Climate emergency: request for staff stoppage 24 September

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

UCU, along with Unison and Unite, has written to the university vice chancellor to request that staff are given one hour’s paid leave to take part in activities around the youth climate strike on 24 September. Staff were allowed time to participate in the last major international youth climate strike two years ago.

Many staff are keen to support the young people, including University of Leeds students, who are drawing attention to the need for action to avert catastrophic climate change. Friday 24th September is the next big international event, and the young people organising it are calling for adults to join them on that day. There is a Leeds event planned by the youth groups from 3-6 pm on 24th September. The unions have asked that university staff are given 60 minutes paid time off from 4-5 pm to show their support in an appropriate way, either by going to the physical event or by using that time to participate in online activities running alongside the face-to-face ones. Staff could then spend longer in their own time if they wished.

The new university strategy aims to help create a more equitable and sustainable world, and to address global challenges including climate change. University researchers, for example the Priestley Centre, are doing impressive work on climate change and the University is a key partner in the Leeds Climate Commission and the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission. So we hope the vice chancellor will agree that enabling staff to support the youth event would be a good way to visibly demonstrate how seriously the university takes climate change.

Trade unions are also of course campaigning for action on climate change, and we want to encourage members to get involved as much as possible.

Scheduled general meetings 2021-2022

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

The schedule of ordinary general meetings and the annual general meeting for this academic year is at general meetings for 2021 – 2022, and copied below.

This doesn’t include any extra-ordinary or emergency meetings called by members, the committee or officers. Members will be emailed about those separately as they arise.

The meeting dates will be emailed to members as soon as the university fixes its email list system.

There are some suggestions about general meetings and making collective decision at Making UCU branch general meetings work better

October 7, 2021

Thursday 7 October 2021, 1pm – 2pm

The deadline for motions to this meeting is 12pm Tuesday 21 September.
Rule change motions can be submitted to this general meeting (because the agenda will be sent out 14 days before the meeting).
If you want to send a motion to one of the UCU national equality conferences from the branch, this is the meeting to put the motion to.

October 7, 2021
November 25, 2021

Thursday 25 November 2021, 12pm – 1pm

The deadline for motions to this meeting is 12pm Tuesday 16 November.
If you want to send a motion to the UCU national anti-casualisation annual meeting, or the annual meeting of academic-related, professional services staff, or make nominations to either of those national committees, this is the latest general meeting to propose the motion or nomination to.

November 25, 2021
January 25, 2022

Tuesday 25 January 2022, 1pm – 2pm

The deadline for motions to this meeting is 12pm Tuesday 18 January.

January 25, 2022
March 8, 2022

Tuesday 8 March 2022, 1pm – 2pm

The deadline for motions to this meeting is 12pm Tuesday 1 March.
If you want to send a motion to UCU Congress 2022 this is the latest general meeting to propose the motion to.

March 8, 2022
April 7, 2022

Thursday 7 April 2022, 12pm – 1pm

The deadline for motions to this meeting is 12pm Tuesday 15 March.
If you want the branch to propose amendments to motions sent by other branch to UCU Congress 2022 this is the meeting to propose that.

April 7, 2022
May 12, 2022

Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Thursday 12 May 2022, 3.45pm – 5pm

The deadline for motions to this meeting is 12pm Tuesday 28 April
The deadline for nominations to the committee for 2022-2023 is the end of Wednesday 13 May.
Rule change motions can be submitted to the AGM.

May 12, 2022
July 4, 2022

Monday 4 July 2022, 12pm – 1pm

The deadline for motions to this meeting is 12pm Tuesday 21 June.

July 4, 2022

This post was updated Monday 6 September to change the April meeting from Wednesday to Thursday (to avoid a clash with a meeting with management).

USS pension dispute

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

You will have seen the General Secretary’s email yesterday concerning the very disappointing news about Universities UK’s decision to push ahead with cuts to our pensions. If you are anything like me you will have found this news devastating. Be clear: Universities UK are refusing to explore alternative proposals put forward by UCU, and are refusing to take any more time to consult – they are not  prepared to countenance even a small increase in contributions and are refusing to strengthen the covenant support which USS says that it needs. For us, who have committed so much and worked so hard over an impossible year, and have another equally impossible year ahead of us, this is another outrageous insult. You can find more explanation here, as well as in the General Secretary’s email.

Whilst UCU will continue to push for a reversal of this week’s decision the fact is that Universities UK have knowingly pushed us into a place where industrial action is the only remaining option for us and we need to plan and prepare for it. I encourage all members to attend the mass online event this Friday from 1-2 – sign up here  – this is for all members, not just committees or officers or reps. 

