Category Archives: Equality

Update on gender pay gap talks

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UCU submitted our gender pay claim in August 2018. For background information see leedsucu.org.uk/genderpaygap In the gender pay claim we asked the university senior management to share with us the detailed information behind the headline figures, to provide us with more detailed information – some of which already exists – including intersectional data on ethnicity, age group and disability, so we can work with them to show where the problems are and make effective plans to end the gender pay gap. We asked the university to produce this information within 4 months. The university met with UCU negotiating team on 20 February 2019. They have not provided us with the detailed information we asked for in advance or at the meeting, and instead talked us through the actions they have taken to reduce the gender pay gap from 22.5% to 20.1%. (Which includes recruiting more men into relatively lower paid roles, which improves the mean average, which would not have been our priority!) The university has proposed to meet us again for further talks in two months. We welcome any progress so far but have impressed upon university management that we want to end the gender pay gap and they … continue reading

International Women’s Day events in Leeds

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Women’s Strike The Women’s Strike Assembly has organised two women’s strike events in Leeds for 8 March: 12pm rally in Briggate4.30pm assembly at Bridge Street Church. More details on their facebook page. For the avoidance of doubt: UCU is not explicitly or implicitly calling for members to take strike action, but please go along to the events if you can. Some staff and students are meeting at the Parkinson building steps at 11.30am to walk down together. International Women’s Day event on Saturday Saturday 9 March 10.30am – 12.30pm Momentum have issued wide invitations to their Women and Socialism event on Saturday from 10.30am – 12.30pm, in Leeds Civic Hall (the one with the golden owls). Speakers include Leeds TUC president Jane Aitchison (who spoke at our strike rally last year). Celebrating 100 years of women in engineering and science 7th – 8th March, Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery. Feminist Archive North mark the centenary of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) with a display of material from their collections related to women in science and engineering. Please support this event if you can: when we were on strike this time last year Feminist Archive North phoned us to say they … continue reading

Standing up to racism – support for Nita Sanghera

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UCU vice-president Nita Sanghera has been subject to horrendous abuse online by members of a far-right white supremacist group. We stand alongside Nita. UCU stands for the kind of unity and equality that the far right despises. UCU London Region have published a statement and are encouraging all UCU members to put our names to it: uculondonregion.wordpress.com/2019/03/03/ucutransformed-defends-nita-sanghera UCU has published a statement nationally, which also gives details of international day of action against racism demonstrations on 16 March in London, Glasgow and Cardiff https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/9985/UCU-statement-in-support-of-Nita-Sanghera … continue reading

Day of action against workplace racism

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Today UCU reps have been talking to members about their experiences of racism in the workplace. To defeat racism everyone needs to understand what it can be like to face racism at work, and that it is still a reality for many of us, so that together we can end it. In the short videos below UCU members discuss different aspects of racism in the workplace and what we can do to oppose it, defeat it, and create equality. If you experience racism at work, a UCU caseworker can support you in tackling the problem. Contact ucu@leeds.ac.uk or phone 35904. Barriers to progression Racist activity on campus Harassment at work Precarious contracts What needs to change … continue reading

Important UCU updates: Ballot + General Secretary + Leeds general meeting + elections

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Text of email sent to all members 25 February 2019 by branch president Vicky Blake In this email: ·        2 important updates: ballot result and General Secretary resignation ·        Your feedback for future UCU strategy ·        Reminder of very important UCU General Meeting (13 March) + motions deadline (5 March) INCLUDING call for Congress delegates + motions! ·        Thank you Leeds UCU Updates: Ballot:We received [news] on Friday that the UCU UK-wide aggregated ballot of higher education members came out strongly in favour of taking action and action short of strike (ASOS), but that this result has again been stymied by anti-democratic, anti-trade union laws. We are very disappointed that we are unable to take action at the UK-level at this time, but we are also very determined to make progress in our local work over our formal Anti-Casualisation claim for which negotiations will begin in March, over the gender pay gap claim we’re already pursuing, and on joint-unions work to address workload at Leeds. The Trade Union Act 2016 requires all ballots over industrial action to reach 50% turnout, which is a greater restriction than is placed on turnout for the election of politicians who make these decisions. Prior to 2016, we would … continue reading