General meetings 2019-2020

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Here are the details of UCU University of Leeds Branch general meetings for this academic year.

The meetings are for all members of this branch. They are the primary means for collective decision making. If you think the local UCU branch should take a particular position on an issue or should carry out a particular action you can submit a motion* to the meeting by the deadline**, your motion will be circulated to all members with the agenda, then all members who attend the meeting can vote on whether they agree. Please do come to as many general meetings as you can attend – the more people participate in our collective decision making the more effective the union is locally.

Thursday 24 October, 1pm – 2pm

Roger Stevens lecture theatre 16 (level 12) (links are to directions and accessibility information)
Deadline for motions: 12pm Tuesday 15 October

Tuesday 3 December, 1pm – 2pm

Roger Stevens lecture theatre 16 (level 12)
Deadline for motions: 12pm Tuesday 26 November

Monday 2 March, 12pm – 1pm

Roger Stevens lecture theatre 4 (level 8)
Deadline for motions: 12pm Tuesday 18 February
If you want the branch to send a (non-emergency) motion to UCU Congress 2020, this is the latest meeting you could get it agreed at.

Tuesday 28 April, 1pm – 2pm

Roger Stevens lecture theatre 1 (level 7)
Deadline for motions: 12pm Tuesday 21 April.  (Same as deadline for motions to the AGM – please specify which meeting it’s for)
If you want the branch to submit amendments to any UCU Congress motions submitted by other branches, this is the meeting to make those decisions. It’s also the main opportunity for the branch to take positions on motions to UCU Congress submitted by other branches. (An agenda item of positions on other branch’s motions to Congress could be proposed for the agenda of the AGM but it might not be and if it is there will be less time for it.)

Thursday 14 May, 3.30pm – 5pm (Annual General Meeting)

Venue to be confirmed
Deadline for motions: 12pm Tuesday 21 April. (Same as deadline for motions to the April general meeting – please specify which meeting it’s for)
Deadline for nominations to the branch committee for 2020-2021: before the day of the AGM (i.e. before midnight; no the office won’t be staffed then!).

Wednesday 8 July, 1pm – 2pm

Baines wing seminar room 2.08
Deadline for motions: 12pm Tuesday 30 June

We hope you can come to some or all of the meetings. We’ve varied the day to help with that.

*If you would like help turning your idea into the format of a motion, you can ask one of your UCU department reps or a committee member or the branch administrator. A common format is:

“This branch notes …”              (optional preamble about the facts/background)
“This branch believes …”          (this is where the branch takes a position on an issue)
“This branch resolves to …”     (these are the actions the branch will take in furtherance of what it believes)

There is no word limit to local motions, but, as paper copies are usually printed for the meeting, please be appropriately brief for the sake of the trees.

**Motions submitted after the deadline might be accepted by the chair if they are deemed emergency motions, which usually means the issue is urgent and it arose after the motions deadline.

Two ballots – vote now!

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Your ballot papers should have arrived – look out for a white A4 envelope with the UCU logo. If you can’t find it, request a new one at www.ucu.org.uk/ballotrequest  (deadline Wednesday 23 October 12 noon). For queries about the ballot process please check our ballots FAQ.

LAST DATE TO POST YOUR BALLOTS IS MONDAY 28 OCTOBER to get there by the deadline Wednesday 30 October. Best to post them before then to be safe.

Please vote – don’t let that envelope disappear under the piles on your desk! It’s really important to have your democratic say, and your union needs to know what you think.

The two disputes are linked. Inequality and casualisation in employment lead to inequality in retirement. Pay stagnation will reduce our incomes in retirement as well as squeezing us right now. Increased pension contributions mostly wipe out the tiny pay increase that has been imposed.

Four fights dispute

We were not impressed by the employers response to our annual pay and conditions claim. Pay inequality, casualisation, and excessive workloads are all significant problems at Leeds, as elsewhere. We had hoped that this year, the employers’ side (represented by UCEA) would negotiate sensible national agreements on these issues which matter so much to staff, often more so than pay. This has not happened – they were unwilling to discuss these issues meaningfully. On pay, the offer is yet another below inflation pay rise. More here.

