The meeting was for discussion and planning in relation to the ongoing disputes. No formal decisions taken.
Minutes of extraordinary general meeting 17 June 2021
Extraordinary general meeting
1pm – 2pm, Thursday 17 June 2021
Video meeting on Zoom
Minutes
Agreed to omnibus debate on Israel/Palestine motions.
Agreed to limit movers of motions to 3 minutes and other contributions to 2 minutes.
Motion 1
Leeds University UCU branch offers its solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle to defend their homes and lives. The branch supports events and initiatives in solidarity with the people of Palestine.
Proposed by Megan Povey. Moved by Megan Povey. Seconded by Robina Mir. The motion was carried.
Motion 2
The branch notes:
- That as national policy, ‘UCU supports the Friends of Bir Zeit University and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’ (https://ucu.org.uk/internationalsolidarity#ispal).
- That violence in Israel-Palestine has complex origins, prominently including European genocide of Jewish people and European colonial policies of the twentieth century.
- That support for Palestinian rights has, regrettably, at times overlapped with anti-Semitism.
- That we have not had an extensive local discussion of this policy, or of how the local branch might best implement it, at a general meeting in some time, and that careful and open discussion of our policies is useful to advancing UCU’s causes.
The branch believes:
- That UCU’s national policy is appropriate in view of
- the deprivation of people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories of their human rights
- the fact that the Israeli state currently exerts far greater power over these polities than the Palestinian Territories do over the Israeli state
- the need for the implementation of Palestinian human rights to make peace, justice, and reconciliation achievable in the region
- That we must communicate our solidarity with Palestine in ways that neither court anti-Semitism in intent nor in how it our statements are likely to be interpreted by good-faith readers, as part of our general commitment to anti-racism.
- That one strategy of people who oppose Palestinian human rights has been to portray solidarity for Palestine and/or criticism of the Israeli state as generally anti-Semitic; that this strategy has proved effective in dampening explicit solidarity with Palestine; and that to be politically effective, our expressions of support for Palestine must avert this strategy.
The branch moves:
To reiterate its solidarity with Palestinian people at the present time with the following statement, which stands as an example of appropriately subtle expression of our views.
We stand in solidarity with Palestinian people facing oppression both within and outside Palestine.
We express our distress at the recent violence in both Gaza and Israel, and especially express our sympathies to all those of our colleagues and students who have been affected by it. We recognise the complex origins of this violence and that these prominently include European genocide of Jewish people and European colonial policies of the twentieth century.
We also recognise the disparities of power in the present situation, however, and stand in solidarity with Palestinians facing both slow and imminent violence by the Israeli state, which is both curtailing the rights of its Palestinian citizens and systematically depriving people in Palestine of their human rights through illegal actions. Without implementation of Palestinian human rights, the tragic and shameful cycle of violence, loss of life and limb, and impact to livelihoods now and in the future will continue, making peace, justice and reconciliation unachievable in the region.
Proposed by Alaric Hall. Moved by Alaric Hall, seconded by Helen Finch.
Proposed amendments to motion 2
The following nine amendments proposed by James Dickins.
Amendment 1
“1. That as national policy, ‘UCU supports the Friends of Bir Zeit University and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’ (https://ucu.org.uk/internationalsolidarity#ispal).”
Proposed amendment. Add: “and also supports Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS): https://bdsmovement.net/news/ucu-passes-important-bds-resolution”.
Amendment 2
“2. That violence in Israel-Palestine has complex origins, prominently including European genocide of Jewish people and European colonial policies of the twentieth century.”
Proposed amendment. Remove: “prominently including European genocide of Jewish people [and]”, and replace with: “It is partly to be seen against the backdrop of European genocide of Jewish people”.
Amendment 3
“3. That support for Palestinian rights has, regrettably, at times overlapped with anti-Semitism.”
