Members make dispute decisions at Extraordinary General Meeting

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Members of UCU University of Leeds Branch met today (22 January 2020) to discuss and make decisions about the current disputes. Members agreed on the following motions:

USS pensions dispute and ‘Four fights’ dispute

Motion 1

This branch acknowledges the need to fight back against increasing casualisation, damaging workloads, antiquated gender and race pay gaps and a decade long erosion of our pay.

This branch notes the decision of the HEC to coordinate ballot distribution and strike days for the Four Fights and USS disputes. This strategy allowed for UCU’s most successful ballot turnout results on pay ever and led to eight days of impactful strike action which is empowering our national negotiators.

This branch recognises the need to increase pressure at this point and that in order to win we have to move towards escalating our industrial strategy.

This branch supports this existing strategy towards our two ongoing disputes in HE, and believes that strike action in pursuit of the Four Fights should continue to escalate simultaneously with action over USS, beginning with the 14 days endorsed by HESC in December 2019.

Motion 2

Motion about the Formulation of Strategy for the Next Round of Industrial Action

This branch notes:

  1. The need to fight back against increasing casualisation, damaging workloads, pay inequality and decades of pay erosion as well as USS pensions justice.
  2. That the two disputes – pay and equality (‘Four Fights’) and USS – are interlinked
  3. UCU’s most successful ballot turnout and members’ support for industrial action in November and December 2019 and the level of solidarity at Leeds both on the picket lines and in workplaces during ongoing ASOS.
  4. The dynamism of the USS strikes in 2018 and the success of members’ input in shaping the negotiations.
  5. The Special Higher Education Sector Conference (HESC) to consider actions available to UCU on the USS dispute on 6 December 2019.
  6. The wider work of the UCU Democracy Commission in reviewing the current democratic structures of the union.

This branch believes:

  1. That members should be formally consulted both prior to, and in response to, negotiations on both USS and pay and equality (‘Four Fights’)
  2. That UCU’s Higher Education Committee’s (HEC) decisions are most innovative and effective when they are informed by a democratic process of member consultation.
  3. That members must continue to be consulted on UCU’s industrial action strategy, in order to maintain their support throughout ongoing action.

This branch resolves to:

  1. Call on HEC to continue to strongly encourage every branch to call meetings and provide the same opportunities to participate in discussions to inform strategy throughout any dispute, and to call further branch briefings and branch delegate meetings to advise HEC.
  2. Call on HEC, negotiators, and the General Secretary to continue drawing on the expertise and views of UCU’s membership in informing its strategy.
  3. Call on HEC to provide members with clear and timely feedback on the progress of negotiations (subject to confidentiality constraints that might jeopardise negotiations), noting the importance of this when it comes to formal consultation on offers made in dispute.
  4. Call on HEC to support branches through regular information-sharing to bring members together for democratic discussion and debate.

Motion 3

This UCU University of Leeds branch notes:

That the University of Leeds has a gender pay gap of 20.1% (2019) and a reported national ethnic pay gap of 39%. While some of the gender gap will be due to the over-representation of women in lower valued work (vertical factors), it is likely that some of the gap is due to unlawful, unequal pay practices that fail to reward women and men equally doing ‘like work, work of equal value, or work rated as equivalent’ (horizontal factors). The ethnic pay gap has not been given the same analysis and it needs to do so.

That on May 29, 2020, it will be 50 years since the passage of the Equal Pay Act 1970.

That Equal Pay is one of the four pillars of UCU’s national pay dispute. And that the University of Leeds UCU branch has been attempting to negotiate on these issues for some time without much progress from the employer. Almost 2 years ago the branch submitted a gender pay claim which, among others, included the need for more research and data and asked management explicitly to provide it. Nothing substantial was offered since.

That the Equality Trust, a national charity, is co-ordinating a series of events and actions designed to increase pressure on employers to meet statutory obligations under the equal pay provisions now included in the Equality Act 2010.

That the Equality Trust is looking for trade union partners to help them target specific employers to establish the extent to which their gender pay gap is due to horizontal or vertical factors (see above). If University of Leeds UCU were to be such a partner, then this would involve undertaking a detailed survey of our members asking them to share their job title, department, role, gender, and salary, thus allowing comparison of ‘like with like’ both within and between departments. We should also include the ethnic pay gap within this research.

