Four Fights strike dates
Members will be aware that further strike dates have been announced in the ‘Four Fights’ dispute, those dates being;
Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd February
Monday 28th February, Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd March
Remember, contrary to the inaccurate and misleading letter that has been circulated by Management, the grounds for this dispute are not just headline pay, shocking though the erosion of real-terms pay has been in the last ten years. It is also about the failure of the sector to tackle inequality (people not being paid the same for the work they do due to their gender, ethnicity or disability), unsustainable levels of workload across the sector, and the sector’s reliance on a reservoir of staff on insecure, short-term contracts. UCLan UCU voted 73% Yes for strike action and 87% Yes for ASOS. We expect all members to respect the outcome of the ballot and to heed the call to take action, whether they voted for it or not.
For more on the ‘Four Fights’ dispute please go to: https://www.ucu.org.uk/he2021
Remember that you are not obliged to inform your line manager (Head or Deputy Head of School) whether or not you will be taking strike action and we recommend that you decline to do so. The union has fulfilled all its legal requirements in terms of notice to the employer of strike action.
Please read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the strike action here. Please check these before contacting branch officers with your questions.
https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/11818/Four-fights-dispute-FAQs
Pickets and protest rallies.
Please come along to our pickets and show support for striking colleagues and other branches taking action: We will be picketing from 0800 – 1000, followed by protest gatherings until 12.00 noon.
You can sign up for particular time slots (check your email for the link) to let us know you’re coming along, but feel free to just turn up.
ASOS Guidance
Instructions on ASOS (Action Short of Strike)
The following are the UCU instructions and advice on ASOS, adapted to the local circumstances at UCLan and approved by UCU Regional Office and where necessary Head Office.
- Don’t undertake duties that aren’t on your workload plan and that can’t be reasonably understood to fall within some more general item on the workload plan.
- Don’t reschedule classes and lectures cancelled due to strike action unless your workload plan has been modified to include this additional task.
- As always, don’t accept a workload plan that doesn’t match reality or that is over maximum hours.
- Your line manager may revise your workload plan by convening an appraisal meeting with you to agree revisions to it. The process of agreeing proposed revisions should involve considering any objections you might have, and your reluctance to weaken the force of ASOS is a valid consideration. If your line manager insists on certain revisions to your workload plan despite your objections, and you are reluctant to accept your line manager’s demands, don’t just refuse them but rather contact UCU for advice and support.
- Do not upload or share materials related to classes that have been cancelled as a result of strike action. Remove uploaded materials (related to classes that have been cancelled as a result of strike action) if and only if they have not already been shared with students.
NUS Student Strike
The NUS (National union of Students has also called for a student strike on Wednesday 2nd March as part of their ‘New Vision for Education’ campaign.
https://www.nus.org.uk/campaign-hub/new-vision-for-education?i=0
UCU will be meeting with the local SU to discuss both the Four Fights action and the student strike.
You might also find this NUS briefing on the strikes useful:
UCU_Strike_Briefing__Autumn_2021_briefing.pdf (nusdigital.s3.amazonaws.com)
Branch Meeting Report
At the Branch General Meeting on 19th January, the following matters were discussed;
Branch Officer Andrew Baron reported on the strike action in December, highlighting the effectiveness of the pickets and strike protests. Krissi Musiol gave an excellent account of on being a first-time participant in strike action and branch activism. We hope Krissi’s example will have encouraged other members to get involved. Branch Secretary And Rosta and Chair Mick McKrell gave a general summary of the national strike situation and reiteration of ASOS advice (see ‘ASOS Guidance’ above). Health and Safety officers Cath Sullivan and Mick McKrell update the meeting on the work of the joint union-Management COVID-19 meetings (see ‘Covid update’ below). Mick McKrell proposed a branch motion to UCU Congress calling for an end to the outsourcing of student support services. This was in response to the growing problem of students who are struggling to access support for specific learning needs, as these have now been outsourced to private providers, rather than provided through UCLan. The motion, which called on the union to campaign alongside the Students’ Union and other campus unions, was carried overwhelmingly. Finally, Green rep Elaine Hill reminded members that there will be a meeting on Wednesday 16th February between 14.00 and 16.00 for any UCU members interested in working on green issues at UCLan. The meeting will be on Teams- check your email for the link.
Covid/Health and Safety update
Further to previous updates, the University SHE team and Estates are currently working on a draft protocol for managing CO₂ levels in workspaces and this will be brought to the unions for consultation. In the meantime, any concerns regarding safe working should be reported to the estates help desk and raised with your line manager in the first instance. Overnight air changes will occur in rooms which are mechanically ventilated, so air will be completely changed from the previous day. UCU repeated our request that information relating to ventilation be made available on the on-line room booking system.
Members who have studied the University’s Strategic Plan may have noticed that there was no mention at all of Health and Safety, as though the Covid pandemic had never happened! This is now being rectified and the trades unions will be consulted on a new strategy for managing workplace health and safety at UCLan.
Changes to TPS
Members of the Teachers’ Pensions Scheme (TPS) who have supplied their email address to the TPS should have received an email outlining the changes to the scheme due to come into effect in April. If you have not received such an email, you can fins out about the changes and how and whether they affect you by looking on the TPS website: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/
Cost of Living Protests in the North West
UCU NW Region, alongside Unison NW, NW Unite, local trades councils and the NW TUC are sponsoring protests in the Region against the spiralling cost of living, cuts to pensions and universal credit and real-terms pay cuts. The protests will take place this Saturday, 12th February at these venues:
Liverpool – St Luke’s Church (aka. ‘the bombed out church’) at 12.00 noon
Manchester – The Wellington Statue, Piccadilly Gardens at 1.00 pm
Please support these protests if you can.
‘On the Table’
Other matters currently being discussed by UCU and management include; Being able to find out who your line manager is on iTrent, honoraria payments, L to SL progression guidelines, and the setting of research targets.
We hope to report on these discussions in future bulletins.
Dates for your Diary:
Saturday 19th March: North West TUC protest at the Conservative Party Spring Conference, Blackpool Promenade, 11.00. Show your strength of feeling towards the Government and call on them act to tackle the cost of living crisis.
Wednesday 20th April: UCLan UCU Annual General Meeting of the Branch, 13.30-15.00 via Teams
Saturday 30th April: Preston Workers Memorial Day. Preston Flag Market, 11.45am
UCU Branch Committee
