UCU Hardship + Fighting Fund Scenarios:

These scenarios illustrate the ways in which our Local Hardship Fund and National 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 15 February General Meeting which explains how the National Fighting Fund and the Local Hardship Fund work. That’s here: https://www.leedsucu.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Emergency-motion-hardship-fund-1.docx

Additional guidance (to be taken in conjunction with advice on this page) is [here] and [here].

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)

 

The first 3/5^th of a week’s pay (so three 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 £50 per member and £500 over the 14 days of strike. BUT our local hardship fund will also be able to pay out up to £50 per day / £500 overall, kicking in for those worst affected by strike deductions in the first 3 days. So, an hourly paid member (e.g. TA) should make claims from the local hardship fund to begin with, and then the national fighting fund from after 3/5^th income has gone. But if you lose more than £50 per day, you then have access to both, starting from Day 4 or the point at which 3/5^th has been deducted.

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: 2 days of action

Monday: hours to the value of £50
Tuesday: no hours
Wednesday: hours to the value of £50
Thursday: hours to the value of £50 (BUT STRIKE)
Friday: no hours (BUT STRIKE)

Their total weekly pay they’d have been due that week is £150. £50 of that has gone because of strike deductions, so that’s under 3/5^th of their weekly earnings. BUT because UCU has prioritised supporting hourly paid and precarious and otherwise financially vulnerable folks, that £50 is covered by the local hardship fund and they should claim, explaining their circumstances. They continue claiming from local funds til they hit 3/5^th loss (probably early the following week if their week followed the same hourly pattern). For example—:

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 £50 (BUT STRIKE)
Thursday: hours to the value of £50
Friday: no hours

The member hit the 3/5^th of their weekly earnings point in the previous week. As there is a cap of £50 per day from the national fund, in week two Member McStrike is able to claim all losses from this week from the national fighting fund. If they had gone over £50 of losses per day, we would help them to coordinate claims in this week from a combination of the national fighting fund and the local hardship fund. In this example the member claims £50 from the national fund on each day.

Now we’re heading into Week 3, but Member McStrike was due to have a different work pattern (e.g. because of extra contact time or office hours, etc):

WEEK THREE: 4 days of action
Monday: hours to the value of £60 (BUT STRIKE)
Tuesday: hours to the value of £80 (BUT STRIKE)
Wednesday: hours to the value of £20 (BUT STRIKE)
Thursday: hours to the value of £50 (BUT STRIKE)
Friday: no hours

On Monday and Tuesday of this example week the member would claim from a combination of both local and national funds (we would help coordinate this). On Wednesday and Thursday it’s probably coming out of the national fund, but again as above, we might make some decisions as we go about the practicalities of getting members the money from these claims from one or the other—but it would be sorted).

And so on…

N.B. We have permission from UCU HQ to waive the £50 daily cap for the local Hardship Fund such that we can decide to support a member in hardship who is actually only paid on the day of teaching but does the work across other days and can spread the daily limit to those other days. This means that if you were due to earn over (for example) £150 on one strike day, and have other days where you don’t work, we will be allowed to take the way your “earnings week” is scrunched up in a way that is different for full time, salaried staff.

E.g. WEEK ONE: 2 days of action

Monday: hours to the value of £50
Tuesday: no hours
Wednesday: no hours
Thursday: hours to the value of £150 (BUT STRIKE)
Friday: no hours (BUT STRIKE)

In this situation the local hardship fund could pay you up to £150 for the Thursday. We will still be subject to the overall cap of £500 per member for the local fund, but between that and the fact the National Fund will kick in at the 3/5^th of lost earnings point, we hope significant reassurance is there for hourly paid staff. We have also been advised that once the 3/5^th of a working week qualifying period ceases to be a factor in agreeing claims (as the strike process extends into the future) there may be more flexibility in the daily cap at national level too, which would allow them to take those “scrunched weeks” into account.

2. 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
   

 

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 days 1-3 locally up to the cap of £50 per day, and they will still be able to claim from day 4 nationally 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 4 (with a cap of £50 per day) then the branch can assess them for extra provision, but noting this will be capped at £50 per day and can take the member to no more than they would have earned per day (for HMRC compliance), and that there is a £500 overall cap at branch level too.

3. Part time, permanent contract; 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 3/5^th of a week’s pay (three days for anyone full time / salaried, but possibly a different period for part-time Member Solidarity) would usually need to have been lost for someone to claim from the national Fighting Fund. For someone part time, the national fund may kick in before the ‘Day 4’ point that is in place for full-time salaried members. The National Fighting Fund has a daily cap of £50 per member and £500 over the 14 days of strike.

BUT our local hardship fund will also be able to pay out up to £50 per day / £500 overall, kicking in for those worst affected by strike deductions in the first 3 days. So, a part-time member who will be seriously financially affected in the first three days (or 3/5^th of weekly earning equivalent) owing to disproportionate impact of deductions can also make claims from the local hardship fund for that first 3 days / first 3/5^th of a week’s income lost. Members who would still be disproportionately impacted from Day 4 / after 3/5^th onwards may also decide to apply to both.

4. Permanent contract, financial concerns over strike deductions

At Leeds, Member Great-Placards went on strike over the statutes dispute. They are on an ‘ok but not amazing’ salary, but with a permanent contract. Member Great-Placards has already been on strike for 4 days over the local statutes strike in the autumn, and claimed 1 day’s worth of Fighting Fund provision (at that time £75). However, looking at #StrikeForUSS, Member Great-Placards 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 national 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 1-3 locally up to the cap of £50 per day, and they will still be able to claim from day 4 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 national Fighting Fund can cover (with a cap of £50 per day) then the branch can assess them for extra provision, but noting this will be capped at £50 per day and can take them to no more than they would have earned per day (for HMRC compliance) and that there is a £500 overall cap at branch level too.

5. But how do I apply? 

The portal for the national fund will look very similar to the last time we had access to it for our Autumn strikes. Remind yourself of the basic processes [here] but bear in mind that HQ will have altered some of the text in light of the decisions taken about how to operate it this time. Read the explanation above for the principles and guidance this time round.

Applications to the local hardship fund:

Application form for support for February payroll
Application form for support for March payroll
Application form for support for April payroll

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.

6. But when do I apply? 

a) If you are on a salaried contract, you will see deductions made from the March 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 may need to submit two waves  claims to the relevant funds: one for February and one for March.We will make sure to remind you lots, and again, we will be working closely with you and HQ to ensure everything makes sense.

This page was last updated on 15 June 2018