That such surveys would be undertaken with appropriate safeguard for confidentiality and in accordance with standard research ethics and the provisions of the GDPR regulations.

That once this survey data is available it could provide an evidence base available to the UCU Branch to press the University to make progress on addressing gender pay inequality as part of the UCU campaign on equal pay and create opportunities for ‘leverage’ should the employer not respond positively.

This Committee therefore resolves

To affiliate to the Equality Trust (at a cost of £50)

To work in partnership with The Equality Trust to develop a survey specific to Leeds University academic (and academic related) staff.

To promote the survey as part of UCU branded action in furtherance of the pillar of our national UCU dispute and to send an email to all University of Leeds UCU members asking them to participate in the survey.

To create a UCU working group (to report to this committee). The working group to lead on engagement with the Equality Trust and the actioning of this resolution on behalf of this committee.

To receive a report from the working group in advance of May 29 and to consider what publicity and other steps the Branch can take (in the light of any survey data) to increase the pressure for our employer to meet its legal obligations under the equal pay provisions of the Equality Act, but also to include the ethnic pay gap in our negotiations.

To send a copy of this resolution to the UCU Higher Education Committee and around UCU activists networks, and urge them to consider similar collaborations with the Equality Trust at a local and national level.

Note

The Equality Trust is a registered charity and was launched in 2009 by Bill Kerry, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett. The idea for the Trust was developed from 2007, after the authors secured a publishing deal for The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better. The Equality Trust’s focus is on promoting policies that would take us towards a more equal society, as well as responding to political developments relating to top pay and income inequality.

Organisational change

Motion 4

This meeting notes:

  1. That the Faculty of Biological Sciences are undergoing a “refresh”;
  2. That in spite of the semantic niceties of the term, this effectively constitutes a “review”;
  3. That as a “review”, the process for conducting it is laid out the current Organisational Change Policy;
  4. That the current Organisational Change Policy is itself the subject of upcoming negotiations with Senior Management.

This meeting resolves:

  1. To demand that the so-called “refresh” in the Faculty of Biological Sciences is conducted through the processes outlined in the current Organisational Change Policy;
  2. To direct our branch negotiators to preserve the safeguards in our current Organisational Change Policy in their negotiations.

Nita Sanghera

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by
Nita Sanghera with branch campaigns officer Lesley McGorrigan with the branch banner

We are saddened to learn of the death of Nita Sanghera, president-elect of UCU.

Nita was a fierce and passionate campaigner for workers everywhere, always supporting union branches across the country, and a tireless campaigner against racism. Her support and encouragement for many black women activists will not be forgotten.

Nita was about to become the first black woman President of UCU.

The photos show Nita visiting the picket lines at University of Leeds to give us her support.

Branch president Ben Plumpton says: “Nita was solidarity personified.”

Rest in power.

Nita Sanghera with University of Leeds students supporting the UCU strike
Nita Sanghera with tambourine on a University of Leeds branch picket line

Extraordinary general meeting 22 January: disputes + organisational change policy

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

The branch committee has called an extraordinary general meeting to discuss a number of urgent issues which won’t wait until the next scheduled general meeting. The meeting will be:

12pm – 1pm on Wednesday 22 January
Roger Stevens lecture theatre 16 (which is on level 12).

Members are invited to submit motions on the subjects on the agenda. These should be received by 2pm on Tuesday 14 January, after which the motions received will be circulated to members.

The agenda will be:

  1. Disputes
    1. USS pensions dispute
    1. ‘Four fights’ dispute (pay, anti-casualisation, equal pay, workloads)
  2. Organisational change policy

Please send any relevant motions to the branch administrator Alan Smith using ucu@leeds.ac.uk.

(The next scheduled general meeting, open to motions on any subject, is Monday 2 March.)

A response to the second JEP report

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Joint Expert Panel report image and linkThe second report of the JEP arrived last Friday, and it’s a crucial document within the context of the current dispute over the USS pension scheme. Again, it vindicates the positions that UCU has adopted in relation to both the governance of the scheme and the valuation methodology. You can read the document here, and it contains a useful executive summary (pp. 7-12) and a summary of their conclusions (pp. 120-1).

