Proposed changes to Statutes – new grounds to dismiss staff

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Update 16 December:  University HR have circulated an email about this to all staff today entitled “Proposed changes to Statute”.  Leeds UCU would be grateful to hear your response to this email – please email your thoughts to leedsuniucu@gmail.com  

The university’s Statutes are part of the terms and conditions of academic and academic-related staff.  They set out  the procedures for redundancy, grievance, discipline  and dismissal, including  appeals. UCU has been negotiating with the university management for some time over updates to Statutes, and some progress has been made.  However, management has recently introduced a new grounds for dismissal – “some other substantial reason” – which will make it much easier for the university to dismiss people for any reason.  What a way to celebrate being University of the Year!  It doesn’t entirely chime with the VC saying one of the contributors to that award was  “unparalleled investments in our staff”.

The current Statutes are at www.leeds.ac.uk/secretariat/statutes.html

What does  “some other substantial reason” (SOSR) mean?  It could be anything including cases where there is a personality clash, raising insufficient funding or not publishing enough, or simply that an individual no longer fits the academic interests of a department. Or perhaps the university is thinking of dismissing teaching staff without a PhD, or research staff who they think will not achieve a high enough score in the next REF.  The examples the university has given where this might be used are: if a member of staff loses their driving licence, issues from a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, conflict of interest and third party pressure. The last two are quite alarming! Third party pressure might mean for example if your research findings didn’t suit the commercial interests of a company who funds a major research project.

Leeds UCU has rejected this addition to Statutes, and so has UCU’s national Ratification Panel, who have to ratify significant changes to terms and conditions before the union can agree to them.  We and the Ratification Panel also have several other significant concerns about the proposed new Statutes, see table below.

The university has nevertheless sent the proposed new Statutes to Senate and Council, with some vague wording about ‘subject to minor textual amendments’. We feel this was a completely inaccurate representation of the ongoing negotiations, and deliberately hid the major issues we are concerned about.  The next step is for the Statutes to go before the Privy Council, a parliamentary body which essentially acts as a rubber stamp.  Management intend this to happen before Christmas.

The university has told us that they only plan to use SOSR in exceptional circumstances, but Statutes contain the fundamental constitutional and governance provisions of the University, underpinning your terms and conditions of employment.  This matter is too significant to leave to verbal assurances, and who knows what might happen when the senior officers of the university change?

A packed UCU local branch general meeting on 6th December  voted unanimously to record a failure to agree and go into dispute if the university refuses to continue to negotiate with us, and specifically if SOSR is not removed.  The university is well aware that we are willing to continue with negotiations, so we hope they will stop this headlong rush to drastically worsen your terms and conditions.

Members please check your UCU emails for the actions we would like you to help us with at this stage.  And please discuss this issue with colleagues who may not be aware that the university is trying to worsen their terms and conditions.  Many staff have contacted Leeds UCU to express their outrage at this, and the first step to getting involved in campaigning is to join the union, which is easy to do at www.ucu.org.uk/join

The Leeds UCU Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/leedsucu will have ongoing comments and imagery which we’d be grateful if you could retweet.

More details – comparison of current and proposed Statutes

The most significant differences are highlighted in the table below:

Current Statutes Proposed new Statutes
Removal for incapacity on ill health grounds:

If the member of staff does not agree that their contract should be terminated on medical grounds, the issue is referred to a Board with a medically qualified chair.

 Member invited to informal meeting.  There is no provision for a medically qualified chair at this meeting.
Appeals against dismissal

At the appeal stage, the person appointed to hear and determine that appeal “are persons not employed by the University holding, or having held, judicial office or being barristers or solicitors of at least ten years’ standing.”

 The membership of the panel shall include the Vice Chancellor (or Deputy Vice Chancellor) plus one lay member of the Council and a member of the Senate (no mention of legal qualifications).  There is no provision for an independent and legally qualified practitioner.
Dismissal on grounds of ‘some other substantial reason’ not included Dismissal on grounds of ‘some other substantial reason’ included.  No specific examples have been included but this could include: conflict of interest; personality clash; third party pressure; not having a PhD or; criticising management

University wants to add a new reason for dismissal – any reason!

