Category Archives: Consultations and negotiations

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

University of Leeds Statute VII Local Provision

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DOWNLOAD: UCU local provision claim form A fund has been put in place to help those suffering particular financial impact caused by the industrial action taken in October 2017 due to the dispute over University of Leeds Statute VII. Payments are limited to the actual net loss due to action taken and no more. This will take into account any payment made by other means, such as the UCU National Fighting Fund (please see Fighting Fund for more details). “Particular hardship” means that the member is low-paid (e.g. small fractional contract; or hourly-paid equivalent to only a small fraction) AND that the strike days disproportionately affect them (e.g. it’s the only day(s) they work; or it’s the day(s) they work most). Note that the usual position is that members should expect to lose a day’s pay for taking a day’s strike action. We expect that you will have applied for the national ‘fighting fund’; the local hardship fund is intended to augment this fund in cases where there is particular hardship. Claimants for hardship relief should compete this form and send to the UCU Administrator, UCU Office, Room 751, EC Stoner building by 12/1/18. A small group of the local … continue reading

UCU Fighting Fund applications

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This post reproduces the details from an email sent to all members on 16 October about how to apply to the UCU fighting fund. Please read carefully and if after applying you have any additional questions or need further help email ucu@leeds.ac.uk with FIGHTING FUND in the title. See note at the end about evidence of deductions from the June strike. All UCU members who took strike action* as part of this dispute can apply to the UCU Fighting Fund for support connected to the third day of strike action (Friday 13th October) regardless of financial status (the fourth day of action we have taken as a branch). A cap will be applied at £75 for this day, or at a lower level if the member would have usually earned less than £75 that on that day (this is to ensure HMRC compliance). Additional consideration will be given for payments connected to the first two days of the strike action (Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th October) for members on hourly paid contracts or who can otherwise evidence that the strike deductions will have a disproportionate impact upon them leaving them financially vulnerable. A cap will be applied at £50 per … continue reading

Censure and Academic Boycott of University of Leeds

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Leeds UCU is still in dispute with university management over our statutes. Management have refused: to remove ‘some other substantial reason’ for dismissal to reinstate a medically qualified chair for appeal panels for dismissal on health grounds to reinstate an independent chair for other appeal panels   Management also intend to move all the pertinent procedures into Ordinances (which can be changed more easily) rather that Statutes, which are subject to government approval. Consequently we have begun the process of Censure and Academic Boycott of the University of Leeds, as agreed at several Leeds UCU General Meetings and at UCU National Congress 2017. This is a serious step which we hope will encourage management to withdraw their proposed new statutes from Privy Council and reconsider their approach. Censure and Academic Boycott is a UCU procedure which happens in stages. The first stage of this was a letter of censure to the university, which will be sent today, Wednesday 29th November. The University of Leeds will be on a list of employers who are subject to censure as a result of a particularly damaging approach to an industrial relations issue. UCU publicises this list through appropriate media and to other academics. … continue reading

Christmas carolling 5th December

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Leeds UCU will be making our views known about our statutes dispute and about pensions in a very festive way at lunchtime on Tuesday 5th December.  We’ll be singing Christmas carols – with slightly different lyrics – around campus, with a brass accompaniment. The ‘UCU choir’ is great fun, and you don’t need to be a good singer, just come along and enjoy yourself.  Festive costume (e.g. tinsel) entirely optional. We’ll be assembling at 1pm in room G.03, Baines Wing for a quick practice before going off to sing our hearts out. We’d love to have suitable lyrics for more Christmas carols – send your suggested wording to ucu@leeds.ac.uk And how would you complete a Christmas card to management that starts “All I want for Christmas is…”?  Send us your thoughts! Some festive decorations: … continue reading