For a really clear explanation of the issues around pay, watch this video by Robyn Orfitelli, UCU UK pay negotiator:

Pensions dispute

USS pension justice. We demand it. Image of two raised fists, blue and white, pink background.

We ended our strikes in 2018 with the promise of a Joint Expert Panel (JEP) to come up with new proposals on the USS valuation. Those proposals last September vindicated UCU’s position, and when applied to the 2018 valuation they would mean no increased contributions. We want the employers to honour the Joint Expert Panel’s conclusions and hold USS to account. We are fighting for a long-term agreement with ‘no detriment’ to our pension benefits and no increases to our contributions. More here.

Here’s Sam Marsh, UCU UK pensions negotiator, quickly summarising where we are with USS, and explaining why it is crucial not to wait and see what the second JEP report says:

or if you can read Sam’s USSbriefs report here./p>

Can universities afford our claims? Affordability is all about priorities. Universities’ spending on staff has fallen significantly over the last decade, both as a proportion of total spend and as a proportion of income. The money has instead gone to costs relating to buildings (depreciation, interest on loans) and surplus generation. This needs to be re-balanced. Staff are universities’ most important asset and should be valued as such.

We don’t want to strike. But we know the UCU negotiators (including our own Vicky Blake from Leeds) have tried their utmost to get a good settlement to the disputes through a long negotiation process. Sadly, the employers’ bodies don’t seem to listen to anything except industrial action. So we need a strong vote for action to persuade them that they really need to change their minds.

Every single vote counts towards the important 50% threshold for turnout we now have to meet just so we can have our collective voice heard. Without that, our employers’ will say there is ‘no strength of feeling’ over these issues, and they will feel they can safely ignore us. If you are lucky enough to have a secure job, and to feel comfortable with your pay, please think about your colleagues and the future of the profession. Every vote boosts our collective bargaining power, on every issue both local and national, and our ability to support you. Use your voice – get that ballot paper in the post!

Want to help?

  • Already voted? Your ballot pack contained some “I’ve voted” stickers and a poster – put them up on your door or by your desk. Seeing these all over campus is a real boost, and reminds others to vote.
  • Show your support on social media: on Twitter follow and retweet from @leedsucu, on Facebook like and share our posts at www.facebook.com/ucuatleeds/
  • Talk to colleagues and encourage them to vote. Human contact is much better than emails, especially when people are so busy and overworked.
  • Talk to your school or departmental rep and see if they’d like any help putting up posters, organising a meeting etc.

Ballots FAQ September/October 2019

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Where will I find my ballot papers?

Look out for a white A4 envelope with the UCU logo on it. It will either come to your home address or at work (check your pigeonhole), depending on which address you chose when you completed your UCU registration or updated your membership record on MyUCU.  Log in to MyUCU to check and/ or update this at www.ucu.org.uk/myucu

If your ballot paper hasn’t arrived by now you should request a new one at www.ucu.org.uk/ballotrequest You will need your membership number – if you don’t know it, you can email mynumber@mercury.ucu.org.uk using the email address that UCU holds for you and your membership number will be emailed back.

How do I use my ballot papers?

There is a pre-paid envelope in your voting pack. Detach each A4 ballot paper and vote twice on each (once about strike action, and once about action short of a strike) by putting crosses in the boxes. Fold each ballot paper and put both in the pre-paid envelope and seal. You shouldn’t post back the paper with your address on.

Why are there two ballot papers, couldn’t it all be on one?

Only pre-92 universities are in the USS pension scheme, so only members at those universities can be balloted about USS. All universities are under the same bargaining structure for pay and related matters, so all HE members are being balloted on the ‘Four Fights’ dispute (the four being casualisation, equality, workloads and pay). Legally they are two disputes with different employers’ bodies – Universities UK (UUK) for pensions and University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) for pay etc. But thankfully the two ballot papers will come in one envelope, and you post them back in the same envelope, so it’s just a question of ticking boxes on two bits of paper.

What is the last date for submitting my ballot papers?