You will also be aware that we have a Higher Education Special Sector Conference on our disputes next Thursday 9th September, which your branch delegates will be attending. You can find the agenda, with all  motions, here – and I encourage you to have a look at it. The motion we passed at our Extraordinary General Meeting on 20th August is on the agenda. You will see that some motions take similar positions, whilst one motion takes a different position – delegates will be doing all we can to put forward strong arguments for our branch position. In voting on other motions, delegates will be led by branch policy, the local motion we passed on 20th August (here, but also a motion passed on 22nd April 2021 here  all of which make clear our determination to fight against pension cuts and for fair pay, secure contracts, equality and safe workloads – all of these issues matter. The short time frames given to us around these meetings mean that we do not have time for further meetings, but I would encourage everyone to look at the motions and share any views with us, particularly as to the detail, bearing in mind that delegates first and foremost have to vote in line with branch policy as expressed at general meetings.

Text from email from branch president Chloe Wallace to members Thursday 2 September 2021, which was delayed because of problems with a university IT system.

Motions passed at extraordinary general meeting 20 August 2021

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Members passed the following motions at the extraordinary general meeting on Friday 20th August. This was a single issue meeting to decide the branch’s positions about the disputes over USS pensions and over pay, casualisation, workload and equality (the Four Fights), in advance of the UCU Higher Education Sector Conference on these issues on Thursday 9 September.

Branch motion – Progressing the Four Fights and USS disputes

This branch notes that:

  1. UCU paused the USS and ‘Four Fights’ disputes during the pandemic.
  2. UCEA imposed a 0% pay rise last year and their ‘final offer’ of 1.5% this year is below inflation.
  3. despite progress during 2020 negotiations, UCEA are now not making any substantial offers on casualisation, workload and equality.
  4. UUK have not joined UCU to pressure USS and the Pensions Regulator to cancel the 2020 valuation and use a moderately prudent approach in 2021.
  5. Pension contributions will rise in October to 11% of salary.
  6. UUK’s proposals on USS are likely to mean lower pension benefits, a two-tier scheme which disadvantages early career members, and further contribution increases

This branch believes that:

  1. The four fights and pensions issues are inextricably linked. Low pay, pay inequality and job insecurity all lead to poorer pensions and a worse retirement. Casualised and low paid members may not be able to afford to join the USS pension scheme at all.
  2. It is in all our interests to make sure that everyone has fair pay, good working conditions (including a reasonable workload), job security, and a decent future pension.
  3. Employers would seek to divide us, pitting those with relative job security who are worried about their pensions against those whose main concerns are low pay, equality and casualisation. So solidarity across roles and job types is vital – we must stand together rather than only caring about what affects us personally.
  4. This solidarity was strong during the action in 2019-2020 and we must reinvigorate it now.

This branch resolves to:

  1. Make clear to UCU centrally that we believe co-ordinating the disputes is essential.
  2. Campaign locally on the four fights and pensions campaigns together.
  3. Hold local UCU meetings across the university during the start of the autumn term to discuss the disputes and plan the campaign.
  4. Work with student groups to seek their support, particularly to pressure management to use Leeds’ influence within the employer bodies to make substantial progress in both disputes.
  5. Work closely with our sister campus trade unions on campaigning.
  6. Prepare for industrial action balloting by developing a strong local ‘Get The Vote Out’ strategy.

Motion to be submitted to Higher Education Sector Conference (HESC) – Combining Four Fights and USS disputes

HESC believes that:

  1. The four fights and USS issues are inextricably linked. Low pay, pay inequality and job insecurity mean poorer pensions and a worse retirement, and some members cannot afford pension contributions.
  2. Solidarity between different groups of members (casualised/permanent, different pay grades, equality groups, academic/related, pre- and post-92 branches) was hugely important during the 2019-2020 industrial action.
  3. Continued solidarity will be vital to winning the disputes and for building the union.
  4. It is therefore crucial not to separate the disputes or give priority to either.

HESC resolves to:

  1. Coordinate the four fights and USS campaigns, highlighting the links.
  2. Give parity to both disputes in strategic planning, balloting and publicity, ensuring that all affected branches have a voice in developing the dispute strategy.
  3. Ballot and take action on both disputes concurrently.
  4. Coordinate action with sister unions, if possible, to improve effectiveness.

