About the strikes and striking

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Action short of a strike started on Wednesday 23 November.

The following strike dates have been announced for February and March 2023.

University strike dates, week 1 - Wednesday 1 February   Week 2 - Thursday 9 and Friday 10 February  Week 3 - Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 February  Week 4 - Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 February  Week 5 - Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 February and Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 March [No action week commencing Monday 6 March]  Week 6 - Thursday 16 and Friday 17 March  Week 7 - Monday 20, Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 March, back the strikes, back your union, #UCURising

Week 1 – Wednesday 1 February  

Week 2 – Thursday 9 and Friday 10 February 

Week 3 – Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 February 

Week 4 – Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 February 

Week 5 – Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 February and Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 March

  • [No action week commencing Monday 6 March] 

Week 6 – Thursday 16 and Friday 17 March 

Week 7 – Monday 20, Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 March

For all questions about the industrial action including action short of a strike and working to contract please see these answers on the national UCU website:

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions for migrant staff taking industrial action

If your question isn’t answered there, your UCU department rep may be able to help, or email ucu@leeds.ac.uk. Branch officers are often unable to answer the number of individual questions they sometimes get in advance of a strike, so in the run-up to any action – please check the national website first before emailing them.

The bigger the picket line, the shorter the strike!

If you’re a member of UCU University of Leeds branch please sign up to picket for the next few weeks. Picket sign up for the other days will follow.  (Please sign up in advance so we can send you information about picketing, and it also helps the picket organisers to know if we need more pickets on certain days.)

The picket lines are usually from 7.30am until 11.30am. Not everyone can get the the university for 7.30am, but please come as early as you can. Peak time for people coming in to the university starts about 8.30 so we need busy picket lines by then.

If you are coming to picket please read the UCU information about the law on picketing. It’s important.

Accessible picketing

There’s a question in the picket sign up form about any adjustments the picket organisers can make to make picketing an accessible activity for you. There will be somewhere warm available to sit down with access to toilets at the Quaker meeting house and the university chaplaincy. Some picket lines are less noisy than others – the picket organisers can allocate you somewhere quieter.

We also need a digital picket: members who can picket from home keeping the dispute lively on social media to remind people who may be thinking about doing something work-related at home. Follow #ucuRising and @leedsucu on Twitter, and @leedsucu@union.place on Mastodon if you’ve moved there.

Running picket

The running picket will be happening in the February 2023 strikes. Usually when we strike, some pickets will also be leaving their picket lines to run laps of the campus from 9.30am. It will be a very mixed group! One lap = 3km, 2 laps 6km, 3 laps 9km. Meet at the pink gazebo. (You can either leave your placard with someone else on the picket line or bring it back to the gazebo – placards are heavy to run with but we have flags as an alternative.)

Resources

Leeds UCU slides for students

TikTok explainers tiktok.com/@leedsucu (from December 2021 strikes)

National UCU graphics and posters including email signatures

Out of Office message for strike days – feel free to modify:  I am on strike today in support of my trade union’s (UCU) disputes with our employers over cuts of 35% to guaranteed pensions, pay cuts, casualisation, equality pay gaps and unsafe workloads.

Email signature – feel free to modify: I support the UCU industrial action over cuts of 35% to guaranteed pensions, pay cuts, casualisation, equality pay gaps and unsafe workloads.

Information for local trade union and political party branches

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

UCU members are taking strike action in two national disputes, one over pension cuts and one over pay and working conditions. Leeds University UCU members will be taking action on both pensions, and pay and working conditions

UCU has called on university bosses to urgently start negotiating to avoid disruption across UK campuses over this academic year. The disputes are over cuts of 35% to guaranteed pensions, pay cuts, casualisation, equality pay gaps and unsafe workloads.

Our mandate comes from an aggregated ballot across most branches in the HE sector. In the pension ballot, 89% voted for strike action and 85% voted in favour of action short of strike. In the pay & working conditions ballot 81% backed strike action with 8% voting for action short of strike.

