewhere. *** Dear … continue reading

Vote! Pay + Equality Claim (UCU consultative ballot)

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(Text of email sent to all Leeds UCU members on 8 June 2018) You will have had (or should shortly receive) a very important email from UCU entitled “UCU Pay and equality consultation”. (If you have not received it, please click [here] for a replacement). This is a vital UCU internal consultative ballot (the stage before an ‘official’ ballot which, by law, would need to be conducted by post). As ever, we ask all members to vote by the 27 June deadline. Turnout matters and is a way of showing and building strength in itself. We are also asking members to observe the recommendations on which the national negotiators, the Higher Education Committee, and the annual Higher Education Sector Conference last week are united… Key Information (in brief):  Even conservative assessments (including [Michael Otsuka’s]) show declining real-terms pay, and that’s before you factor in casualisation, discrimination, the effect of workload inflation, etc. Therefore: Please vote to REJECT the pay offer in question 1 Please vote YES to taking sustained industrial action if that is needed in question 2 (See attached picture) The proportion of university expenditure spent on staff has fallen to just 54.7%, while reserves held by institutions have increased by 259% and capital expenditure by 34.9%. It’s about time money was … continue reading

UCU legal briefing for international members

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Legal briefing for international members Friday 25 May, 12pm – 1pm Baines Wing seminar room 2.37 This briefing will be particularly focused on members’ concerns around visa requirements in relation to industrial action (“unauthorised absence” and reductions in pay), but can also cover any other questions regarding our legal working rights (not surpassing the 180 days in a 12 month period, research leave, pensions, etc.). This briefing is also open to international staff who aren’t UCU members. This is a general briefing legal briefing rather than casework representation. If you need individual support through the union please contact ucu@leeds.ac.uk or for individual legal advice on immigration issues see ucu.org.uk/legal Let’s get the law changed The legal briefing will look primarily at the Home Office current rules, but UCU is challenging the Home Office to change it’s rules to ensure staff working on visas don’t have a reduced right to strike. UCU general secretary Sally Hunt and Labour’ shadow chancellor John McDonnell MP have written an article calling for clarity from the Home Office. UCU is calling on members, especially staff working on international visas, to write to their MP and ask them to back UCU’s call. UCU international staff email list There’s … continue reading

Guidance for members on work visas next strike

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(Text reproduced from email sent to all members by Gabriella Alberti, Equality Officer, 12/4/18) As we have already pointed out in a previous email, the latest USS strike has brought to the fore what the union understands as differential treatment for University staff members on working visas in terms of their participation in industrial action. We believe the experience of unfair treatment by our colleagues on working visas is far from marginal to this important dispute, and that it rather points out to the many contradictions that inhabit our campuses and the HE sector in the UK, where the effects of the Point based system and monitoring of international students and staff have been contested and challenged by our unionsince their introduction. The latest events have shown even more that immigration controls directly hinder our fundamental collective rights. UCU national HQ has released today a message regarding members on working visas’ participation in the strike action, following the lack of response (as of today) by the Home office to Sally Hunt’s letter on this matter on the 15th of March 2018.  Matt Waddup, UCU national head of policy and campaigns writes: “Our parliamentary team have been strongly pressing the minister for a response but despite assurances … continue reading

Rights of EU27 citizens after Brexit

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On 12 December the European Commission published a memo with questions and answers based on the common understanding of the rights for citizens following the recent negotiations. We’re linking to this here not as legal advice but because we know this will be of interest to many members and because it hasn’t been widely publicised in the UK. “Questions and Answers – the rights of EU27 and UK citizens post-Brexit, as outlined in the Joint Report from the Negotiators of the European Union and the United Kingdom Government” You may also be interest in the response of the campaign group the3million to the latest negotiations. For UCU members there both general and individual legal advice available – see Guide to working in the UK for EEA and non-EEA nationals. … continue reading