Proposed amendment: remove all, and replace with: “That support for Palestinian rights is not to be confused with antisemitism, and that Palestine Solidarity Campaign and other pro-Palestine groups are explicit that they oppose antisemitism alongside all other forms of racism”.
Amendment 4
“4. That we have not had an extensive local discussion of this policy, or of how the local branch might best implement it, at a general meeting in some time, and that careful and open discussion of our policies is useful to advancing UCU’s causes.”
Proposed amendment. Remove all.
Amendment 5
“b) the fact that the Israeli state currently exerts far greater power over these polities than the Palestinian Territories do over the Israeli state”
Remove all and replace with:
“The fact that the Israeli state has almost total control over the Palestinians of the Occupied Territories, imposing what both Human Rights Watch and Israel’s largest human rights organisation, B’Tselem have described as an ‘apartheid regime’.”
Amendment 6
“3. That one strategy of people who oppose Palestinian human rights has been to portray solidarity for Palestine and/or criticism of the Israeli state as generally anti-Semitic; that this strategy has proved effective in dampening explicit solidarity with Palestine; and that to be politically effective, our expressions of support for Palestine must avert this strategy.”
Proposed amendment. Remove “avert” and replace with “expose and explicitly challenge”.
Amendment 7
“To reiterate its solidarity with Palestinian people at the present time with the following statement, which stands as an example of appropriately subtle expression of our views.”
Proposed amendment number as “1” and remove “appropriately subtle”.
Amendment 8
“We recognise the complex origins of this violence and that these prominently include European genocide of Jewish people and European colonial policies of the twentieth century.”
Proposed amendment. Remove “that these prominently include European genocide of Jewish people”, and replace with: “and that it is partly to be seen against the backdrop of European genocide of Jewish people”.
Amendment 9
“making peace, justice and reconciliation unachievable in the region.”
Add additional point at the end of the motion: “2. To implement at the University of Leeds UCU national policy in support of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, and in line with other universities such as Sheffield University and Sheffield Hallam University, to seek to establish a joint University-UCU anti-apartheid committee to work together to progress the disinvestment talks with management.”
All nine amendments were moved by James Dickins, seconded by Robina Mir. All nine amendments were carried, so the substantive motion is now:
Motion 2 (as amended)
The branch notes:
- That as national policy, ‘UCU supports the Friends of Bir Zeit University and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’ (https://ucu.org.uk/internationalsolidarity#ispal) and also supports Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS): https://bdsmovement.net/news/ucu-passes-important-bds-resolution
- That violence in Israel-Palestine has complex origins. It is partly to be seen against the backdrop of European genocide of Jewish people and European colonial policies of the twentieth century.
- That support for Palestinian rights is not to be confused with antisemitism, and that Palestine Solidarity Campaign and other pro-Palestine groups are explicit that they oppose antisemitism alongside all other forms of racism.
The branch believes:
- That UCU’s national policy is appropriate in view of
- the deprivation of people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories of their human rights
- The fact that the Israeli state has almost total control over the Palestinians of the Occupied Territories, imposing what both Human Rights Watch and Israel’s largest human rights organisation, B’Tselem have described as an ‘apartheid regime’
- the need for the implementation of Palestinian human rights to make peace, justice, and reconciliation achievable in the region
- That we must communicate our solidarity with Palestine in ways that neither court anti-Semitism in intent nor in how it our statements are likely to be interpreted by good-faith readers, as part of our general commitment to anti-racism.
- That one strategy of people who oppose Palestinian human rights has been to portray solidarity for Palestine and/or criticism of the Israeli state as generally anti-Semitic; that this strategy has proved effective in dampening explicit solidarity with Palestine; and that to be politically effective, our expressions of support for Palestine must expose and explicitly challenge this strategy.
The branch moves:
- To reiterate its solidarity with Palestinian people at the present time with the following statement, which stands as an example of expression of our views.
We stand in solidarity with Palestinian people facing oppression both within and outside Palestine.