The union is asking for pension cuts, which even the pension company USS have acknowledged were unnecessary, to be reversed and for previous benefit levels to be restored; and for employers to improve their pay offer and commit to meaningful agreements and action on casualisation, workload, and equality pay gaps. But employers are currently refusing to revoke pension cuts or to even acknowledge issues like casualisation.

Staff pay has fallen by 25% after thirteen years of below inflation pay offers; one third of academic staff are on insecure contracts; the gender pay gap sits at 16% and the most recent Higher Education Statistics Agency figures reveal that, of 22,810 professors in the UK, under a third (27%) were women and only 155 (1%) were black. In a recent survey, 33% of staff described their workloads as unmanageable

As well as the three day walkout in November, and a further 18 days of notified strike action in February and March, staff at all striking universities have a mandate to take action short of strike. This will also begin on Wednesday 23rd November and will include strictly working to contract and refusing any additional duties. This is set to go on indefinitely for the five months staff have a mandate to take industrial action for. A reballot has also been announced with a view to extending our mandate beyond April into the summer marking period.

A recent report by the Office for Students shows total remuneration for vice chancellor’s averages £269k.

Our branch’s hardship fund prioritises the lowest paid strikers, which includes postgraduate students whose income is from giving infrequent hourly-paid lectures. We are seeking donations from the rest of the labour movement and those who support our fight to save higher education from the ravages of marketisation. To donate send by direct bank transfer to: UCU Leeds LA29 (Hardship Fund), Unity Trust Bank, Account Number: 20391511, Sort Code: 60-83-01.

There is a national UCU fighting fund, which is vital because this is a national dispute and includes some much smaller branches. Donating to the national UCU fighting fund will also help us to sustain this fight.

Pickets, rallies and neurodiversity

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Information for students who might need to avoid noise and crowds. (Requested by LUU Neurodivergent Society.)

Usually on the UCU strike days there will be picket lines on entrances to the university campus from 7.30am to 11.30am and there will be an end-of-picket rally from 11.30am until around 12 midday.

Picket lines

A picket line is two or more UCU members, with identifying picket armbands and usually placards, standing outside an entrance to the campus. The pickets are there to dissuade UCU members from breaking the strike which has been democratically voted for. UCU members are expected not to cross (go past) the picket line. You may be asked if you are a UCU member, and, if you are a UCU member, you may be asked to support the strike by not going onto campus and not doing any work on the strike day.

The pickets will also let other staff and students know about the reasons for the strike, usually by handing out leaflets.

If you’re not in the UCU constituency and not a UCU member you’re not expected to strike, but you may be asked to decline any request to carry out any work normally done by someone who is on strike. The UCU constituency is academic staff, including postgraduate students due to teach that day, and academic-related (or ‘professional and managerial’) staff. If you’re in the UCU constituency but not yet a UCU member you may be encouraged to join the union and support the strike.

Most picket lines are not noisy but some are – it will depend which members picket that day and where they decide to picket. Some pickets may play music, sing, chant or bang pots and pans. Based on recent strikes, the picket lines which tend to be noisier are those around the Business School – Moorland Road and Clarendon Road. There are likely to be a few musicians – a strike orchestra – often playing on the Parkinson steps.

The picket organisers will aim to have deliberately quiet picket lines on the engineering entrances of Clarendon Road (along from the traffic lights with the Library pub).

There will be a running picket, a group running round the circumference of the campus, from 9.30am until up to 11.30am, with placards and sometimes music.

Rallies

The end-of-picket rallies are on or near the Parkinson steps from 11.30am until approximately 12 midday. There may be amplified music, speeches, singing and maybe even dancing.

Supporting strikers

UCU members who have signed up to picket are asked about accessibility so the union can make the necessary arrangements. If you’re not a member and there is something the union could do which would to enable you to show your support please let the branch administrator know by emailing ucu@leeds.ac.uk or, on the strike day, by speaking to a picket supervisor who will be at the pink gazebo near the Parkinson steps.