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Multiple choice question, check all that apply.

Q1. What are the grounds for dismissal at the University of Leeds?

☑ Incapable
☑ Misconduct
☑ Ill-health
☑ Redundancy
 ?  Some [read ‘any’] other substantial reason

The university wants to add a new reason for dismissal ‘some other substantial reason’ to our Statutes, which would make it easier to dismiss people for any reason. For example, a conflict of interest or personality clash, third party pressure, raising insufficient funding, not publishing enough, not having a PhD, or criticising management.
UCU opposes this and we want your views on what to do next.

Members please come to the General Meeting, Tuesday 6 December, 1pm-2pm, Roger Stevens lecture theatre 14.

Non-members please join!
ucu.org.uk/join

Our migration and free movement motion passed by UCU NEC

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

At our all members general meeting on 29 September we agreed to send a motion to the UCU national executive committee (NEC) on migration.

The union’s NEC met on 25 of October. Brexit, anti-immigrant scapegoating and the normalisation of racism were a major topic of discussion. The NEC condemned the popularisation of racism by the Tory government and their supporters. Some delegates argued too many in the trade union and labour movement are pandering to these ideas by accepting immigration to be a ‘problem’ and ‘controlling numbers’ being the answer.

NEC overwhelmingly passed the motion to make the defence of free movement of labour central to our defence of EU migrants and migrant workers more generally. It was suggested that branches should use this motion to link up with the Campaign for the Free Movement of Labour post Brexit and to mobilise for the one-day strike called by the ‘A day without us’ campaign.

Motions supporting the Stand Up to Racism trade union conference on 4 February and demonstration on 18 March were also passed. Both are also supported by the TUC.

Full text of the motion from our local association reads:
(Several branches submitted similar motions on this issue; this is the motion submitted by us, the wording of the motion passed by the NEC may vary from this.)

The UCU local association notes that existing UCU policy on migration and labour markets recognises the social, cultural and economic value of migration and opposes all forms of racism and the Points-Based Immigration Scheme. By approving motion 5 at the last congress 2016, UCU has asserted its commitment to “campaign with other trade unions, NUS and community groups for the overthrow of restrictive legislation which affects international students and staff and no change in the immigration status of EU residents if UK leaves EU (point 7: “Treatment of international staff and students at the last UCU congress”).  This policy, however, does not explicitly refer to a commitment to defend the free movement of labour, including for all workers in higher education.

The UCU local association further notes that the existing free movement of labour within the European Economic Area (EEA) is seriously threatened by the EU referendum vote to leave. If this is ended, EEA staff will be drawn under the Points-Based Immigration Scheme, meaning that they will be subject to the same continual visa restrictions, employer-sponsorship arrangements, and monitoring mechanisms that our international colleagues already face. Similar barriers will likely be placed on UK nationals living in or moving to the EEA.

The UCU local association believes that the end of freedom of movement of labour would represent a significant worsening of the condition of present and future EEA staff in the UK. Any restrictions on freedom of movement of labour, and our right to work without discrimination based on nationality, will put increasing competitive pressure on EEA staff, and thus affect staff as a whole and weaken our union. It will also have a detrimental effect on the educational experience and academic life, which are critically enriched by the intellectual and cultural contribution made by the international staff and students.

The UCU local association] therefore agrees that, while continuing to campaign against the Points-Based Immigration Scheme, we must defend existing free movement arrangements, both within and without the EEA.