We express our distress at the recent violence in both Gaza and Israel, and especially express our sympathies to all those of our colleagues and students who have been affected by it. We recognise the complex origins of this violence and that it is partly to be seen against the backdrop of European genocide of Jewish people and European colonial policies of the twentieth century.
We also recognise the disparities of power in the present situation, however, and stand in solidarity with Palestinians facing both slow and imminent violence by the Israeli state, which is both curtailing the rights of its Palestinian citizens and systematically depriving people in Palestine of their human rights through illegal actions. Without implementation of Palestinian human rights, the tragic and shameful cycle of violence, loss of life and limb, and impact to livelihoods now and in the future will continue, making peace, justice and reconciliation unachievable in the region.
- To implement at the University of Leeds UCU national policy in support of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, and in line with other universities such as Sheffield University and Sheffield Hallam University, to seek to establish a joint University-UCU anti-apartheid committee to work together to progress the disinvestment talks with management.
The motion was carried.
Motion 3
Leeds UCU notes:
- Israel’s largest and most influential Human Rights group B’Tselem and Human Rights Watch have both recently published reports defining Israel as an apartheid regime.
- University of Leeds has investments in HSBC, Booking.com and Barclay’s in addition to institutional links with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and IDC Herzliya.
- UCU policy opposes such investments and links with Israel.
- The Leeds University Palestine Solidarity Group has authored an open letter to the VC calling for divestment (http://newaoc.com/leedsu). The letter has got so far more than 180 signatures from staff members, students, alumni and 10 LUU student societies.
- The Leeds UCU Committee has signed the above Open Letter.
Leeds UCU believes:
- The University of Leeds is complicit in the oppression of the Palestinian people and the continuation of Israeli apartheid by investing in HSBC, Booking.com and Barclay’s in addition to maintaining institutional links with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and IDC Herzliya.
- The University should release a statement in support of its Palestinian students and staff members.
- Whilst the University must protect all staff and students against racism including Islamophobia and antisemitism, it should also protect staff and students from unfounded accusations of antisemitism for speaking up for Palestinian human rights.
Leeds UCU resolves to:
- Sign the Open Letter to the VC.
- Release a public statement in solidarity with the Palestinians and in support of the Open Letter and its demands.
Proposed by Rasha Soliman, moved by Rasha Soliman, seconded by Lesley McGorrigan. The motion was carried.
Motion 4 – Donation to branches striking over redundancies
This branch agrees to:
• donate £400 to the Liverpool UCU strike fund
• donate £400 to the Leicester UCU strike fund
Proposed by the committee, moved by Vicky Blake, seconded by Kara Hazelgrave. The motion was carried.
Black History Month 2021 at Leeds
Leeds UCU committee are hugely supportive of the Black History Month programme organised by Leeds 11, the university staff network for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Staff, together with partners and friends. See the full programme here: https://equality.leeds.ac.uk/events/black-history-month-bhm-2021/
We’d recommend you attend some of these events, to learn about, acknowledge and celebrate Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic cultures. We thank the organisers for so much time and energy they put into arranging this programme. The theme for Black History Month this year is ‘Proud To Be’, which invites Black and Brown people of all ages to share what they are proud to be. Leeds 11 say “We also want to highlight the value and importance of intersectionality and we ask staff and students to widen their horizons and understand the unique experiences and stories of people who hold multiple characteristics. As well as this, we hope to celebrate a truly amazing Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic community who have decided to call the University of Leeds their home.”
UCU nationally is also hosting an online event “Tackling the legacy of oppression” on Wednesday 20th October, 6.30pm – 8.00pm with a range of Black educationalists, discussing issues such as student attainment and the wage gap (details in UCU link below). You can register at https://ucu.wufoo.com/forms/black-history-month-event/.