Original version of this post published 29 November 2021.

Steven French retirement

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

UCU rep Steven French retired at the end of 2022

Steven has helped and supported hundreds of members of UCU (and previously the Association of University Teachers, AUT) through really difficult times at work, making a huge difference to many people’s lives over decades.

Steven French and Vicky Blake doing star jumps to keep warm on a snowy picket line

Steven served on the UCU, and formerly AUT, branch committees including as vice-president, equality secretary and honorary secretary, and has a reputation as a really effective negotiator.

No-one currently on the committee is sure when Steven first became a union rep (!) because he was already there providing brilliant support to colleagues in the 1990s; typically calm, wise, insightful, supportive, and incisive, and tenacious in supporting union members.

Steven French and Jonathan Saha on a cold picket line in woolly hats both laughing
Steven French and former branch officer Jonathan Saha on a picket line

As a caseworker Steven has supported countless colleagues across the university thoughtfully and effectively. Steven is the caseworker’s caseworker. Steven mentored the caseworkers who mentored the caseworkers who will be mentoring the next caseworkers. His contribution to the UCU branch and the many members of it over decades is immense.

We wish him well in his well-deserved retirement!

Reminder about 2 February UCU general meeting + deadlines

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

The next UCU branch ordinary general meeting is Thursday 2 February, 12.45pm – 2pm. (A Zoom link will be sent with the agenda.)

General meetings are for all members to attend. (I won’t be sending an Outlook invitation, because it creates data protection issues, so remember to put it in your diary!)

Please submit any motions for debate by 12pm Tuesday 24 January to ucu@leeds.ac.uk.

Because this is an ordinary general meeting, the motions can be about anything relevant to UCU (except rule changes; the AGM is the next meeting for rule change motions).

If you want to send a motion to the UCU national anti-casualisation annual meeting, or the UCU national annual meeting of academic-related, professional services staff, this is the general meeting to propose the motion to.

Also on the meeting’s agenda will be electing delegates to the Leeds trades unions council (Leeds TUC) – the branch can send up to ten delegates – and any nominations for the Leeds Trades Unions Council executive (president, first vice president, second vice president, secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, publicity officer, 10 x ordinary executive committee member). Please send any nominations to ucu@leeds.ac.uk by 12pm midday the day before the meeting (Wednesday 1 February).

It may be necessary to revise these deadlines and the meeting time or date because of strike action, but this is what they are as it stands.

There’s some general advice about writing motions and other meetings-related stuff at https://www.leedsucu.org.uk/making-ucu-branch-general-meetings-work-better/

Branch positions on dispute decisions

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

At an extraordinary general meeting Monday 9 January 2023 members of the branch made collective decisions to inform the branch’s delegates to the branch delegates meeting 10 January which would help to inform the UCU higher education committee meeting Thursday 12 January. University of Leeds Branch made the following collective decisions.

Motion 1: Discontinuous indefinite action

This branch notes

  1. Recent motions passed by University of Leeds UCU, in favour of indefinite strike action as a hard-hitting industrial strategy (11 October 2022) and for action agreed by the HEC to be notified and communicated asap (9 December 2022)
  2. HEC agreed a similar plan (November 2022) which was kept confidential by HQ until late December 2022
  3. Further industrial action as agreed by HEC has not yet been notified
  4. November’s HEC agreed a further BDM should be called in January, this has now been notified for 10 January to deliberate next steps to inform HEC’s decision-making about what precisely will now be notified

This branch further notes:

  1. Discussions prompted and made possible by the eventual HQ disclosure of HEC decisions includes a concern raised by branches who have experienced the most aggressive management responses to industrial action, that continuous indefinite action may result in employers deducting 100% of pay (rather than 1/365th per day struck)
  2. That striking 4 days weekly should result in less than 57% loss of net pay for most members as it is discontinuous per TULRCA definitions.

