Branch General Meeting – reminder
‘Four Fights’ survey – please respond as soon as you can
Covid update
Message from Green Rep – please get involved
Branch General Meeting, Wednesday 19th January
A reminder that the first general meeting of the branch of 2022 is on Wednesday, 19th January 13.30 – 15.00 via Teams. Check your email for the meeting link.
‘Four Fights’ Survey – please respond as soon as possible.
As you may have seen in emails from UCU Head Office, the branch has been asked to canvass members’ opinions on how best to prosecute the “4 Fights” dispute in 2022. Unfortunately, the Delegate Meeting is on Tuesday 18th January, the day before our Branch General Meeting – and the questions we have been asked to put to members were only communicated to us TODAY, so there is no time to call an EGM. We are therefore asking members to answer the four questions in the survey below by 12 noon on Monday 17th January. Our delegates will then be able to report back to the BGM on Wednesday.
Here’s the link to the survey: https://forms.gle/SsV2iRC51WTXx6Zu7
Covid update
UCU, Unison and Unite are continuing to meet with Management each week to discuss the ongoing Covid situation. As previously reported, UCU has urged Management go beyond the current Government ‘Plan B’ and Department of Education guidelines by, for example, shifting any teaching that can be done remotely to on-line delivery in order to reduce the number of people on campus. We also protested the lack of provision for the risk assessment of clinically vulnerable colleagues (again, the D of E guidelines state that these are not necessary). Management have refused to do this and are intent on adhering to letter of the Government guidance, in breach of an understanding reached between Management and unions last year (at the peak of the first wave) that that the University would not slavishly follow Government guidelines but would strive to do ‘the right thing’. It is now evident that for the University as well as for the Government – ‘business continuity’ is the driver of their approach to Covid.
Face coverings
After initial reluctance Management has agreed that students and staff should wear face coverings in all indoor settings in the University, including classrooms. It is ‘not expected’ that academics wear face coverings whilst teaching, but we urge colleagues to so unless there is a sound pedagogic reason why they shouldn’t – and even then only where the teaching space is well ventilated and/or physical distancing is possible between themselves and students. The clear visors offered by the University are not an effective form of mitigation. UCU proposed using the PC screensaver (‘Where opportunity creates success’) to communicate a message reminding everyone to wear a face covering when on campus. Management have said this is ‘not possible’ (no explanation given), which demonstrates all too clearly how defending the University’s ‘brand identity’ is a higher priority than communicating an important public health message.
Ventilation
We are continuing to highlight problems relating to ventilation where we become aware of them. At the last meeting we also pressed Management on the provision and use of CO₂ monitors. We have also asked that time for the replenishment of air in teaching spaces be built into timetabling so that one session does not immediately follow another without the air supply having been refreshed. Longer term, it is clear that the University’ HVAC systems will require extensive overhaul to deal with future outbreaks. In the meantime, colleagues should continue to report ventilation problems to Estates Services via ESHelpdesk@uclan.ac.uk and contact us if there is undue delay or an unsatisfactory response.
Testing
Face coverings, ventilation, physical distancing etc. are means of managing the spread of infections whilst on campus. But clearly the best way to reduce infections on campus to reduce (preferably to zero) the number of people coming to the University with Covid in the first place, which is why testing is so crucial. We urge all colleagues to follow advice on this and to take a Lateral Flow Test before coming to work. The fewer people who bring Covid on to campus, the more effective the other measures are likely to be.
We will update members further at next week’s branch meeting. In the meantime, if you have any concerns relating to Covid, our advice remains to raise them with your Head of School in the first instance. If that doesn’t resolve it, email ucu@uclan.ac.uk indicating ‘Covid’ in the subject line.
Message from the Branch Green Rep.
There will be a meeting on Wednesday 16th February for any UCU members interested in working on green issues at UCLan. The meeting will be on Teams between 2 – 4 pm: check email for the meeting link.
Green issues obviously cover a large field. What I would like to do is have a discussion about what people are interested in and to choose 2 or 3 areas to focus on for the coming year. I would like to try and link these to objectives which have come out of the COP-26 meeting to give them more strength, as well as considering approaches to greening the curriculum at UCLan. The meeting will include some breakout room discussions, both to help draw up ideas and also to distil these further and select the ones we want to focus on. If anyone has any particular issues which interest them then please feel free to contact me, Elaine Hill, in advance about them eashill@uclan.ac.uk
UCU Branch Committee