University of Central Lancashire UCU

Pay dispute update

Re-ballot – last few days

Reminder of Branch AGM

Pay dispute update

Branch delegates attended a meeting yesterday with the General Secretary and senior negotiators Jon Hegerty and Justine Mercer, to discuss the current disputes. Jo Grady apologised for the confusion last week around whether the strikes should be paused and acknowledged that the online poll was poorly worded and should not have conflated multiple issues into a single question. She promised that future e-polls will be better. She also seemed very confident that UCU will break the 50% threshold in the current re-ballot, giving the union a renewed mandate to continue and escalate action in the coming months, if necessary. Jon Hegerty then explained the current position in the negotiations as follows:

On the USS Pension Scheme, the new offer is a good one, and members in the USS branches will be balloted on whether to accept it. This does not involve UCLan, as we are a TPS branch, but it is still very good news for the 60 or so colleagues at UCLan who have USS pensions. This would be a significant win for the union.

On pay, there is no agreement, and we remain in dispute. However, the employers have stated that they consider the discussion closed and will not negotiate on pay any further. The small increase for this year (5% for most UCU members) has already been imposed at UCLan (2% now and another 3% in the summer) and it would certainly take significant sustained industrial action to bring the employers back to the table on this issue.

On the other three “fights”, casualisation, inequality and workload, Jon stressed that there is no deal on offer yet. What we have been offered is terms of reference for future negotiations on these issues that could lead to a deal at some point. This is progress compared to what was originally proposed, but is obviously far short of what we were hoping for. However, the employers have said that these talks will only take place if UCU suspends industrial action. We therefore have to choose whether to join the other trade unions in the talks or to continue fighting on our own.

An informal poll was sent in an email from the General Secretary to members today, asking if they are in favour of being consulted on the pay and the non-pay issues, ahead of another Branch Delegate Meeting on 29^th March and the next meeting of the Higher Education Committee on 30^th March. Soon after, we will know the re-ballot result. Assuming it has been won, members will be asked to decide whether to join the negotiations, whether to be formally consulted over the terms of reference, and whether and when to start a marking and assessment boycott. We will also discuss all these issues at our AGM (see below)

Re-ballot on pay dispute – last few days

The re-ballot to extend the industrial action mandate closes on Friday 31^st March

If you have recently returned your ballot paper, please use the link below to let UCU HQ know. You can use the same link to order a replacement ballot paper before Sunday 26^th March.

https://yoursay.ucu.org.uk/s3/ucuRISING-ballotupdate

The last ‘safe date‘ for posting your ballot paper so it arrives in time is Tuesday 28^th March

Branch AGM – reminder

Members are notified that UCLan UCU Annual General Meeting will take place on Wednesday 19^st April, from 13.30 – 15.00 on Teams (check your email for the link).

AGM provisional agenda

Election of the Branch Committee

Branch Secretary’s report

Treasurer’s report

Equality Officer’s report

Membership Secretary’s report

Health and Safety report

Any Other Business

Nominations to the branch committee

Nominations for election to the Branch Committee should be submitted by e-mail to the Branch Secretary, And Rosta (and.rosta@gmail.com) by 18.00 on Tuesday 18^th April. Each nomination must be supported by separate emails from two members (one nominating, the other seconding) and an email from the nominee accepting the nomination.

NEC elections – use your vote!

UCU Rising – strike dates, advice on leave and negotiation update

Branch Meeting report

Defend the Right to Strike

Workplace Charter on Harmful Gambling

And Rosta – ‘Comrade of Distinction’

NEC elections – use your vote! Elections to the union’s National Executive Committee (NEC) are underway and voting packs should be arriving in the post any day. Please do not throw them in the bin! They contain voting papers and the election addresses of all candidates. These are important elections that help determine union strategy, so it is vital all members use their vote. Branch Chair Mick McKrell is standing as an NEC candidate for the North West Region. The UCLan Branch Committee are grateful to Mick, who held the seat in 2016-17, for agreeing to stand again and we support Mick in asking all members to give him your first preference vote (1) in the confidence that the branch will benefit if he is elected. Further information about the elections can be found here .