This Branch resolves:

  1. To call on HEC to call strike action for 4 days per week, with 1 day per week worked in rotation for an indefinite period.
  2. Notifications for the first 5 weeks should be sent immediately; notifications extending the action should be sent after 2 weeks of action, with this pattern continued indefinitely as required thereafter, until the disputes are settled or members vote to cease.

Proposed by Vicky Blake, seconded by Sarah Hudspith. The motion was carried.

Motion 2: Democracy and process in advance of the BDM and HEC

This branch notes

  1. The HEC decided on a course of action including a marking and assessment boycott (MAB) starting in January and an indefinite strike beginning at the start of Semester 2.
  2. That branches have been asked to answer a series of questions in advance of the Branch Delegates Meeting (BDM) 10 January in order to inform the 12 January HEC
  3. Since the BDM questions were set, a series of divergent strategies have emerged from different sections of the union

This branch believes

  1. The questions posed for branches and the BDM to vote on do not reflect the full range of strategies that have been proposed by union members and instead represent binary choices
  2. That a more democratic approach would be to reframe debates in order to take account of each of these strategies and any development of them in debate at the BDM

This branch calls on the chair of the BDM to work with officials, to:

  1. Ensure that the widest range of options is on the table for discussion, rather than a limited or even binary choice
  2. Make genuine space for democratic debate and exchange of ideas, including recommendations from the meeting, for HEC to consider when implementing any decision
  3. Ensure that industrial sensitivity is adhered to, alongside working to be as open as possible with members. Debate and decision-making should take place within union structures, in order to retain confidentiality of industrial strategy and decisions should be communicated in as timely manner as possible to members.

Proposed by Vicky Blake and Kate Hardy, moved by Vicky Blake, seconded by Kate Hardy. The motion was carried.

Motion 3: Motion on HE disputes

Submitted to Leeds UCU Branch, January 2023

This branch notes

  • The fantastic strikes and protests on 24, 25 and 30 November.
  • That the HEC decided on a course of action including a marking and assessment boycott (MAB) starting in January and an indefinite strike beginning at the start of Semester 2.

This branch believes

  • Taking continuous, indefinite action in Semester 2 will make it impossible for employers to deliver learning objectives
  • A January MAB remains an effective tactic, because this will a) capture the Semester 1 exam period and 2) by refusing to set assessments, students will be unable to continue working on assignments while teaching is suspended

This branch resolves to call on the HE officers:

  • To notify the marking and assessment boycott in time for it to begin ASAP in January.
  • To announce the intention to take indefinite continuous strike action from the beginning of Semester 2.

This branch resolves to call on the General Secretary:

  • To notify employers and announce the HEC decision immediately once it is taken
  • To lead a huge fundraising campaign to replenish and support our fighting fund

Proposed by Kate Hardy, moved by Kate Hardy, seconded by Asiya Islam. Voting on the motion was taken in parts, with separate votes on the marking and assessment boycott starting in January as already notified and on indefinite continuous action from the beginning of semester 2. Both parts were carried so the motion was carried in full.

Questions for the branch delegates meeting

These are the questions which were expected to be put to the branch delegates meeting on Tuesday 10 January 2023.

Strike action

Do you support either:

  1. A strategy of escalating strike action, involving a pattern of escalating days of action through February, March, and April, engaging members again in March/April to take stock of the dispute situation and to agree any further strike action if needed.

Or:

  1. A strategy of all-out indefinite strike action, involving taking industrial action every day, starting in February and continuing until members vote to end the action, or the ballot mandate(s) expire(s).

The branch voted for option 2

Marking and assessment boycott (MAB)

Do you support either:

  1. A MAB beginning on January 23.

Or:

  1. A MAB beginning on April 17 to target all final/end of year summative assessments beginning that month.

The branch voted for option 2

Re-ballot

Do you support sending the strongest possible message to the employers by immediately announcing our intention to re-ballot to renew our mandate for further action?

The branch voted ‘Yes’.