UCU backs LGBT+ staff network letter to vice chancellor

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

The UCU committee has joined the university LGBT+ staff network in writing a joint letter to the vice chancellor asking her to rectify the current discriminatory situation for trans staff and students at the University of Leeds. The UCU committee has signed the letter because of the serious issues that need to be addressed, and which UCU members have raised, including:

  • lack of action on implementing the university’s trans equality policy
  • a culture of transphobia at the university, as seen in some of the posts and comments on the Big Leeds Conversation
  • safety concerns for trans staff and students ‘outed’ by the university’s IT systems
  • unnecessary and distressing insistence on documentation for name changes.


Full details are in a redacted version of the letter here (PDF, 23 MB, 18 pages). The text will be copied below shortly. Please be aware that this includes some experiences of trans staff and students which you might find distressing to read.

We know that the Vice Chancellor believes equality and inclusion are hugely important, as do the campus trade unions, so we hope she will take this very seriously and will work to repair the university’s relationship with the staff and student LGBT+ community.

Find out more about the LGBT+ staff network including how to join

Letter text

This is a transcript for accessibility purposes and does not contain graphics and formatting may be inaccurate.

[Text will follow shortly – the layout has made text extraction less straightforward.]

News update – lots of things

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Email to members Friday 30 July 2021

This is your final email from me as Leeds UCU President.  Chloe Wallace will be your brilliant new President from 1st August!

I wanted to update you on a number of things.

Health and safety, and return to campus

UCU continues to be concerned that the campus unions are not involved in the ‘Transitional Ways of Working’ and ‘Future Ways of Working’ groups, which are making decisions on how/when/who/where the return to campus should happen, and about future working arrangements. So we are having to react and raise concerns rather than working in partnership to ensure the best outcomes for staff and students which is a shame. We have repeatedly called for a cautious approach to the relaxing of rules on things like face coverings and social distancing, and this seems to have been taken on board to some extent. UCU has called for students to be strongly encouraged to get vaccinated, and for the government to make vaccines available to all students (but UCU does not support compulsion, see https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/11688/UCU-responds-to-reports-of-compulsory-vaccines-for-students). We understand that talks are underway to set up a vaccine centre on campus and that the lateral flow testing centre will continue. If you need Covid home testing kits, you can pick them up from campus or locally, see https://coronavirus.leeds.ac.uk/tests-and-vaccinations/free-asymptomatic-testing-centres-on-campus/. 

As always, if you have health and safety concerns about working on campus, either because you feel arrangements in your area are or might become unsafe, or because you are concerned about your personal risk, contact ucu@leeds.ac.uk for support.

Annual leave

Yet again we’re hearing reports that staff in some departments have been told they cannot carry forward annual leave, or that it is restricted to ‘exceptional circumstances’. The annual leave policy does not say this and we have successfully challenged such edicts in a number of areas. Please get in touch with ucu@leeds.ac.uk if you are having problems with carry forward. 

I do hope though that you are able to take some time off over the next month or so, and that you have a lovely time, everyone deserves a good break after the difficult and hard working times we’ve had in the last 18 months.

Workloads

We know that workload is a huge issue for many members. A sub group of our negotiating body JCUU (the Joint Committee of the University and the UCU) has been set up to work on this, and first signs are encouraging. Management can see from many posts in the Big Conversation that it’s not just a few union people making a fuss, unreasonable and growing workloads are common and are causing many problems. UCU is being consulted on new workload models in some areas, and we hope we can push for significant improvements.

Anti-casualisation

As you know we’ve been working on this with HR for some time. Progress is awfully slow, but in some areas we’ve managed to successfully challenge jobs advertised as fixed term, and to get some members moved onto permanent posts. We also know there’s a lot more to do, and new problems keep coming up (eg ridiculously low “annualised hours” contracts), so we’ll continue to challenge, and will continue those negotiations into next year.

Equality

Megan Povey and I were elected as joint Equality Officer at the AGM, and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in to equality work. We’ll be holding meetings of the Equality Working Group in the new term, and would greatly welcome more members to get involved. I’m particularly conscious that we need to work on racism, and would appreciate any black members and members of colour who would be willing to have a chat about what we could be working on. Please email me.