The JEP was established last year as part of an agreement between Universities UK (UUK) and UCU to pause the dispute after a historic fourteen days of strikes across the country. Its first report of September last year addressed the 2017 valuation that was central to the onset of the industrial action. It offered a series of recommendations for adjustments to that valuation. The panel now state that ‘the failure to collectively go forward with these recommendations was […] a missed opportunity to resolve the dispute’.

This second report focusses on the scheme governance and key principles that should inform future valuations. The panel urge both UCU, UUK and USS to work together swiftly to embed these recommendations into the 2020 valuation process, which begins in a matter of weeks.

On the matter of scheme governance, the JEP criticise the manner in which the valuation, and the application of ‘Test 1’, has been the tail to wag the dog of the pension scheme, rather than the valuation being used as a tool to measure the health of the scheme and inform future directions. The report highlights that the trustee is distant from stakeholders and should be more visible through routine engagement. It recommends a list of adjustments to governance processes and structures with the ambition of greater stakeholder (UUK and UCU) input and greater dialogue between USS and those stakeholders.

On the matter of the valuation, the JEP continue to discredit ‘Test 1’ which has dictated a ‘de-risking’* of the scheme’s portfolio, and instead propose a ‘dual-discount’ approach that involves separating the discounting** process for past and future service. This provides for a fair and sustainable approach to valuing the scheme. Importantly, their recommendation would make for a valuation process that is transparent and easier to comprehend.

We hope that UUK will recognise the value of these recommendations to the scheme, and will work with UCU to see that USS accepts and implements these proposals as a means of ensuring the long-term sustainability USS, and of bringing this dispute to a close

____________

*’de-risking’ involves removing a proportion of the higher-risk, and higher-yielding investment vehicles (stocks etc.) from a portfolio and increasing instead the number of low-risk but low-yielding vehicles, such as bonds and gilts. This contributes to the need for higher contributions as the projected value of the scheme decreases. 

**the discount rate is one of the important assumptions that contribute to any valuation. It is a means of calculating the current value of the scheme’s assets against its present and future liabilities; what it will have to pay out over time. The ‘discounting’ is the reduction of what is needed now to pay a future cost. This discounting can be done against, for example, of the ‘covenant’, the ability of employers to pay, and against assumptions of the growth of the scheme’s assets (assuming 5% growth of your assets earmarked to pay a debt of £100 you have to pay next year, you need only have just over £95 today – a ‘discount rate’ of 5%)

Further reading:

The UCU’s response: https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/10494/UCU-response-to-USS-Joint-Expert-Panels-second-report

The UUK response: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/news/Pages/uuk-response-jep-second-report.aspx

The USS response: https://www.uss.co.uk/news/all-news/2019/12/joint-expert-panels-second-report

Open letter to research funders

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Leeds UCU has written an online Open Letter to research funders, explaining the two current HE disputes (on USS pensions and on the Four Fights) and asking them to:

  • Write to the Senior Team of Universities UK (UUK) and to the Board of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) and urge them to engage in meaningful negotiations over pensions, and pay and equality (respectively) with UCU.
  • Write to the Vice-Chancellors of institutions at which they have awarded scholarships, grants, or bursaries with the same request. Furthermore, demand respectful behaviour towards the staff and graduate students participating in ASOS and no financial deductions of their salary for working to contract.
  • Make a public statement in support of the staff and graduate students taking industrial action and ASOS and call for an urgent resolution of the disputes.
  • Offer to extend application and reporting deadlines in order to accommodate the time lost by researchers taking strike action and ASOS.


We will collect signatures on this letter and will forward copies to each of the research funding bodies in the new year, with the signatures of the researchers funded by them.

Please sign this letter here including your name, position, funder and institution, following the layout of the examples included in the letter.

Please also encourage colleagues to sign it, whether or not they have been taking part in the industrial action. Colleagues at other universities are welcome to sign it too. Thank you!

(Advice from Leeds UCU on Action Short of a Strike as a researcher is included in our ASOS guidance document: www.leedsucu.org.uk/asos-guidance-from-leeds-ucu/)

Applying to the Hardship Fund – Scenarios

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

UCU Hardship + Fighting Fund Scenarios:

Members who will experience financial difficulty as a result of strike deductions have access to two sources of assistance from the union: 

UCU Fighting Fund, administered by UCU HQ
Leeds UCU Hardship Fund, administered by Leeds UCU officers

The two funds operate slightly differently. Leeds UCU has designed our local hardship fund to complement and extend available support. 