For more information:
- Leeds 11 Network https://equality.leeds.ac.uk/staff-networks/bme-staff-network/ and @Leeds11Network on Twitter and Instagram
- Black History Month UK website https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/
- UCU on Black History Month https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/8334/Black-History-Month
Ben Plumpton & Megan Povey, joint Equality Officers
Trans issues update
Members will remember the UCU branch committee supported the staff LGBTQ+ network and student LGBTQ+ society in a letter to the Vice Chancellor raising serious concerns about transphobia at the university, and asking that effective action (including on IT systems) should be taken to protect trans and non-binary staff and students from harm. We were also disturbed by transphobic comments in the recent Big Leeds Conversation, which were not removed by the moderators, unlike a racist post. The letter asked for actions to be taken, including a meeting with the VC. The response in no way covered everything that was raised, and focused more on general commitments to equality and inclusion (which are of course welcome but action is needed as well as words!)
Some limited progress is being made as a result of this:
- A working group, which includes trans staff and students and trade union reps, is developing trans guidance for staff, students and managers. This will sit alongside the trans equality policy statement at https://equality.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/64/2021/05/Trans-equality-policy-statement-May-2021.docx (which is the policy originally agreed in 2017 – the retrograde replacement policy that was being proposed has been shelved). If you would like to help give feedback on the guidance as it is drafted, please contact the branch equality officers Ben Plumpton or Megan Povey.
- A project in IT is working on short term fixes for IT systems to ensure that changes to staff and student titles, names and genders are dealt with properly, and that confidentiality about individuals’ trans status is maintained. This is an interim measure until new corporate systems are introduced, which will take several years.
- It has been confirmed that Gender Recognition Certificates are not required from trans staff and students. They have wrongly been requested previously.
The branch Equality Officers will continue to work with the staff LGBTQ+ network and student LGBTQ+ society to challenge transphobic culture and to work towards making the university a safe and welcoming space for trans and non-binary people. There is much to be done! And of course, if any individual trans or non-binary member is having problems with discrimination or harassment at work, please contact the branch via ucu@leeds.ac.uk to ask for casework support.
We are also compiling a document of anonymisd stories about the difficulties that trans and non-binary staff at this university have experienced. The idea of this is to help other members and managers to understand why this is so important. If you are willing to provide your own story, please fill in this form. Contributions will be moderated before appearing in the document to avoid hostile and distressing posts. Please be careful in the wording of your contribution to avoid anything that might identify yourself or other individuals.
If you are cis-gendered (the term for non-trans people) there are things you can do as an individual to be a trans ally. We’d encourage you to:
- Find out about how to support trans and non-binary colleagues and students. A good place to start is watching this video of a recent workshop at the university on “Creating an inclusive environment for trans students and staff’ (you will need to log in with your university account, and the video is only available until 5th November as requested by the speaker).
- Don’t make assumptions about a person’s gender. Ensure you use the pronouns a person prefers – ask them if you don’t know, or use their name.
- Add your pronouns to your email signature, Twitter account etc to help trans and non-binary colleagues feel more welcome and recognised. This shouldn’t be something that’s required, because for example some trans colleagues might not feel comfortable doing so, but it is a small demonstration of support and solidarity.
- Check out UCU’s commitment to trans inclusion https://ucu.org.uk/article/10177/Statement-reaffirming-UCUs-commitment-trans-inclusion
- Challenge transphobic comments – become an active bystander. For advice on this (which is of course equally relevant to challenging racism etc) see for example https://equality.leeds.ac.uk/support-and-resources/becoming-an-active-bystander/
Ben Plumpton & Megan Povey, joint Equality Officers
USS and Four Fights disputes (and a bit on facecoverings)
UCU is balloting over strike action on USS pensions and on pay, casualisation, workloads and equality (‘four fights’). Branch president Chloe Wallace is asking members to check your account details ready for a postal ballot at home, and to prepare to vote. Chloe’s email to members, copied below, also mentions initial responses the university’s improved guidance on face coverings.