The UCU local association resolves urgently to:

  1. campaign for free movement of labour and opposition to the Points-Based Immigration Scheme
  2. campaign for an up-front guarantee for existing EU/EEA citizens in the UK to stay
  3. campaign for protection for EU research funding and EU students
  4. campaign for full recognition of workers’ rights throughout EU withdrawal negotiations, including for non-academic staff
  5. promote planned solidarity activity with non-EU colleagues at campus level to demand improvement of immigration support for all non-UK staff

The local association further resolves to lobby our Vice Chancellor to commit publicly to and do whatever possible to:

  • Permanently guarantee that for the indefinite future there will be no change in the employment or student status of any current EU/EEA Member State and Candidate Country staff and students arising from any change introduced as a consequence of the Brexit negotiations.
  • Permanently guarantee that for the indefinite future this university/college will not implement any changes in the academic qualification, residential or fee conditions concerning students applying from EU member states and Norway or Switzerland, whatever the results of the Brexit negotiations.
  • Campaign as a major European country to maintain free movement of labour and people across all 28 current EU Member States.
  • Meet with the UCU, UNISON and other trade unions within the university/college to discuss the most effective ways of jointly campaigning for the right to remain for all EU workers and students living in the UK and to maintain Freedom of Movement of Labour across the current 28 EU Member States.

The UCU local association also resolves

  • to publicise the fact that this motion has been passed and encourage other UCU branches to do likewise
  • to submit this motion, when passed, to the National Executive Committee of UCU
  • to liaise with other branches regarding submitting a version of this motion to UCU Congress 2017

Submitted by the committee, moved by Gabriella Alberti, text is as amended by the general meeting. The motion was passed with no votes against by the University of Leeds local association all-members general meeting on 29 September 2016.

Calling for a £500 thank you for delivering for the university

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

The University of Leeds is the Times and Sunday Times University of the Year 2017. We’re proud of that, and we’re proud of the excellent work we do here.

The three staff unions – UCU, Unison and Unite – wrote jointly to the Vice-Chancellor to ask for a thank you for all our hard work. We suggested a flat payment of £500 before Christmas would be a welcome way to thank staff for our collective achievement.

The Vice-Chancellor subsequently emailed staff about giving an extra day’s annual leave as a thank you.

If the university management had discussed this idea with us first we could have warned them that many people would be disappointed or even angered by the suggestion (as proved the case) because they already feel they have to not take all of their annual leave each year because of their workloads, or if they do take an extra day the work will still be there for them on their return.

We have discussed the concerns members raised with us with the Vice-Chancellor.

The three unions have agreed to ask all union members to sign a petition requesting a £500 bonus.

Please sign!  You can sign on paper (many copies are circulating) or sign online below:

University of the Year pay reward

To: Sir Alan Langlands

We the undersigned believe it is right to reward hard work. Staff at the University of Leeds have made this institution the number one university in the country. We achieved this despite pay devaluation over several years. We believe we should be rewarded for bringing the University of Leeds to its current celebrated status.

We welcome the offer of an extra day of annual leave, but we know that some members of staff struggle to take the leave they are already allocated, already work while on annual leave, or would come back to find their work still waiting them on their return.

With the support of the three recognised campus trade unions, we ask that all staff, across the board, are given a bonus of £500 in time for Christmas, either in their salary or via BACS transfer. We know this university is in a healthy financial position and could afford more than this, but we believe that £500 represents a fair thank you for this achievement, as it did at other institutions who gained the same status.

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Free Movement motion passed

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

The motion below was passed unanimously at the Leeds UCU General Meeting on 29th September:

“The UCU local association notes that existing UCU policy on migration and labour markets recognises the social, cultural and economic value of migration and opposes all forms of racism and the Points-Based Immigration Scheme. By approving motion 5 at the last congress 2016, UCU has asserted its commitment to “campaign with other trade unions, NUS and community groups for the overthrow of restrictive legislation which affects international students and staff and no change in the immigration status of EU residents if UK leaves EU (point 7: “Treatment of international staff and students at the last UCU congress”). This policy, however, does not explicitly refer to a commitment to defend the free movement of labour, including for all workers in higher education.