We’d suggest sending it now, but, in order for it to safely arrive in time, we’d recommend sending by Monday 28th October at the very latest (they need to arrive by Wednesday 30th October).  Postage is pre-paid.

I haven’t received ballot papers.  How do I request a replacement?

To request a replacement ballot paper, go to ucu.org.uk/ballotrequest – please do this by Wednesday 23 October so there is (just) time for the new ballot paper to reach you and you to post it back by 30 October. If you request a new ballot paper but then subsequently find the original one, you can use either to cast your votes.

Why can’t we vote online?

We have no choice – voting on paper is a legal requirement.  The Trade Union Act 2016 specifically and deliberately outlawed online voting in industrial disputes, at the same time as requiring a 50% turnout.

I’m new to the university or not a member yet, can I join now and vote in the ballot?

Yes, we’re keen to have you as a member! If you join by Wednesday 23 October you will be sent a ballot paper. But it has to be sent and returned by post, so it’s better to act sooner than the deadline.

Am I eligible to vote?

If you are a full member of UCU you are entitled to vote. Fully retired or attached members are not eligible, but people who are partly retired but still doing some work at the university are eligible. Postgraduate students who teach and are on the full free membership are entitled to vote. Other student members are not entitled to vote.

If you are on long term sick leave, or maternity leave, or likely to be abroad on research for the whole of the potential period of industrial action, or are unlikely to do any paid work for the university duringthat period, then you are not entitled to vote. Please contact ucu@leeds.ac.uk if you are in this position. Note that the potential industrial action period is 6 months from the end of the ballot, so if you will be working at the university at any point before the end of April you are entitled to vote.

If you are still a UCU member but have moved to another institution, you need to log in to MyUCU to change your branch and your place of work. You can get a replacement ballot paper sent to your new address using the form at ucu.org.uk/ballotrequest (by Wenesday 23 October).

I’m a student member, can I upgrade my membership so I can vote?

If you have started doing paid teaching work for the university, you can upgrade to full free membership and then become eligible to vote. The deadline for doing this iis Tuesday 22 October. See more about the full free membership.

What are we trying to achieve? What is the goal?

With the Defending Our Pensions ballot, we are fighting for a long-term agreement on our pensions with ‘no detriment’ to our benefits and no increases to our contributions. We want employers not only cover the costs of increases but also make firmer commitments to honour the Joint Expert Panel’s conclusions and hold USS to account (the Joint Expert Panel (JEP) was the outcome of the last strike and their first report discredited USS’s valuation methodology, yet USS still continue to use this methodology to justify contribution increases).

For the Four Fights One Voice ballot, we want our employers to:

  • Address the scandal of the gender pay gap
  • Bring an end to contract casualisation and rising job insecurity
  • Tackle the rising workloads driving our members to breaking point
  • Pay awards at, or above, the rate of inflation.

A strong ballot would strengthen our mandate to push for meaningful negotiations with employers with the goal of a national agreement on these issues. This is our chance to change our sector for the better. Yes Yes votes send the message that we will not be squeezed now or in retirement. This obviously impacts us now, but also keeps the sector attractive to future colleagues who may not join the HE workforce if conditions continue to decline.

I’m not sure if I want to strike, should I abstain?

If you don’t vote, you are effectively voting to stop the rest of membership from being able to take action, because of the 50% turnout rule.  Union democracy is vitally important, we need to know what the whole membership thinks, so please do use your vote. Abstaining is not sitting on the fence. It undermines the strength of the union across the board, not only on the current disputes, but the future of your terms and conditions (continual erosion?) and on in the many local issues, disputes and negotiations on which UCU works for its members.

Also, and most importantly, remember that the higher the turnout and the higher the Yes vote in both disputes, the more worried the employers will be about a possible strike, and the more likely they will be to come up with better offers.  Paradoxically, the stronger the votes the less likely we are to actually end up on strike!

I can’t afford to strike, what should I do?

We understand it is really difficult for people to strike and face losing their usual income. Please remember that there are both national and local fighting funds you can apply for to reduce the financial impact upon you, if indeed yes ballots leads to a strike. Details of how to apply for national and local fund will be on the Leeds and national UCU websites once a strike is planned. It is important to check that your membership is being paid at the correct rate so that you will be eligible for financial support.