Hundreds of trade union pickets and supporters from UCU, Unison and Unite on the steps of the University of Leeds Parkinson building. A sea of smiling people with flags and placards in the different union colours of pink, purple and red in front of the stone pillars of the university.

Extra general meeting, and marking and assessment boycott

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

From of email sent to branch members on Friday 16 December 2022

Dear members  

As we reach the end of term and approach the Christmas and new year closure. I wanted to get in touch to update you on a couple of points. 

Extraordinary General Meeting 

You will have seen emails from the General Secretary stating that a branch delegates meeting has been called for 10th January to allow branches to feed into the next steps of our national dispute. We expect to hear shortly what questions branches will be asked to answer. In order to form our branch position on this we are, as usual, calling an Extraordinary General Meeting at 11:45 – 1:00pm on Monday 9th January (Zoom link will be sent nearer the time). 

If you would like to propose a motion for this meeting please send the text of the motion to ucu@leeds.ac.uk by 12 noon on Thursday 5th January.

Please plan to attend this meeting if at all possible. It is fundamentally important not just that we can all feed into decisions but that we can understand and engage with the debates and the different points of view that people have. Once a decision is taken, we need to stand by it. 

Marking and Assessment Boycott 

We have now been told that a marking and assessment boycott will be notified to our employer in very early January. There must be two weeks between notification and the start of the boycott. The Leeds assessment period begins on 16th January. Given the timing of bank holidays, it would be surprising if the boycott would be able to start on 16th January but I certainly hope it will be very shortly thereafter. We will of course keep you fully updated, and intend to return to a pattern of supportive meetings and discussions over the period of boycott. There is FAQ on the UCU website on the marking and assessment boycott –  this has not yet been updated to match the January notification, but much of it will still be helpful.

https://www.ucu.org.uk/MAboycottFAQs#5._What_type_of_work_is_covered_by_the_boycott?

Note in particular that the boycott does not just cover marking – it covers anything to do with assessment. It also covers, amongst other things, setting and scrutinising assessments and examination papers, processing marks, attending examination boards and meetings, and PGR assessment. The FAQ states that academic integrity and mitigating circumstances meetings should not be attended because they will involve awarding or confirming student marks. This is not the case under Leeds regulations and I am seeking an urgent update to the FAQ which I hope to get before any boycott starts. 

We do not know what position the university will take in relation to pay deductions for a marking and assessment boycott. We do know that those of you who are hourly paid do risk losing money as a result of this. We need to take a formal decision in committee, but I can assure you that we are likely to propose the same approach as we took in may which is to allow hourly paid staff who accept marking before the start of the boycott to claim from the local fighting fund.  

For now, whether you are salaried or hourly paid, remember that you are not required to tell anybody in advance that you will be participating in industrial action including a marking and assessment boycott, and we advise you not to do so.

Whilst the bulk of marking across the university is likely to come in in January, I know some is coming in this week and some staff are used to marking over the Christmas vacation. Remember that you are working to contract. The university is closed from 23rd December until 2nd January inclusive and unless your contract specifically states that you can be expected to work over that time, you should do no work over the university closure days. Many of us take additional annual leave over this period –  please let the branch know if you experience difficulties booking or taking annual leave over the vacation. Sick leave is part of your contractual entitlement. It’s quite common for staff to become ill at the end of term because of how hard you have been working – if that happens to you, take the time off sick, make sure you report it, and don’t work whilst you’re ill. If you are expected to mark during your working days over the Christmas vacation make sure that you don’t overwork whilst doing it.  If you are given unreasonable deadlines for your marking please contact the branch for our advice, particularly if there is any sense that the deadlines are unusually early. 

I may be in touch again next week, but for those who are stepping away from email now for the vacation, I wish you a happy and restful holiday, and a successful and victorious New Year!

In solidarity

Chloe

Dr Chloe Wallace
Associate Professor in Law
School of Law
University of Leeds.

Co-Director, Centre for Innovation and Research in Legal Education
Programme Leader, School of Law 4 year programmes

President, Leeds University UCU
@chloew1970