The following scenarios illustrate the ways in which our Local Hardship Fund and UCU Fighting Fund work together, and should help members resolve most queries they have about these schemes.

Please also read the wording of the [motion] we passed at the 3 December General Meeting which explains how the UCU Fighting Fund and the Local Hardship Fund work. Additional guidance (to be taken in conjunction with advice on this page) is [here] and [here].

What can I claim from each fund?

Remember we have designed our local Hardship Fund to complement the UCU Fighting Fund. 

UCU Fighting Fund: 

UCU Fighting Fund for members earning under £30k:

The UCU Fighting Fund allows members who earn under £30,000 per year (gross) to claim the sum of up to £75 per day, for the second and subsequent days of strike action commencing from the action in November-December 2019. 

UCU Fighting Fund for members earning over £30k:

The UCU Fighting Fund allows members who earn over £30,000 per year (gross) to claim the sum of up to £50 per day, for the third and subsequent days of strike action commencing from the action in November-December 2019.

Claims from the UCU Fighting Fund are subject to a cap, which is currently set to a maximum of £500. This cap may be increased in the future. 

Leeds UCU Local Hardship Fund: 

Claims from the Leeds UCU Local Hardship Fund allows members to claim upto £150 for the first day of strike action and upto £75 for subsequent days of strike action. Claims are subject to a cap of £1000 for the duration of the disputes. This cap may also be increased in the future. Decisions will be made in accordance with the principles set out in the motion passed at the General Meeting on 3 December 2019, taking into account the total available funds. We continue to raise money for the Local Hardship Fund – you can donate to the Local Hardship Fund by making a bank transfer to UCU Leeds LA29 (Hardship Fund), Unity Trust Bank, Account Number: 20391511, Sort Code: 60-83-01. please see [here] to make donations if you are able, 

Content:

  1. Member McStrike: Hourly paid (e.g. but not limited to a Teaching Assistant)
  2. Member O’Union: Fixed term contract, concerns over impact of financial deductions especially given the contract end date is soon / no definite extension or further solid job offer
  3. Member Solidarity: Part time, permanent contract; financial concerns given reliance on part time income
  4. Member Great-Placards: Permanent contract, financial concerns over strike deductions
  5. But how do I apply?
  6. But when do I apply?
  1. Hourly paid (e.g. but not limited to a Teaching Assistant) earning under £30k per year (gross)

The first 1/5th of a week’s pay (so one days for anyone full time / salaried) would usually need to have been lost for someone to claim from the national Fighting Fund. That has a daily cap of £75 per member earning under £30k (cap of £50 per member earning over £30k) and £500 over the 14 days of strike. BUT our local hardship fund will also be prioritise support for our hardest hit members, including the first day of action for our most casualised and financially precarious colleagues. So, an hourly paid member (e.g. TA) should make claims from the local hardship fund to begin with (to cover the first day of action) and then the UCU fighting fund from after 1/5th income has gone. But if you lose more than £75 per day, you can apply to the Leeds UCU Hardship fund for the difference.

Worked example: Member McStrike is hourly paid as a TA and is going to be deep in the muck if they get all their deductions made unless they get help. This is their usual working pattern in week one of the strike:

WEEK ONE: 5 days of action

Monday: hours to the value of £50 (BUT STRIKE)

Tuesday: no hours

Wednesday: hours to the value of £90 (BUT STRIKE)

Thursday: hours to the value of £50 (BUT STRIKE)

Friday: hours to the value of £78 (BUT STRIKE)

Their total weekly pay they’d have been due that week is £268. A member that strikes all of these days hits the 1/5th weekly earnings mark at £53.60. They can apply for assistance from the two funds as follows under the rules: 

Monday: Claim £50 from the Leeds UCU Local Hardship Fund
Tuesday: No claim needed
Wednesday: Two claims! 

  • Claim £71.40 from the UCU Fighting Fund, taking into account the 1/5th of a week’s earnings point is at £53.60
  • Claim £18.60 remaining loss from the Leeds UCU Local Hardship Fund

Thursday: Claim £50 from the UCU Fighting Fund
Friday: Two claim components!