Dear members
I hope everyone is staying safe and well. This is an email primarily about the announcement received a couple of days ago about national ballots on the Four Fights and Pensions. I want to try briefly to pre-empt some of your questions and say something about what we will be doing here at Leeds. I will, however, add a paragraph at the end about the University position on face coverings as I have had a number of emails on that. That will make this a long email – I’d be grateful, however, if you could take the time to read it as it may help clarify what is going on.
The Union nationally has now established trade disputes with all relevant HE employers in the UK, including, of course, the University of Leeds. This is following decisions taken at a Special Higher Education Sector Conference, attended by branch delegates from across the country. You can find a copy of the letter sent to Universities on USS here and on the Four Fights here
I strongly recommend having a look at those letters, because they set out in clear terms what UCU’s demands are. I know that understanding the specificity of what we are seeking is important to you and that, perhaps particularly in relation to the pensions dispute, this can seem unclear. However, it is clearly spelt out in these letters what the employers need to do to resolve these disputes and avoid the massive disruption of industrial action. If you would like more detail on the claims in the Four Fights dispute, on workload, casualization, equality and pay, you can find that it in the formal claim document here
Our next step is to ballot for industrial action. The ballot will open on 18th October and run for just over 2 weeks. Under the 2016 Trade Union Act – a piece of Tory legislation explicitly designed to weaken trade unions by limiting our industrial power – a number of legal restrictions exist on this ballot. It must be conducted by post, not online; to be valid, 50% or more of eligible members must vote; and 50% of those voting must vote Yes to proposed action. You will be asked to vote separately on each dispute (USS, and Four Fights) and to vote on willingness to strike and to take action short of a strike. The ballot paper will need to state the range of actions short of a strike which may be proposed (e.g. marking boycott, work to contract, refusal to do voluntary work) but will not specify precisely which ones will be used and when, and will not specify strike days or how many days of action will initially be called. The decision as to when and for how long we strike and what action short of a strike we take will be taken after the ballot results are known by the Unions national Higher Education Committee. Once the ballot closes, 2 weeks notice of industrial action needs to be given to employers – this means that the earliest we can take action is the latter half of November. The ballot mandate remains in place for 6 months.
These rules are tough, but UCU has defied them time and time again, both for national and local disputes. Many branches have achieved a successful ballot outcome over the last 18 months, so remote or hybrid working is not an obstacle – it just means we have to do things a bit differently. Leeds University is one of the strongest, most engaged and active branches in the country and I have no doubt we can do it. But every vote counts- there are numerous examples of branches missing the turnout threshold by single figures of votes. So I am asking all members to take the following actions now:
1. Check your details on MyUCU and in particular ensure your postal address is right. We have been recommending for a while that you make sure your recorded postal address is your home address and we believe most of you have done this but double check anyway, particularly if you have recently moved home.
2. Commit to voting now. We are a democratic trade union and industrial action ballots are a key expression of that. Not voting prevents the union from acting and effectively silences the voices of those who do vote. A strong turnout helps us both nationally and locally – officers and negotiators need your power behind us.
3. Inform yourself to decide how to vote. There will be a lot of emails, both nationally and locally, and I know all too well how hard that is to manage, but informed choice is at the heart of democracy. There will be national events going on. At Leeds we will be holding non-motion focused meetings on the different issues in the dispute for you to hear what the issues are, ask questions, and learn how industrial action will help us win. There will also be local meetings called by local reps, to allow you to meet other members in your area and build solidarity.
Above all, please prepare to fight. No-one wants this, and it remains open to our employers across the UK to take the very simple steps needed to stop this from happening. But if they won’t, we need to fight to win, to protect our working conditions, pay and pensions, to stamp out casualization and inequality, and to save our sector, and the health and wellbeing of all within it. Vote, and vote yes.