On 3rd October, UCU announced that reimbursement from the national fighting fund will be increased:

  • members earning £30,000 or more will be able to claim up to £50 from the third strike day onwards
  • members earning below £30,000 will be able to claim up to £75 per day from the second day onwards.

The local hardship fund is in good health and will be used for further support in any strikes.

Would there be two strikes if we get over the 50% threshold for both ballots?

At this point we don’t know. There are many ways we could take action and it will be decided by Higher Education Committee once the ballots are in (in early November). What we do know is that it is crucial to get a strong ‘Yes’ vote for both ballots, as both are distinct yet linked. The future of our sector depends on them.

Pensions are more important to me than pay – I’d prefer if the union would sort out our pensions first rather than having another dispute about pay at the same time.

The HE trade unions can’t choose when different issues are discussed – there are different negotiations machineries for different issues. The pay and related matters offer needs to be responded to now, because to do nothing would have meant accepting the latest dire offer. The pensions dispute is necessary because on the 22nd August, Employers voted to increase our USS pension contributions from 8.8% of salary now (8% until recently) to 9.6% in October and 11% next October, despite the Joint Expert Panel report largely vindicating the UCU position. If we wait and hope for the best, the progress that we fought for and won in last year’s strikes may be lost.

I’m in a research only role, no one will notice if I go on strike, what should I do?

The issues we are balloting on affect you too, and we are fighting for your future as much as anyone else’s. Please vote – it’s important we reach the 50% turnout so that (assuming we get a majority in favour of action), we can legally strike. Don’t abstain – vote and thereby help maintain the union’s strength in fighting for decent terms and conditions.

I’m on a good grade and happy with my pay.  Why should I vote for action on the Four Fights ballot?

Because, as the name of it suggests, this ballot is about so much more than the pay spine figures alone, although it is clear that pay in higher education has been eroded, and that there is money in the sector to afford a decent pay rise (compare it to what we have been given, which is equivalent to a cut in real terms). Beyond that, there are four, interconnected aspects which affect most people working in higher education: casualisation, equal pay (pay gaps), and workload alongside the rate of pay itself. Remember that colleagues on casualised contracts supported the USS pension strike even though many didn’t qualify for the pension! Many colleagues are given restrictive contracts on a fractional basis which makes it difficult to find work elsewhere – for example, someone on a 0.2 FTE contract who is timetabled to work those hours stretched across a four-day week will struggle to combine those hours with another job (or jobs) to make ends meet. It’s really important that members on secure contracts support their (often more junior) colleagues who are casualised.

It’s imperative to remember that a strong vote will show a strong will to act for the collective benefit of all our members, and affects our overall strength as a union. We actually hope we won’t need to strike, but knowing that we are ready to strike and take action short of a strike in defence of pay and conditions gives our negotiators a much stronger hand. If we do not beat the 50% turnout threshold with a strong yes vote, our employers’ representative body will pretend that it can ignore our concerns, despite the enormous levels of dissatisfaction, stress, and precarious work in the sector. This is also about collective strength, solidarity, and bargaining power. We must not allow employers to feel emboldened about pushing through other deleterious changes while hiding behind the turnout threshold as an excuse to silence us. We urge you to vote “yes, yes” and above all, to vote.

Why do we need to take action?

  • In our sector there are significant disability, gender and ethnicity pay gaps. The gender pay gap in Britain remains the highest in the European Union.
  • There are over 170 000 colleagues on casualised contracts.
  • Staff in higher education (and further education) are working an average of more than two days unpaid every week
  • The value of our salaries has fallen by over 20% since 2009 as a consequence of below inflation increases for many years.
  • As things stand, our pension contribution will increase to 9.6% of your salary from 1 October 2019 until October 2021. This is up from the current 8.8% and the 8% that it was before the USS pensions dispute began. This will impact on your take-home pay, erasing any uplift from the inadequate 1.8% pay offer, and the increased contributions will do nothing to increase your projected pension.
  • Another HE is possible! Two strong ‘Yes’ results will send a strong message that it is time to change our sector for the better!