The UCU local association further notes that the existing free movement of labour within the European Economic Area (EEA) is seriously threatened by the EU referendum vote to leave. If this is ended, EEA staff will be drawn under the Points-Based Immigration Scheme, meaning that they will be subject to the same continual visa restrictions, employer-sponsorship arrangements, and monitoring mechanisms that our international colleagues already face. Similar barriers will likely be placed on UK nationals living in or moving to the EEA.

The UCU local association believes that the end of freedom of movement of labour would represent a significant worsening of the condition of present and future EEA staff in the UK. Any restrictions on freedom of movement of labour, and our right to work without discrimination based on nationality, will put increasing competitive pressure on EEA staff, and thus affect staff as a whole and weaken our union. It will also have a detrimental effect on the educational experience and academic life, which are critically enriched by the intellectual and cultural contribution made by the international staff and students.

The UCU local association] therefore agrees that, while continuing to campaign against the Points-Based Immigration Scheme, we must defend existing free movement arrangements, both within and without the EEA.

The UCU local association resolves urgently to:

  1. campaign for free movement of labour and opposition to the Points-Based Immigration Scheme
  2. campaign for an up-front guarantee for existing EU/EEA citizens in the UK to stay
  3. campaign for protection for EU research funding and EU students
  4. campaign for full recognition of workers’ rights throughout EU withdrawal negotiations, including for non-academic staff
  5. promote planned solidarity activity with non-EU colleagues at campus level to demand improvement of immigration support for all non-UK staff.

The local association further resolves to lobby our Vice Chancellor to commit publicly to and do whatever possible to:

  • Permanently guarantee that for the indefinite future there will be no change in the employment or student status of any current EU/EEA Member State and Candidate Country staff and students arising from any change introduced as a consequence of the Brexit negotiations.
  • Permanently guarantee that for the indefinite future this university/college will not implement any changes in the academic qualification, residential or fee conditions concerning students applying from EU member states and Norway or Switzerland, whatever the results of the Brexit negotiations.
  • Campaign as a major European country to maintain free movement of labour and people across all 28 current EU Member States.
  • Meet with the UCU, UNISON and other trade unions within the university/college to discuss the most effective ways of jointly campaigning for the right to remain for all EU workers and students living in the UK and to maintain Freedom of Movement of Labour across the current 28 EU Member States.

The UCU local association also resolves:

  • to publicise the fact that this motion has been passed and encourage other UCU branches to do likewise
  • to submit this motion, when passed, to the National Executive Committee of UCU
  • to liaise with other branches regarding submitting a version of this motion to UCU Congress 2017.”

More information about the wider national campaign here: https://freemovementlabour.wordpress.com

UCU consultation on higher education pay

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

UCU members will receive an email from national UCU with a link to a form to fill in to indicate your views on the next steps in the pay dispute. Is 1.1% (plus some talks on gender equality and casualisation) enough or should we continue the industrial action?  This is not formally a vote on whether to accept the employers offer, but the outcome will be used by the union to decide on next steps. Here’s what the Leeds UCU committee recommend:

consultation

The general feeling of the Leeds UCU committee was one of disappointment that a small majority of the national union’s higher education committee is considering backing down on taking action. We don’t believe that the promised ‘working together’ on the gender pay gap and on reducing casual contracts is strong enough. The national union has been engaged in joint working on issues of gender equality and casual contracts with the employer in the past. This work, while laudable, has generated a series of reports but little real action.

The union’s claim is for a 5% increase to address a 14.5% cut in pay since 2009. When the national average vice-chancellor pay rose by 6.1% last year, why should we accept 1.1%? In offering 1.1%, our employer (UCEA) rejects the Retail Price Index (RPI, currently around 2.0-2.2%) as a statistically unsound measure yet argues for an RPI-based increase in tuition fees.

The recent victories at Coventry University (where staff who were put on FutureWorks agency contracts will now be offered Coventry University Services employment contracts and UCU will once again be recognised for those staff) and at Hull College (where 142 staff were threatened with redundancy but, following negotiation with UCU, the college has confirmed that it no longer plans to make any UCU members compulsorily redundant) show that we can win with a nationwide campaign of solidarity.