Face coverings
As promised, due to the number of emails I have had about the new university position on face coverings, a few responses. What I am hearing is that it is better but not good enough and I agree. A number of people have asked about the wording that “No-one will be denied access to a teaching event for not wearing a face covering” This reflects what is stated in the latest government guidance for England, which is frankly incoherent. However, a number of universities have gone further and mandated facecoverings, including in teaching spaces, and we do not see why Leeds cannot do the same. If you are wondering what is happening around the country, a member at Sussex UCU, Andrew Chitty, is keeping a running account here We are awaiting further clarity in the form of FAQs about, for example, what to do if a student refuses. And we note that all of this change is happening far too late. We will be discussing next steps at our General Meeting on 7th October – please come along and make your voice heard.
In solidarity
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
Start of term and return to campus
UCU reps have been pushing for a better university policy on face coverings and clearer support for staff who don’t feel safe returning to campus. Branch president Chloe Wallace emailed UCU members 21 September:
Dear members
I am writing this email, for the first time in 18 months, from my office in the Liberty Building on campus. Like a lot of us, I was anxious about returning to campus but also joyful about seeing colleagues and students again and being back in the place I have worked for 22 years. I am grateful to be here, but increasingly worried that rising case rates and reducing mitigations across society will mean that our return will be short-lived and we will be required to work from home again.
I want in this email to address two things which relate to return to campus and start of term
Facecoverings
UCU have been repeatedly raising with management your concerns about the University’s policy on face coverings and in particularly worrying about whether you can ask or require students to wear face coverings in class. As a result, we are expecting an improvement on university policy this week. This is rather late, given the importance of setting the tone with students right from the beginning, but we are glad that your concerns are being listened to. In the meantime, please follow all health and safety guidance around campus and let us, and the health and safety team, know if you have any concerns.
Vulnerable staff
We have also heard, and raised with management, many concerns from staff about being pressurised to return to campus, even when you may have medical reasons to continue to work from home. We have been assured that nobody should be pressurised to come onto campus and particularly that if you are vulnerable to COVID-19, or live with someone who is, you should be enabled to work from home. This is also the case for disabled staff for whom working from home is a reasonable adjustment for reasons not related to COVID-19. We have emphasised the importance of making this clearer in University communication to empower staff to ask for what they need. If you are feeling pressurised to return to campus and your line manager is being unhelpful, please contact us via ucu@leeds.ac.uk and we will arrange a caseworker to support you.
Our next General Meeting is on Thursday 7th October at 1pm, and we will be discussing these issues and many more. Please watch out for an email from Alan Smith with the agenda and details of the meeting and please do attend if you are able – our General Meetings will continue to be held online until further notice.
I am planning to be on campus two days a week for the time being, unless instructions change. If you see me around, please do say hello – 18 months at home alone have taught me how much I value in person connection with others, however, brief – even if you can’t see my smile under my mask!
In solidarity
Chloe Wallace
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
University backs unions’ call for time off to support climate strike
University of Leeds senior management has agreed to grant all staff a one-hour paid stoppage on Friday 24 September to support the youth climate strike taking place in Leeds.
The time off was agreed following a joint request from UCU, Unison and Unite.
A rally for all staff and students is planned on Parkinson steps* from 3.15pm on the 24th, marching to Millennium Square at 4.15pm to join the youth climate strike taking place there. The rally is co-organised by the Leeds Student Staff Climate Coalition, UCU, and a number of student societies.
The coalition is encouraging staff to join when they can, to show their solidarity with youth strikers around the world who have been campaigning to raise the climate emergency up the agenda.
UCU committee and the Leeds Student Staff Climate Coalition also feel that the University is not doing enough to meet its own climate commitments.
Simon Moore, the UCU committee’s lead on climate and the ecological emergency, said: “It has been nearly two and a half years since the university pledged its seven climate principles. Yet in that time we have witnessed almost a total vacuum in terms of actual changes on campus, and we still have no climate plan in place to achieve our targets.
“If others feel like we do that our institution needs to urgently get its own house in order, then join us and make your voice heard next Friday.”
For more details about the climate rally on Parkinson steps, including Covid safety precautions, visit https://facebook.com/events/606672110499210/
(*There is ongoing discussion with university senior management about the use of the Parkinson steps; please follow any instructions given by rally organisers.)