Newsletter – September 2019

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Four Fights One Voice ballot

UCU members are being balloted now on whether to take industrial action on inequality, casualisation, workload and pay. In our sector there are significant disability, gender and ethnicity pay gaps, over 170 000 colleagues on casualised contracts, and increasing workloads, despite the value of university salaries having fallen against inflation by over 20% since 2009. A successful vote for action would further strengthen UCU’s mandate to negotiate nationally with our employers and demand they commit to tackle these issues. See: ucu.org.uk/he2019

As Jo Grady, our new UCU General Secretary, said: “By standing up for pensions, pay, equality and job security, we are defending not just ourselves but our profession. The sector’s income has increased by a third since the beginning of the financial crisis, and that is thanks to our hard work in an incredibly difficult environment. How have employers rewarded us? With intensifying casualisation, wage suppression, and pension cuts. Some of us may not feel the effects of cuts and inequalities directly, but we can all appreciate what they do to our colleagues. Securing national agreements on these things is the most efficient way to make the sector fairer, more inclusive, and more appealing to future generations of university staff.” Remember, the law requires that votes on industrial disputes have to be done by post, not online, and reach a 50% turnout. We owe it to each other to express our democratic voices through voting as otherwise anti-union laws silence us all as a collective. The other campus trade unions, Unite and Unison, will also be balloting around the same time.

USS Pensions ballot

USS pension justice. We demand it. Image of two raised fists, blue and white, pink background.

In the same envelope as the Four Fights One Voice ballot is a ballot for action on USS pensions. We called off our strike last year on the promise of a Joint Expert Panel (JEP) being established to look at how the pension scheme operated. Now employers are forcing USS members to pay towards contribution increases arising from USS’s refusal to implement key proposals of the Joint Expert Panel (JEP). Employers have done little to challenge USS’s rejection of those proposals, preserving their comfortable relationship with USS at the expense of their relationship with staff. Our contributions will rise to 9.6% of salary from October 2019, and 11% of salary from October 2021. UCU commissioned an analysis of the changes from independent experts First Actuarial. They showed that, compared with the situation members would be in if the Scheme had continued in its pre-2011 state, the typical USS member stands to lose £240,000 in retirement, and for many members, losses will climb as high as £730,000. Latest news, including a link to the 2 Aug letter from UCU to all USS members, is here: ucu.org.uk/strikeforuss. For local news on the dispute, see leedsucu.org.uk/pensions

International staff can now strike without visa consequences              

The Home Office has now updated its guidelines to specify that striking doesn’t count as unauthorised absence for visa (Tier 2) purposes, via an exception to the rule on absences from employment without pay. Details at gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-part-9-grounds-for-refusal#pt9variation

General Secretary open meeting

UCU general secretary Jo Grady is coming to University of Leeds on Wednesday 2 October. An open meeting is scheduled for 1pm-2pm in Mechanical Engineering Lecture Theatre B, and she will also meet with our anti-casualisation working group. Please put this in your diary and register (so we can keep an eye on numbers): leedsucu.org.uk/jo-grady-visit/. This is an exciting opportunity to engage with, influence and take inspiration from our new leader.

UCU seeks guarantees on EU citizens’ rights in event of no-deal Brexit                                    

Contradictory statements from the Home Office about freedom of movement in a no-deal scenario have caused unacceptable levels of confusion and uncertainty for EU citizens living in the UK including many university staff. On August 29th, UCU General Secretary Jo Grady wrote to the Prime Minister asking for urgent assurances about the rights of EU citizens in the event of a no-deal Brexit.  The full letter can be read here: ucu.org.uk/article/10267/UCU-seeks-guarantees-on-EU-citizens-rights-in-event-of-no-deal-Brexit

For research students & supervisors

After much campaigning by UCU and others, it has been confirmed that all UKRI funded PhD students (AHRC, ESRC, NERC, EPSRC, STFC etc.) are now entitled to have their funded period extended, if they become ill, for up to 13 weeks per year (medical certificate needed).  See ukri.org/funding/information-for-award-holders/grant-terms-and-conditions/

Climate emergency stoppage

On the 20th September, school children will strike once again for Government action in the face of our climate emergency. UCU calls for trade unions to support school students with a 30 minute solidarity work stoppage on 20th September. Following requests from campus trade unions, the University has agreed that staff can stop work for 30 minutes (in addition to the normal lunch break) in order to participate.

