The University has now refused several opportunities to withdraw their threat to deduct pay for failure to reschedule teaching. They have stated that they do not currently envisage deductions being made from anyone at the moment but the threat remains live, including in relation to lost events due to the most recent days of action. This continuation of a threatening and intimidatory approach to staff means that branch policy to not report strike action via ESS still stands. Many things which the union calls members to do, including strike action and some forms of action short of a strike, are technical breaches of contract – we ask members to stick together in collective solidarity on this in protest at the University’s appalling attitude. Despite multiple conversations, I am not at all sure that management and HR have been prepared to take on board as yet how upset staff are about this and how harmful this action is to our reputation. Please help us make this point more clearly: our petition protesting this now has over 1200 signatures – please sign if you have not already done so and circulate in your networks. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeZdfHlCjAGHfAE025MWJEMPgM5xBVJdsoa_50v79dKn7ObXQ/viewform

Please note, however, that if you are asked directly by your line manager if you took strike action, you should answer honestly. This would include being asked in a conversation or via an email written to you personally (not a mass email).

A reminder that the branch position is that you should reply to any request regarding missed student education activity, but take the longest possible time to do so. Please contact your local rep and/or ucu@leeds.ac.uk if your line manager threatens you with pay deductions.

This post is from an email sent to members by branch president Chloe Wallace on Thursday 30 March 2023