Category Archives: Equality

Joint unions meeting on pay 15th October

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The pay, casualisation, equality and workloads dispute is a joint one with the other Higher Education trade unions. At the University of Leeds, we have two sister unions, Unison and Unite, who represent support staff, and all three unions are balloting for industrial action in this dispute. We’ve organised a joint meeting to discuss the issues on Tuesday 15th October, 12 – 1, in Chemistry lecture theatre D (G35). Hope to see you there! UCU refers to this dispute as the ‘Four Fights’ (pay, casualisation, equality and workloads) – these four issues are interlinked. The detailed claim includes: A pay increase of RPI plus 3% or a minimum increase of £3,349 (whichever is greater).A 35 hour working week for all.Action to close the gender pay gap, and to work on closing the ethnic pay gap, taking account of the ways in which intersectionality affects pay and grading.A framework to eliminate precarious employment practices by universities, including ending zero hours contracts and moving hourly paid staff onto fractional contracts.Nationally-agreed payment to recognise excessive workloads. You can read the unions’ claim to the employers in full here: https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/10185/UCUBAN54-HE-pay-claim-2019-20/pdf/UCUBAN54.pdf UCU has urged the employers to stop spinning and start talking. All three unions … continue reading

Two ballots – vote now!

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Your ballot papers should have arrived – look out for a white A4 envelope with the UCU logo. If you can’t find it, request a new one at www.ucu.org.uk/ballotrequest  (deadline Wednesday 23 October 12 noon). For queries about the ballot process please check our ballots FAQ. LAST DATE TO POST YOUR BALLOTS IS MONDAY 28 OCTOBER to get there by the deadline Wednesday 30 October. Best to post them before then to be safe. Please vote – don’t let that envelope disappear under the piles on your desk! It’s really important to have your democratic say, and your union needs to know what you think. The two disputes are linked. Inequality and casualisation in employment lead to inequality in retirement. Pay stagnation will reduce our incomes in retirement as well as squeezing us right now. Increased pension contributions mostly wipe out the tiny pay increase that has been imposed. Four fights dispute We were not impressed by the employers response to our annual pay and conditions claim. Pay inequality, casualisation, and excessive workloads are all significant problems at Leeds, as elsewhere. We had hoped that this year, the employers’ side (represented by UCEA) would negotiate sensible national agreements on these issues … continue reading

2019/20 pay offer to be implemented in September

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Text from branch president Ben Plumpton’s email to members You’ll have seen today’s email to [Allstaff] about the pay offer. In case the mention of 3.65% rises had you feeling hopeful, note that this was only for scale points 2 and 3. From Grade 5 upwards it’ll be just 1.8%. Suggesting that increments are a form of wage rise is also misleading – this is an entirely different matter.  Many people are stuck at the top of their scales anyway and so won’t get any increment. A 1.8% rise is a pretty poor in comparison to average wage rise growth in the UK, currently at 3.9% (see for example https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/aug/13/uk-wages-rise-at-fastest-rate-for-a-decade-despite-brexit-risks) The value of our salaries has fallen by over 20% since 2009 as a consequence of below inflation increases for many years, and whilst this is just one concern among many that we have about our working conditions, it is a critical indication of the worth that universities like ours place on their staff.  You will also have realised that the extra pension contributions from October (see my email yesterday) will instantly eat up almost all of this pay “rise”. Vitally important parts of our annual pay and conditions claim … continue reading

Report on UCU Congress 2019

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UCU’s annual congress is its supreme policy making body and it met this year over the May Bank Holiday in Harrogate. This report is an attempt to summarise three very full days of intense and important debates on the various areas with which UCU is concerned. Motion numbers are included in brackets for reference: a full account of all motions with decisions can be found here: www.ucu.org.uk/Congress2019 Congress business is ordered according to the business of various committees: equality; education; recruitment, organising and campaigning (ROC) and strategy and finance. There was a further section on democracy and rule changes. On the second day of congress, delegates divide into a Higher Education Sector Conference and a Further Education Sector Conference. The agenda was very busy indeed. As a result, some motions could not be debated. Those relating to rule changes will be sent to the special Democracy Conference to be held in November; the rest are remitted to the National Executive Committee (NEC) for decision. Leeds University UCU sent five branch delegates to Congress: Arunima Bhattacharya; Dima Chami, Laura Loyola, Megan Povey and Chloe Wallace. In addition, Lesley McGorrigan attended as delegate from the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Committee, and Vicky … continue reading

Why UCU needs a migrant members equality strand

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UCU University of Leeds UCU is one of several branches with motions calling for a migrant members equality strand in UCU. We urge branches and delegates to UCU Congress to support our motions. Why is it so important? Three in every ten staff in UK universities aren’t British (29 per cent). Half of research-only staff (mostly postdocs) are from overseas (47 per cent). Migrants constitute a large demography within British academia (both in FE and HE) – and even while we make up a considerable proportion of UCU’s membership, our voice is not always heard. During the strikes, we were on the front lines with our colleagues, but our solidarity came at a price: migrant staff who took ‘unlawful’ absence from work for more than 10 days were eligible for having their contracts ended – in other words, if migrants took strike action for more than 10 days, they were at risk of deportation. It took considerable pressure, and very loudly voiced anxieties, from University of Leeds branch and others to bring this to the attention of UCU national officers who thankfully took this matter seriously. The right to strike is a human right, but the Home Office – until … continue reading