We will be marching, with students and the other campus unions, to Millennium Square to support the Leeds Youth Strike for Climate group. Meet at Parkinson steps at 12 noon sharp. Bring an alarm clock, and if possible make your own placard! Leeds UCU have a new Climate and Ecological Emergency Working Group and welcome new members. Email ucu@leeds.ac.uk to join.

Welcome to new officers and committee members

Our 2019/2020 officers and committee were elected in May and took office on the 1st August. Details here: www.leedsucu.org.uk/about-us/committee-members-2019-2020/

Our new Vice President, Chloe Wallace, is a brand new officer and tells us about herself here: leedsucu.org.uk/introducing-chloe-wallace/

First General Meeting of 2019-2020

Our first Leeds UCU General Meeting will be on Thursday 24th October at 1 pm. Members, please keep an eye on your emails for full details.  

Check your details / Join UCU                             

Please make sure UCU holds the right details about you, so you can have your say in union decisions and so we can support you if you have problems at work. 

  • Log into MyUCU at http://ucu.org.uk using the pink button in the top right
  • Check your postal address  
  • Check your employer 
  • Check your membership type.     

If you are not yet a member, join today! ucu.org.uk/join

Download the PDF version of this September 2019 newsletter (179kb)

Introducing new branch officer, Vice President Chloe Wallace

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Tell us a bit about yourself:

I’m an Associate Professor in the Law School, on a teaching and scholarship contract, specialising in legal education. This year, I am also a project leader in LITE (Leeds Institute of Teaching Excellence), working on study abroad.  I live in Leeds, walk everywhere (this summer I finished off the Offa’s Dyke Path Walk, along the English/Welsh border), and use all my annual leave to travel!

Why did you decide to take an officer role in the union?

2018-19 was my 20th year in post in the University. I’m incredibly proud of working at Leeds and very committed to seeing the university, and the higher education sector, thrive. The amazing solidarity and connections we made during the 2018 USS strike made me realise that UCU has a huge role to play in this, by bringing us together and making our voices and our experience and expertise heard, so I decided to join the committee, and realised that I had skills which might be of use as Vice-President.

What does it involve?

I’ve only just started, so we’ll see! At the moment, there are a lot of meetings: with each other, with other unions and with university management, so I’m enjoying getting to know new people and visiting other parts of campus. Basically, my role is to support Ben, our President, in discussion and negotiation with the University, and in planning, organising and leading the different campaigns and working groups of the union. And, of course, organising and leading strike action when and if it comes.

How can other people get involved?

Read your UCU emails! That way you’ll find out what we are doing and how you can help. In particular, our working groups are open to all members, not just committee members or officers. Come to General Meetings, to meet others and hear from us – and introduce yourself if you’re new!

Supporting Youth Strike for Climate on 20th September: 30-minute solidarity stoppage and march

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

The three campus trade unions at this university wrote to the Vice Chancellor asking for staff to be given an additional 30 minutes paid leave to take part in activities supporting the Youth Strike for Climate on Friday 20th September. We are pleased that this has been agreed, and staff can add the 30 minutes on to their normal lunch break, so we can visibly support the local Leeds group. See details about the University’s support for this stoppage.

This is an emergency! The Amazon is going up in smoke and could soon reach breaking point, with large parts of this incredible ecosystem collapsing before our eyes. Greenland is melting faster than ever before, and Central Africa is up in flames. Climate change isn’t a distant threat – it is here already. And yet our governments are supporting ever more fossil fuel extraction and doing far too little. That’s why, just before a crucial UN climate summit, children all over the world are taking to the streets, and calling on everyone to join them. With right wing climate change deniers presiding over so many powerful world states our participation on the streets to force change is more important than ever.