USS pensions

If you contribute to a USS pension you’ll have received an email from USS “Your valuation questions answered” which I found frankly insulting. Sadly, UUK do not seem willing to join UCU in challenging the 2020 valuation, and want to proceed with detrimental changes – increased contributions, lower pension benefits, and a two-tier scheme which would disadvantage early career members. See this FAQ https://www.ucu.org.uk/uss-faqs  A group of USS scheme members from UCU have put in a official complaint to USS which some of you may have signed in January. USS have rejected their concerns, so the group are now submitting a second letter to USS’s Internal Dispute Resolution process stage 2 – please read and sign it here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScFswaq9XAcaLgG6BDl3eXrpd5_3mHx0rNGUY_nV0-0DZ1jNg/viewform. (If you signed the original complaint you will have been emailed about this already by Neil Davies from Bristol). They are also crowdfunding a legal challenge which I’d encourage you to contribute to if you can, see https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/save-pensions-and-planet/ 

The Four Fights dispute

Negotiations on ‘pay and related matters’ with university employers for 2021-22 have been going on for some while. The latest ‘offer’ is 1.5% pay increase (less than inflation, and following a 0% pay rise was imposed last year) together with ‘working groups’ (nothing concrete) on casualisation, equality and workloads. This is very disappointing, especially after we were starting to make progress as a result of the 2019-2020 industrial action. Our sister union Unison are balloting for industrial action now, and UCU has a Higher Education Sector Conference in September to discuss our next steps on this and USS.

… which leads neatly to …

Branch EGM 20th August 1-2 pm

Please come along to this branch meeting to discuss the two disputes.  The deadline for motions to this meeting has passed, and the agenda will be circulated soon.  This is your chance to have a say on next steps in these disputes, so please put the date in your diary and come long if you can. I won’t be chairing but I’ll be there, so I look forward to seeing you.

In solidarity and with hope for a better year ahead,

Cheers,

Ben

Ben Plumpton
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
University of Leeds UCU President (for a very short while longer!)

Problems with emailing in from hotmail accounts

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Some emails sent from Hotmail accounts are being wrongly redirected to the Junk folder of the branch’s University of Leeds email address (ucu@leeds.ac.uk). Similarly, emails from Hotmail accounts are being rejected (more usefully with a notification) from emails send to UCU staff emails (including the branch administrator). This seems to be a result of Outlook treating Hotmail accounts as at higher risk of containing malware.

If you need to email ucu@leeds.ac.uk or to email the branch administrator directly it may be better not to use a Hotmail email address, or to follow up from an alternative email address if you haven’t received a reply in a couple of days.

Back in 2012 Microsoft encouraged all users of Hotmail.com to upgrade to Outlook.com, and it should still be possible to do that in a way which means you will still receive emails sent to you as Hotmail instead of Outlook. This old post from Microsoft explains what the process was at that time – it may have changed now.

(Other email providers are available – that’s not the branch endorsing Outlook particularly, only that Outlook.com is Microsoft’s successor to Hotmail.com!)

Extraordinary General Meeting Friday 20 August – ‘Four Fights’ & USS

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

This is advance notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of the branch to consider a single issue – our disputes over Four Fights (“pay and related matters” i.e. pay, casualisation, workload and equality) and USS pensions – and in particular, to discuss any motions which the branch might want to send to the next UCU Higher Education Sector Conference (HESC) on Thursday 9 September.  Apologies that holding an EGM in August is not great timing when many people might be taking annual leave, but it had to be held in August to meet deadlines set by UCU centrally for receipt of motions to HESC.

Our EGM will be held on Friday 20th August from 1-2 pm, online using Zoom. The meeting link will be circulated nearer the time. The EGM was called, to discuss this one issue, by request of your branch committee at its meeting today, Tuesday 20th July. The deadline for motions to the EGM is 10 am on Friday 30th July. (Motions on other issues can be submitted to the first normal General Meeting of the next academic year, once the date for that is notified to members).

The previous Higher Education Sector Conference (HESC) on 2 June resolved to reject UCEA’s 2021-22 offer (on pay and related matters) and to formally enter into dispute. It also agreed to ballot for industrial action over the Four Fights, and to ballot for industrial action over USS if “the employers have not joined UCU to pressure USS and the pension regulator to cancel the 2020 valuation and use an evidence-based moderately prudent approach in 2021”. This next conference on 9 September will decide on how we approach balloting, when we ballot, and whether to link the two disputes. If you would like to submit a motion on this topic, but are unsure how best to word it to go forward to a UCU UK wide conference, get in touch with the branch via ucu@leeds.ac.uk.

I’m sure you remember, just before the pandemic we were taking industrial action over our two disputes, the Four Fights and USS pensions. That action was beginning to have a real impact in negotiations, but then the pandemic happened. UCU paused our disputes, but the issues we were fighting over haven’t gone away, and indeed have got worse over the last 15 months. There’s a strong feeling across the union, as seen at the recent UCU Congress, that we can’t continue to accept dire pay offers, no progress on the other three issues, and more detrimental changes to USS pensions. We must take a stand. Come along to the EGM and have your democratic input into how we do that.