If we start a campaign, we need to see it through to the end.

The Leeds UCU committee recommends the following:
1. Do you consider the UCEA revised offer to be a sufficient basis for further detailed joint work……No
2. Are you prepared to take sustained industrial action to improve an unsatisfactory offer? Yes

The second question turns on what type of action would be needed to shift the employers to put more into the pay bill to arrest a real-terms reduction in pay. If the majority of members voting decide to vote YES to the second question, then the union will call an exam marking boycott in the New Year and some focused strike action to build up to that boycott. (NB the national union has confirmed that the action on external examiners and work to contract still applies until further notice).

Above all, the Leeds UCU committee encourages members to use this opportunity to make your views known.

Brexit – open meeting

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Consequences of the EU referendum result

An open meeting to discuss the effects of the referendum result for university staff and what we can do to support each other.

All welcome: EU / UK / international, union members and non-members.

Wednesday 19 October, 1pm – 2pm
Baines Wing seminar room 2.10

 

 

#WeShallOvercome gig 6 October

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

UCU is supporting this excellent event in Leeds which is raising money and collecting food for three fantastic organisations who work with people worst hit by austerity and cuts in the Leeds area:

  • Leeds South and East Food Bank
  • Simon on the Streets
  • PAFRAS (Positive Action For Refugees and Asylum Seekers)

There are 5 bands who are donating their time, so is the venue, so that all proceeds go towards the good causes. Bring food bank items and donate as you can to enter. The gig starts at 7 pm at Temple Of Boom, Millwright St, Leeds, LS2 7QG. More details at https://www.facebook.com/events/1590328084605191/

Support our IT services

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

As members of the University of Leeds community, we are concerned about the current IT reorganisation. We believe that:

  • the loss of experienced IT staff and management focus on the reorganisation is contributing to problems with IT services
  • research, teaching and administrative needs should drive IT planning, not cost-cutting
  • there should be consultation with staff at all levels about IT plans
  • experienced and skilled IT staff are extremely valuable to the university and should be supported and retained
  • there should be no compulsory/forced redundancies and no downgrading of IT staff or roles as a result of the reorganisation
  • there should be no further outsourcing of IT services and a review of those that are currently outsourced
  • the spend on consultants is a drain on the budget

Support our IT services

As members of the University of Leeds community, we are concerned about the current IT reorganisation. We believe that:

  • the loss of experienced IT staff and management focus on the reorganisation is contributing to problems with IT services
  • research, teaching and administrative needs should drive IT planning, not cost-cutting
  • there should be consultation with staff at all levels about IT plans
  • experienced and skilled IT staff are extremely valuable to the university and should be supported and retained
  • there should be no compulsory/forced redundancies and no downgrading of IT staff or roles as a result of the reorganisation
  • there should be no further outsourcing of IT services and a review of those that are currently outsourced
  • the spend on consultants is a drain on the IT budget

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UCU news – University of Leeds local association newsletter Sept/Oct

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

The latest newsletter for members of UCU University of Leeds local association is available now.

You can download a PDF version at: leedsucunewsletterseptoct2016

Text-only version below:

2016 Pay claim

The derisory 1.1% ‘final offer’ will be imposed in our September pay – but don’t be fooled, the unions have not agreed it and the dispute continues. Unison have recently voted for industrial action too, so we hope to coordinate action over the next months for maximum effect.

Prospective students and parents at the Open Day were shocked by the gender pay gap and the casualisation situation, and supported our campaign. We also pointed out that vice chancellors enjoyed an average 6.1% pay rise last year.

Remember we’ve suffered below inflation pay rises every year since 2009 except in 2014 when we took strike action. The pay claim also seeks substantive action (not just words) on the gender pay gap (12.6%) and on casualisation (to reduce fixed term/zero hours contracts). Universities can clearly afford more – the sector as a whole has over £1 billion in operating surpluses, and Leeds salted away £57 million last year.