Youth Strike for Climate are calling on adults to do everything they can to support their big global action on Friday 20th September. In Leeds, they will be meeting in Millennium Square and marching round the city, followed by speeches and music back in Millennium Square. We (UCU, Unison and Unite) are meeting at the Parkinson steps with placards and banners, and marching down to Millennium Square, leaving at 12 noon sharp so we can join the youth march at 12:15. We’ve been asked to bring alarm clocks, to set them off at 1pm, to sound the alarm about the climate emergency. Leeds University Union have agreed to publicise the march to students. So all together, we hope to get a great crowd. Please spread the word!

We’re having a placard making session for this at lunchtime (1-2 pm) on Tuesday 17th September in 7.52 EC Stoner building – paints and blank placards provided.

There may also be an Extinction Rebellion Leeds event later in the day – keep an eye on their Facebook page if you’d like to get involved.

If you can’t join the march, you can chat with Sustainability about ideas for improving the university’s carbon footprint, or you could spend the 30 minutes on some online activism.

UCU nationally has strong policies on climate, divestment and just transition (see for example the motions passed at this year’s Congress) and is committed to campaigning and lobbying on these issues. Our General Secretary, Jo Grady, is speaking about this at the TUC Congress this week. You’ll remember that at our Leeds General Meeting in May we passed motions calling on the University to declare a climate emergency and to divest from fossil fuels, and we’re hoping that the calls from staff and students about this will be heeded soon. We’ve set up a new ‘Climate and ecological emergency’ working group to do more at branch level. If you’d like to get involved with this work please contact ucu@leeds.ac.uk.

We’d also encourage members to attend the Leeds TUC Regional Conference on Climate change on 19th October, to look at how trade unions can meet the challenge of the climate emergency. See full details and and registration (which is free).

2019/20 pay offer to be implemented in September

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Text from branch president Ben Plumpton’s email to members

You’ll have seen today’s email to [Allstaff] about the pay offer. In case the mention of 3.65% rises had you feeling hopeful, note that this was only for scale points 2 and 3. From Grade 5 upwards it’ll be just 1.8%. Suggesting that increments are a form of wage rise is also misleading – this is an entirely different matter.  Many people are stuck at the top of their scales anyway and so won’t get any increment.

A 1.8% rise is a pretty poor in comparison to average wage rise growth in the UK, currently at 3.9% (see for example https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/aug/13/uk-wages-rise-at-fastest-rate-for-a-decade-despite-brexit-risks) The value of our salaries has fallen by over 20% since 2009 as a consequence of below inflation increases for many years, and whilst this is just one concern among many that we have about our working conditions, it is a critical indication of the worth that universities like ours place on their staff.  You will also have realised that the extra pension contributions from October (see my email yesterday) will instantly eat up almost all of this pay “rise”.

Vitally important parts of our annual pay and conditions claim concerned pay inequality, casualisation, and excessive workloads.  All of these are significant problems at Leeds. We had hoped that this year, the employers’ side (represented by UCEA) would negotiate sensible national agreements on these issues which matter so much to staff, often more so than pay.  This has not happened – they were unwilling to discuss these issues meaningfully.

UCU has made every possible effort to negotiate both on pay & equality and on pensions, but employers have been intransigent.  So your union is preparing to ballot for industrial action on both issues. As Jo Grady, our new UCU General Secretary, said:

“By standing up for pensions, pay, equality and job security, we are defending not just ourselves but our profession. The sector’s income has increased by a third since the beginning of the financial crisis, and that is thanks to our hard work in an incredibly difficult environment. How have employers rewarded us? With intensifying casualisation, wage suppression, and pension cuts. Some of us may not feel the effects of cuts and inequalities directly, but we can all appreciate what they do to our colleagues. Securing national agreements on these things is the most efficient way to make the sector fairer, more inclusive, and more appealing to future generations of university staff.”

So, when your ballot papers arrive in early September, please be ready to vote Yes for industrial action on pay & equality as well as on pensions.