  • Claim £75 from the UCU Fighting Fund
  • Claim £3 from the Leeds UCU Local Hardship Fund

For this week, Member McStrike will add the following amounts to their two claims:

UCU Fighting Fund: £196.40
Leeds UCU Local Hardship Fund: £71.60

The member in this example can continue to claim from the UCU Fighting Fund for the following week (in which we struck for three days) up to the daily cap of £75 (subject to the £500 overall cap) and the Leeds UCU Local Hardship Fund if necessary. For example, if they had been due to work the same pattern of hours:

WEEK TWO: 3 days of action

Monday: hours to the value of £50 (BUT STRIKE)

Tuesday: no hours (NB STRIKE)

Wednesday: hours to the value of £90 (BUT STRIKE)

The member hit the 1/5th of their weekly earnings point in the previous week. As there is a cap of £75 per day from the national fund, in week two Member McStrike is able to claim up to £75 of their losses per day of this week from the UCU Fighting Fund, and to apply to the local hardship fund for the rest, as follows:

Monday: Claim £50 from the UCU Fighting Fund
Tuesday: No claim needed
Wednesday: Two claims!

  • Claim £75 from the UCU Fighting Fund
  • Claim £15 remaining loss from the Leeds UCU Local Hardship Fund

For this week, Member McStrike will add the following amounts to their two claims:

UCU Fighting Fund: £190
Leeds UCU Local Hardship Fund: £15

We will help them to coordinate claims for this week from a combination of the UCU Fighting Fund and the local Hardship Fund. Across the TWO weeks in which we had strike action, Member McStrike will apply to claim the following:

UCU Fighting Fund: £271.40
Leeds UCU Local Hardship Fund: £86.60


2. Fixed term contract, earning over £30k (gross), has concerns over the impact of financial deductions especially given the contract end date is soon / no definite extension or further solid job offer

Member O’Union is really worried because they’re on a precarious contract with no guarantee of ongoing employment. They are worried about the financial impact of the strike – while they might just about manage for a bit now, if they don’t get a job offer for after their contract end date, they will be in serious financial trouble.

In this situation: Member O’Union can make claims for support with their deductions made for strike days 1-2 locally, and they will still be able to claim from day 3 from the UCU Fighting Fund if they need to. Member O’Union will need to make their claim in close communication with the branch officers. The officers, by clearly distinguishing which support is coming from which fund, will be able to confirm that the member is not claiming for the same loss twice.

N.B. If the member can demonstrate that they are in financial dire straits beyond what the national Fighting Fund can cover from day 3 (with a cap of £50 per day) then the branch can assess them for extra provision, noting this can take the member to no more than they would have earned per day (for HMRC compliance).

3. Part time, permanent contract earning under £30k; financial concerns given reliance on part time income

Member Solidarity will be hit by a combination of deductions that disproportionately affect their overall income, owing to how their part time hours are spread across the week (N.B. this may include members who work compressed hours). Although they have a permanent contract, this leaves them financially vulnerable.

In this situation, the first 1/5th of a week’s pay (equivalent to one day for anyone full time / salaried) would usually need to have been lost for someone to claim from the UCU Fighting Fund. For someone part time earning under £30k (gross),  the UCU Fighting Fund may kick in before the point of the ‘Day 2’ point that is in place for full-time salaried members. The UCU Fighting Fund has a daily cap of £7550 per member and £500 (subject to review in January).

BUT our local hardship fund will also be able to support members in this type of precarious situation, kicking in for those worst affected by strike deductions on the first day (or 1/5th of a working week equivalent). So, a part-time member who will be seriously financially affected from the first day (or 1/5th of weekly earning equivalent) owing to disproportionate impact of deductions can also make claims from the local hardship fund for that first day / first 1/5th of a week’s income lost. Members who would still be disproportionately impacted from Day 2 / after 1/5th onwards may also decide to apply to both.

4. Permanent contract, financial concerns over strike deductions

At Leeds, Member Great-Placards is on an ‘ok but not amazing’ salary, but with a permanent contract. 

Member Great-Placards earns just over £30k (gross) but is in a panic because of childcare costs that can’t be refunded even if the places are cancelled during the strike. They are worried about whether those kinds of concerns will be taken into account by the UCU Fighting Fund because they understand precarious folks will be prioritised and they have a permanent contract. They are aware their branch may be able to look at their situation.