For more information see:

– Details of 2021-22 negotiations over pay and related matters (“new JNCHES”) see https://ucu.org.uk/he2021 

– Outcome of 2020-21 negotiations over pay and related matters (zero pay rise, very little progress on casualisation, workloads and equality) see https://ucu.org.uk/he2020 

– FAQ on proposed USS pension changes see https://www.ucu.org.uk/uss-faqs

– Motions passed at UCU Higher Education Sector Conference 2 June, including motions on balloting for industrial action, see https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/11596/Higher-education-sector-conference-2021

Note also that one of our sister unions on campus, Unison, are already balloting over the summer for industrial action over pay.

Hope you manage to get some rest and relaxation this summer, despite everything. 

In solidarity and with hope for a better year ahead,

Cheers,

Ben
Ben Plumpton
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
University of Leeds UCU President

Email sent to branch members 20 July 2021

Support the boycott of University of Liverpool

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

UCU has now called a boycott of the University of Liverpool over the university’s refusal to halt the sacking of 21 health staff.  Liverpool UCU have taken strike action, and are now doing a marking boycott. Liverpool management are deducting 100% of wages of staff not marking. The way staff were selected for redundancy is very worrying – they used flawed metrics to assess research outputs, and this could have wider implications for UCU members across the sector. The university has refused to meet with UCU to resolve the dispute, or to allow ACAS to mediate between UCU and management. So the boycott was called to push the university to stop the planned redundancies and to hold urgent talks to resolve the dispute.

A rally of members of UCU University of Liverpool outside the historic university building. Placards read Say No To Redundancies. Large banner for North West Anti-Casualisation campaign: united against precarity. And a picket line dog.

Please support the boycott by:

  • not applying for any advertised jobs at Liverpool
  • not agreeing to speak at or organise academic or other conferences at Liverpool which are outside of contract
  • not accepting new invitations to give lectures at Liverpool
  • not accepting new positions as visiting professors or researchers at Liverpool
  • not accepting invitations outside of contract to write for any academic journal which is edited at or produced by Liverpool
  • not accepting new contracts as external examiners for taught courses at Liverpool

Please let staff at Liverpool know about your support and the actions you have taken using social media, tagging @ULivUCU2 and using the hashtag #BoycottLiverpoolUni. And if you can, please donate to their hardship fund.

See more about how you can support the boycott

Academic boycott is a serious sanction, taken as a last resort by the union.  Universities know a boycott will damage their reputation. It’s sad that Liverpool’s management’s appalling decisions, and lack of negotiation, have brought them to this. But there is hope that the situation can be turned around with our support.  We need to stand in solidarity with our colleagues at Liverpool.

The academic boycott of University of Leicester continues, as previously explained, so please continue to observe that boycott and to share your support for Leicester UCU (@LeicesterUCU and #BoycottLeicester).

Some good news from the Open University though – UCU has negotiated a deal there which means improved pay and job security for more than 4,000 associate lecturers who will be moved onto new permanent contracts. 

Thank you for your solidarity with Leicester and Liverpool. 

Cheers

Ben
Ben Plumpton
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
University of Leeds UCU President

This post is from an email sent to branch members 15 July 2021

Participating in “The Big Leeds Conversation”

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

You’ll have seen publicity about “The Big Leeds Conversation” in recent emails from Internal Comms and the Vice Chancellor. It’s a kind of crowd-sourcing of university values and behaviours which all staff and students are being asked to participate in, see https://forstaff.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/7464/inside-track-your-part-in-the-big-leeds-conversation. We have pointed out that this isn’t necessarily the best time of year, particularly given the push to take annual leave which many can only take over the summer. The time periods have now been extended a bit from the original plans but not by much.

I would encourage all Leeds UCU members to take part in this if you can. As union members we care deeply about our values and I’m sure you will have plenty to contribute. 

In the first stage of this process you can add your contributions anonymously, and also up-vote and down-vote other contributions. There will then be a second stage where you can comment further on a draft document, so please contribute to that as well if you can.

Your committee believes that an important measure of an organisation is how well a set of great-sounding values are implemented in practice, so we look forward to consultation and negotiation with the campus trade unions on doing that.

To contribute your thoughts to “The Big Leeds Conversation” visit https://thebigleedsconversation.clevertogether.com/welcome – you should have received an email this morning from ‘Clever Together’ with personalised login details.

Cheers,

Ben
Ben Plumpton
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
University of Leeds UCU President

Email sent to members 12 July 2021