Latest updates on the national negotiations about pay and equality are here: https://ucu.org.uk/he2019

Protests against proroguing Parliament

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

If you’re angry about the prorogation of Parliament, you can join the upcoming protests in Leeds:

  1. This evening, from 5:30pm at City Square organised by Leeds for Europe
    https://www.facebook.com/events/2371865616404873/
  2. Saturday at 11am, Leeds Town Hall, organised by Alex Sobel MP, Leeds TUC and Another Europe is Possible, at which Vicky Blake will be speaking for UCU
    https://www.facebook.com/events/431073174172423/

USS update – Changes to your USS contributions

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Text from branch president Ben Plumpton’s email to members

If you pay into a USS pension you will have received an email today from the university’s pensions manager, informing you that your pension contribution will increase to 9.6% of your salary from 1 October 2019 until October 2021. This is up from the current 8.8% and the 8% that it was before the USS pensions dispute began. This will impact on your take-home pay, erasing any uplift from the inadequate 1.8% pay offer, and the increased contributions will do nothing to increase your projected pension.

The email from USS, forwarded by the university’s pensions manager, presents this as a decision of the Joint Negotiating Committee, but in reality the JNC was firmly split on the matter and it was the chair’s casting vote that set the new situation in motion. This response to the USS’s 2018 valuation is a wholesale rejection of the proposed solutions presented by the Joint Expert Panel last year.

Your union’s position remains that the employers should shoulder any additional costs of maintaining our benefits. We will be balloting for industrial action on pensions soon.  When your ballot papers arrive, we would ask you to consider who is to blame for the position we now find ourselves in. Sam Marsh’s recent USSbriefs blog should leave you in no doubt: https://medium.com/ussbriefs/the-2018-uss-valuation-a-wholesale-rejection-of-the-joint-expert-panels-report-ed5241f4a153

Also see the UCU Open Letter to all USS pension scheme members at www.leedsucu.org.uk/open-letter-to-all-uss-pension-scheme-members/

Please share this with colleagues who are not union members but pay into a USS pension, and encourage them to join their union to do something about these unwarranted contribution increases and to defend their pension.

Oh, and PS, if you haven’t already done so, could you check your postal address on myUCU to make sure your ballot papers come to the right address? (www.ucu.org.uk   and click the pink button top right). Thank you.

Cheers,
Ben

USS pension justice. We demand it. Image of two raised fists, blue and white, pink background.

USS pensions – negotiations outcome

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by
USS pension justice. We demand it. Image of two raised fists, blue and white, pink background.

From email to members from branch president Ben Plumpton

Employers have voted (22 August) to increase our USS pension contributions from 8.8% of salary now (8% until recently) to 9.6% in October and 11% next October. They have rejected the key finding of Joint Expert Panel (which they set up with UCU) that there is no need to increase pension contributions to keep the scheme in good health.

UCU has a brilliant negotiating team, chaired by our own Vicky Blake and including the great Sam Marsh from Sheffield, who worked long and tirelessly to avoid this outcome. They tried extremely hard to persuade the employers to compromise and listen to the evidence, but the employers seem determined to force staff to pay more. The ‘independent’ chair’s casting vote at the USS Joint Negotiating Committee enabled the increased contributions proposal to be pushed through.

It seems that the only language employers will pay attention to is strikes. So UCU will be balloting for industrial action in September/October. A strong ‘Yes’ vote may be enough to pull the employers back to negotiating properly. I think the employers know that strikes would be effective, because apparently they tried to get UCU to agree to a ban on strikes for 2 years in return for a slightly lower increase in contributions!  If, like me, you are annoyed by this, please download a poster from here https://ucu.org.uk/strikeforuss and put it up on your door or somewhere public.

Vicky Blake (UCU Vice President) said “It’s a real shame that after what felt like considerable progress, our employers have once again failed to hold the USS executive to account, and have moved to impose utterly unjustified, unfair costs upon ordinary members. It does not have to be like this. We will keep fighting for fair pensions.” So, please get ready to vote! And please share this information with colleagues who pay into a USS pension.

More details in this Twitter thread and on the UCU website news