In this situation: Member Great-Placards can make claims for Days 1 and 2 locally up, and they will still be able to claim from Day 3 nationally if they need to. Member Great-Placards will need to make their claim in close communication with the branch officers who, by clear separation of which support is coming from which fund, they will be able to confirm that they are not claiming for the same loss twice.

N.B. If the member can demonstrate that they are in financial dire straits beyond what the UCU Fighting Fund can cover (with a cap of £50 per day) then the branch can assess them for extra provision, but noting this can take them to no more than they would have earned per day (for HMRC compliance).

5. But how do I apply? 

Please get in touch with Leeds UCU if you are applying to a combination of both the UCU Fighting Fund and the Leeds UCU Local Hardship Fund.

You will need to provide evidence:

  • That you took strike action (screenshot of HR self-service system / email sent to industrialaction@leeds.ac.uk)
  • The amount of money deducted from your salary / lost through not logging hourly-paid hours (copy of pay slip for salaried staff / a rota / timetable / other document confirming what you would have otherwise worked for hourly paid staff).
  • Any circumstances you would like taken into account (e.g. disproportionate impact on part time hours (including compressed hours); hourly-paid; precarious contract; financial vulnerability)

Note: hourly paid staff should include hours they would have otherwise spent doing prep/marking/other paid activities built into their contract on strike days.

The portal for the national fund is [here]

Guidance to accompany claims to the UCU Fighting Fund is [here]

Applications to the local hardship fund:

UCU-local-hardship-claim-form-JANUARY-1Download
UCU-local-hardship-claim-form-MARCH-1Download

6. But when do I apply? 

a) If you are on a salaried contract, you will see deductions made from the January payroll. This means you will be able to supply evidence of the deductions made using your payslip when it is issued in advance of the pay going into your account. We will make sure to remind all members multiple times leading up to this point, and we will be working closely with you and HQ to ensure everything makes sense.

b) If you are hourly paid, meaning you submit a weekly time sheet, you will need to make your claim immediately. We will work closely with you and HQ to ensure everything makes sense.

UCU Christmas

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Have you spotted any unusual baubles on a Christmas tree near you on campus?

Leeds UCU had fun despite the rain last Friday singing our alternative carols near the ‘wavy lines’ Christmas tree. The woodwind section led us and everyone was in full voice. “Holding the ASOS line” (to the tune of ‘Down by the Riverside’) isn’t exactly a Christmas carol but it was sung VERY enthusiastially. Beware – once you get the hang of this it becomes an earworm! Lyrics below.

Holding the ASOS line lyrics

I’m gonna lay down my heavy workload
Holding the ASOS line,
Holding the ASOS line,
Holding the ASOS line!
I’m gonna lay down my heavy workload
Holding the ASOS line,
Ain’t gonna over work no more

Chorus:
Ain’t gonna over work no more
Ain’t gonna over work no more
Over work no mo-o-ore!
Ain’t gonna over work no more
Ain’t gonna over work no more
Holding the ASOS line

I’m gonna stand with the UCU

I’m gonna stop work at 5pm

We’re gonna win back a fair pay rise,

We’re gonna win contract dignity

We’re gonna get back our USS

Hardship applications and surgeries

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

[Updated 30 March 2020]

Salaried staff can apply to the UCU fighting fund and branch hardship fund when you’ve received your payslip showing the strike deductions. March payslips are now available to download, see below.

Our branch hardship process is ready to support those members who need it sooner, such as hourly-paid postgraduates who teach, who would normally be paid before the usual payroll dates.

National UCU fighting fund and the local hardship fund

Our local fund is only to request any support you need in addition to what you can claim from the national UCU fighting fund.

If you’re not eligible for support from the national fund because you were only scheduled to do one day’s work over the strike period you can apply to the local fund if you need to. The national UCU Fighting Fund counts the action as beginning from November, so if you took strike action then, you can claim for the whole of the February-March strike action.

If you are eligible to claim from the national fund but will still be in hardship because of your circumstances, claim from the national fund and at the same time apply for the additional money from the local fund.

More details here about the updated rules for the local Hardship Fund and explanation of how the two funds work together.

Should you apply?

Generally we don’t get paid for striking, so please only apply to the national fighting fund if you need to. And please only apply to the local hardship fund if you’re in hardship because of your particular circumstances, for example, if you’ll struggle to get by because of the strike deductions because you’re hourly paid and low paid, or you’re working part time and already struggling because of childcare fees and repaying loans for visa costs to the university. (These are not definitive examples.)