Return to more in-person activity
You will have seen that the University has issued further guidance in relation to returning to campus over the next month, including some in-person teaching and other activity. Much of this guidance has not been subject to trade union consultation, and I know that many of us as staff members have concerns, particularly given rising covid-19 case, hospitalisation and death rates, which, despite the vaccine roll-out, are higher than they were this time last year.
UCU officers have again pressed HR for the university to give assurances to staff who are vulnerable to covid-19, or live with people who are, and therefore feel particularly vulnerable to and/or anxious about returning to in-person activity. HR say that the university will take into account people’s individual circumstances and they are keen to get the message across that anyone in this position should approach your head of school or line manager to discuss your situation and what can be done to support you. This applies to anyone who is concerned – you do not have to have a medical diagnosis or long term condition. If you do not wish to speak to your head of school, you can speak to your local HR manager instead. If these conversations do not go well and you are not meeting a sympathetic approach, please email ucu@leeds.ac.uk – the branch will take on cases individually and collectively to support members.
We have heard concerns from UCU members about face coverings and in particular about students not being required to wear them in teaching space. It has to be said that the government’s positioning is not helping the University – it is difficult to enforce mask wearing when it is not compulsory elsewhere, and we recognise this. Officers are, however, continuing to raise this with the University: given the current case rate, we would like to see the position changed.
There has been a lot of work going on around campus involving health and safety staff and trade union representatives around the kinds of mitigations that are needed to limit the spread of covid-19, recognising that nowhere can be 100% covid-safe. Rooms, including teaching spaces, will have a reduced capacity – this should be made clear in every room, as should necessary distance markings etc, and we urge everyone to respect those. You can find information about what is being done about things like cleaning and ventilation here – this also includes information as to where to report any issues – please keep us in the loop if you have concerns.
Annual leave carry-over “whack-a-mole”
UCU reps and senior HR managers are still having to deal with localised re-emergences of a wrong interpretation of the policy for carrying up to a week’s annual leave into the following year.
This is a hang-over from a dubious spin put on the policy in the early stages of the covid pandemic, with the phrase “exceptional circumstances” repeated again and again by people in HR and by heads of many schools and services. (“Exceptional circumstances” is not mentioned in the policy.)
It arose because some senior managers feared that if significantly more staff than usual carried a week’s leave over from 2019-2020, in the hope of being able to use to go away on holiday if covid restrictions relaxed later, it would have a significant detrimental impact on the 2020-2021 autumn term. The informal line apparently being given to line managers was that while the policy hadn’t changed they should try to keep numbers to a minimum by only give their agreement in exceptional circumstances. HR and senior managers have tended to dress this as wanting to ensure everyone takes their leave for the good of their health – and of course that is in general a good thing which no-one would disagree with – but the driver for that was clearly a fear of a significant detrimental impact in the autumn of 2020.
We’re long past all that. No-one is spinning that “exceptional circumstances” line any more centrally, only a few line managers who haven’t been kept informed.
You can download the University of Leeds annual leave policy for academic and academic-related (‘professional and managerial’) staff from the university staff pages.
You can carry up to one week’s leave (pro-rata) for up to 3 months after the end of the leave year by agreement with the dean of faculty or head of school or service. As with any other request, if it’s refused it should be for a genuine reason. The onus is not on you to argue exceptional circumstances but on the dean or head of school or service to explain why if they can’t accommodate the reasonable request.
If you would like support with challenging a decision you feel is unfair, see leedsucu.org.uk/supporting-each-other
Open letter: Jet Zero – add your name
Would you like to add your name to a joint letter from academics at University of Leeds calling for tougher action to reduce the climate change impacts of air travel?
The letter is being put together by the Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA).
If you wish to put your signature to the open letter text please email GalbaUK@protonmail.com by 8 September.
You can find out more about the GALBA campaign at galba.uk
