University of Leeds Local Association Committee

1pm-2pm, Tuesday 20 October 2015

Venue: Baines Wing G.03

Minutes

Present: Mark Taylor-Batty (President), Ben Plumpton, Mark Walkley, Nick Efford, Steve Lax, Tim Goodall, Paul Steenson, Lesley McCorrigan, Elwyn Isaac, Neil Maughan, Brendon Nicholls, Hugh Hubbard, Alan Smith (administrator)

1. Apologies: Malcolm Povey, Steven French, Ann Blair, Jeremy Toner, Andy West, Vicky Blake, Gabriella Alberti, Nigel Bubb
2. Minutes agreed with following amendments: Mark Taylor-Batty, Andy West and Alan Smith were present
3. Matters arising
   Co-option of anti-casualisation rep: no nominations received
   Website: exploring options available in UCU hosted site
   Motions to the October General Meeting: committee motions on the refugee crisis and Prevent were carried. Lesley to work with the action group to progress actions.
4. RIS (Research Innovations Service)
   Mark Taylor-Batty reported on issues. Possible concerns raised about fixed-term contracts, HEIF funded. To review the position in November.
5. Annual leave
   Update on employer proposal to take 8 days annual leave from small number of former Bretton Hall staff who came to University of Leeds with TUPE protected conditions, to ‘normalise’ their contracts. No apparent problem that this proposal is needed to solve. UCU will oppose.
6. Facilities money
   Approved use of facilities for: mobile phones for union use by Brendon and Alan; approved previous use for funding for unique situation where there was a problem with facilities money not being passed by the management from one University department to another; spare banner poles; current Law At Work books for caseworkers; a tablecloth for recruitment stalls.
   Committee resolved to ensure that the list of equipment purchased with facilities money over the last year was up to date.
   Discussed whether rules for approval of facilities spending should be changed to prior approval by committee. The committee agreed to return to this at the next meeting to consider a form of words.

7. USS
   The latest issues were discussed.
8. Promotions
   A paper has been put to the university senate by management which UCU has not been consulted on. Mark has written to management to express our dissatisfaction with this. Management have replied that only the ‘direction of travel’ was agreed by senate.
   Agreed we will put University of Leeds forward as a test case to UCU on job roles.
9. Pay campaign
   Discussed pay campaign. Suggestions include continuing to focus on lower pay grades, putting pay briefings out as mini leaflets and short campaign videos, and a question about whether we should push for salaries to be open.
10. ‘Customers off campus’
    Agreed to run a low-level campaign that we are ‘colleagues’ and ‘students’ not ‘customers’.
11. Newsletter
    Agreed to print small pile for reps to leave on coffee tables.
12. Spare banner poles
    Agreed to explore suppliers and purchase.
13. Recruitment stalls
    Agreed Ben and Alan will do stalls preferably with departmental reps. To seek approval of local manager where appropriate. Agreed to buy a tablecloth in a UCU colour for this.
14. Any other business
    Concerns raised over extra-procedural performance management activity in one area. Brendon to raise concerns.