But please do apply if you need to – it’s what they are here for!

How to apply

First find your UCU membership number, and also check that your UCU subscriptions are up to date and paid at the correct rate for your salary (you can check this on MyUCU – https://ucu.org.uk/myucu). Note: those on the full free membership are also eligible to claim.

How to apply to the national UCU fighting fund

We have created a handy guide to how to apply to both through some scenarios here.

To apply for the local hardship fund please fill in a UCU University of Leeds Branch hardship form application and email it with supporting evidence to branch treasurer Jonathan Saha (j.saha@leeds.ac.uk). To claim for the November-December strikes, use the January form below, and to claim for the February-March strikes, use the March form below.

UCU-local-hardship-claim-form-JANUARYDownload
UCU-local-hardship-claim-form-MARCHDownload

What evidence do you need to provide?

We need evidence that you took strike action. This could be screenshot(s) of your report on the Employee Self Service Portal (under Work Profile > Industrial Action), or a copy of an email you sent to industrialaction@leeds.ac.uk to inform them when you were on strike.

We need to see something which shows what you lost due to the strike. For salaried staff that will usually be a wage slip with deductions shown on it and the previous month’s to compare (because strike deductions are taken before other deductions such as tax and as national insurance).

For postgraduates who teach and some other members the evidence will be less clear, so send what you can. For example, a schedule showing when you would have been teaching/preparing/marking, and a timesheet showing the actual hours you claimed pay for. And also, something showing what hourly rate you are paid. We don’t want to make it unreasonably difficult but we do need evidence of what you’ve lost because of the strike.

Hardship fund ‘surgeries’

Face-to-face hardship application surgeries aren’t practical at the moment so we are looking into alternative options and will update here.

Donate to the local hardship fund

If you’re able to donate to the local hardship fund that would really help us to support lower paid members to strike. Please make donations to UCU Leeds LA29 (Hardship Fund), Unity Trust Bank, Account Number: 20391511, Sort Code: 60-83-01

Enthused by being on the picket line? Want to be a UCU rep?

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by
UCU reps on a picket line

Thank you to everyone who picketed! Some of you are in schools or departments that haven’t elected a UCU department rep, or an anti-casualisation rep, or a postgraduate rep, or a workloads rep, or a health and safety rep. Could you do that role?

If you’d like to do any of these roles, or you can think of a colleague who’d be good for the role, please send your nominations to ucu@leeds.ac.uk by the end of Wednesday 15 January.

If you want to know more, there’s a bit more detail in this post or you can talk to another UCU rep or email ucu@leeds.ac.uk

Unsure if all the roles are covered in your school/department?

Here’s the current list of UCU department reps.

(There have been a few additions in the busy run-up to the strike – if we’ve missed one off the website please email ucu@leeds.ac.uk!)

How to nominate someone to be a UCU department rep

Just a quick email is fine, saying something like “I nominate [name of colleague] to be the [UCU department rep / UCU anti-casualisation rep / UCU postgraduate rep / UCU workloads rep / UCU health and safety rep] for [my school/department].

To be a UCU rep a member needs two nominations from UCU members in the school/department.

If there are nominations for more than one person there’s a possibility of job sharing or the committee will organise an election.

Christmas carolling and guerilla baubling

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Leeds UCU members seem to enjoy a sing song, judging by your enthusiastic participation in the songs at our strike rallies! It was great to have our ‘woodwind section’ entertaining us and leading us. We are probably the only UCU branch with a bassoonist, flautist and clarinet player on the picket lines! So you’ll be pleased to hear we are getting together again to sing our alternative Christmas carols – you can find them in the Leeds UCU songbook at https://tinyurl.com/t7vsy8e (scroll down). There’s also a rather brilliant ASOS version of ‘Down by the picket line’.

Meet on Friday 13th December at 12:30 by the wavy lines sculpture.

And how about some creative guerrilla baubling?  There are many Christmas trees around campus which could be made lovelier with the addition of some UCU baubles, and it would be splendid to see photos tweeted (use hashtags #ucuASOS #guerrillabaubling #UCUchristmas, and tag @leedsucu) Templates are here (various wording) and here (blank) – feel free to adapt them or make your own.