Brexit – Open Meeting

Wednesday 19 October 1-2 pm
Baines Wing SR2.10
Consequences of the EU Referendum Result All welcome (EU/UK/international, union members and non-members) to discuss the effects of the referendum result and what we can do to support you.

Policy negotiations

At present, UCU is negotiating on behalf of members on new university policies on:

  • Promotions (academic & academic-related)
  • Statute VII (disciplinary, ill health, grievance, capability, etc.)
  • ‘Rewards’ and ‘Leadership Development’
  • Working in partnership with the university
  • Organizational change (the formal mechanism for protecting jobs and terms/conditions during restructures)

Your UCU negotiators scrutinise new policy, consult the UCU committee, draft and negotiate changes, check them against national policy with UCU officials, and finally sign off agreed policies in the Joint Committee of the University and the UCU.  It’s a huge amount of work, but very important to ensure staff are treated fairly.

UCU members volunteer in Calais

During her fortnight in the ‘jungle’ refugee camp in July, Lesley, our branch Campaigns Officer, chronicled the experience in a blog:  www.calaiscalling.wordpress.com

“I hope this blog may inspire and provide confidence for you to visit the camps to deliver supplies, teach, or raise desperately needed funds. My goal is to be part of collective solidarity offering strength and hope to the refugees.”

UCU is hosting Eyewitness report from the Calais ‘jungle’ refugee camp with UCU members Lesley McGorrigan and Jeremy Toner:
Wednesday 5 October, 1-2 pm, Roger Stevens LT10. All welcome.
You can donate at www.care4calais.org

Lecture capture

A reminder that university policy is that you can opt out of having your lectures captured without having to give any reason.  We have heard worrying examples of schools not adhering to this policy – please get in touch if you have concerns.

IT reorganisation

Major change is underway in IT and UCU is focusing on protecting the conditions of our IT staff (avoiding redundancy or downgrading) and ensuring that appropriate IT support is available to all staff across the university. We recorded a ‘failure to agree’, and ensured the reorganisation will be dealt with through the full Employment Security Review Group process. Although we didn’t agree to phase 1 of the restructure, we were able to reach an understanding about its completion, so we can negotiate over phase 2 during this academic year. Please get in touch with any issues, including non-IT staff who may be concerned about specialist IT services.

What we did in 2015-16

A lot happened last year!

  • We represented members in 60 new cases and worked to avoid redundancies or staff detriment in departmental reorganisations.
  • We held open meetings and campaigned on workload, women in the union, anti casualisation, ‘Prevent’, challenging racism, and the government Green Paper on HE.
  • We played an active part in the national pay dispute (see above) including sending the VC a Valentine’s card saying how much we’d love a fair pay rise, appearing on Radio Leeds, publicising the ‘additional’ pay rise for very senior staff last year, and much more.

All members are welcome to get involved in UCU activities, including Action Group which works on campaigns. Contact us to find out more.

 UCU stalls – coming to you!

We’ve been taking stalls round campus – here we are in Computing talking to Lucie the robot:

Each school or service should have at least one UCU rep – they keep you informed and can tell you who to talk to if you have problems. The list of reps is at http://ow.ly/WYIKs  If there isn’t a rep in your area, why not volunteer? Training can be provided.

Leeds UCU General Meetings

The next GMs are on Thursday 29 September and Tuesday 6 December, both 1-2 pm (see emails for venue). All members welcome.

Help us recruit!

The more members we have the better we can defend members when there are problems. Could you talk to a colleague about joining? The most common reason for not being a member is never having been asked! Some good reasons to join are at www.ucu.org.uk/findoutmore

In these difficult times, university staff have never needed a union’s protection more.  It’s easy to join at https://join.ucu.org.uk

Contact us:

Email: ucu@leeds.ac.uk
Phone 0113 343 5904 (internal 35904)
Web: www.leedsucu.org.uk

Twitter: @leedsucu
Post: UCU Office, Room 751, EC Stoner bldg.