UCU Rising Strike dates

 w/c 30^th January: Wednesday 1^st February

w/c 6^th February : Thursday 9^th and Friday 10th

w/c 13^th February (Reflection Week): Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15^th and Thursday 16^th

w/c 20^th February: Tuesday 21^st, Wednesday 22^nd and Thursday 23^rd

w/c 27^th February: Monday 27^th, Tuesday 28^th, Wednesday 1^st and Thursday 2^nd March

w/c 6^th March: no strike action

w/c 13^th March: Thursday 16^th and Friday 17^th

w/c Monday 20^th March: Monday 20^th, Tuesday 21^st and Wednesday 22^nd

We are aware that many members will have already taken the decision to take annual leave during reflection week (w/c 13th February) and so we will be picketing/demonstrating on dates that don’t fall within that week; members are not expected to alter their planned annual leave dates in the event that their planned annual leave dates coincide with strike dates during w/c 13th February

In order to ensure that we have the most visible and effective picketing and demonstrating, we will be concentrating this on a selection of the dates where strike action is happening. We are therefore calling on all UCU UCLan members to come to Preston to demonstrate and show solidarity with the action on the following dates: 1^st , 9^th, 21^st and 28^th February; 16^th and 20^th March.

Reflection  Week: Members have contacted us perplexed that strike action has been called to coincide with Reflection/Reading Week when many colleagues take leave. Unfortunately the branch has no control over the setting of strike dates. Here is UCU advice on taking leave during strikes:

I am on study or research leave during the strikes; what should I do?

If your leave is unpaid, you have no labour to withdraw and cannot join the strike. If your leave is paid, you should join the strikes.

I am booked to be on annual leave during the strikes; what should I do?

If your annual leave is essential, you should take it as planned and consider donating to the fighting fund. If your leave is not essential, you may wish to move it so you can participate in industrial action alongside colleagues

For other strike-related queries, please see the FAQs on the UCU website here: https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/12469/FAQs

Update on pay negotiations: The latest action has resulted in an offer that, whilst still falling short of what is needed to settle the dispute, is an improvement on previous offers. This suggests that we are having an effect on the employers and we trust this will encourage members to stay strong and keep the pressure up at this crucial stage.

Branch Meeting Report

At the general meeting of the branch on 18^th January, the following business was discussed:

UCU Rising pay dispute: Branch Officer Cath Sullivan reported the results of the branch survey on union strategy in the pay dispute: 65% were in favour of targeted strike action, 34% in favour of indefinite strike action and 56% in favour of a marking and assessment boycott. 83% said UCU should consult members before any move to indefinite strike action.

27% of members in the branch responded. As the survey was anonymous, members wishing to receive responses to their written comments are invited to email UCU. The results were in line with those from most other branches and were presented at the branch delegates meeting on 10th January which in turn and informed decisions by the national union’s Higher Education Committee (HEC). Branch Chair Mick McKrell told the meeting that delegates voted to choose between a plan of 10 days of escalating strike action proposed by the General Secretary, or indefinite strike action as decided by the HEC. The resulting 18 days of strikes planned for February and March are a ‘compromise’ between these positions. A marking boycott is also planned for the summer. The UCLan UCU delegates voted in accordance with the local membership’s responses to the survey in the meeting.

Andrew Baron said that the strike action on 1st February (the first of 18 days) will be the culmination of 15 months of balloting and action.  Whilst appreciating that this is difficult for members, it is also important to sustain momentum that has been built up, especially in the current context of several unions across many sectors, including teachers, also taking strike action.

Motion for the Regional Committee Mick McKrell proposed a motion to NW Regional Committee on 28^th January opposing legislation to limit the right to strike by imposing ‘minimum safety levels’. The motion was carried overwhelmingly.

Academic calendar And Rosta told the meeting that there is a standing agreement that Management will consult with UCU on the calendar, but this has not happened over the last three years. Whilst this oversight may have been understandable during the COVID-19 pandemic, it should not be continuing. The change in practice has coincided with a change in senior management.  The 2024-25 calendar contains some radical changes, including examinations moving into teaching weeks and teaching contact time being condensed into fewer weeks. Whilst UCU has been assured that the number of teaching contact hours will not reduce, members are asked to get in contact if they find that this is happening.

Management/academic restructure  And Rosta said there has been no proper consultation with UCU. This raises two issues. Firstly, the security of employment for UCU members in management and secondly, whether a manager will have sufficient hours to do all aspects of their job effectively. There will be further updates in due course.

Redundancy prevention And Rosta updated members on the situation in CCI. Management propose offering targeted VR outside CCI where they feel it is likely to be accepted . The acceptance criteria are (a) that the work the applicant is undertaking can cease to be done or (b) that it could be done by someone else who is already employed at UCLan if it needs to continue. Management are not aiming for any VR targets. Within CCI there may be multiple VR applications from within  the same team so it may not be possible to grant them all.  If this happens UCU proposes that the team concerned puts together a consensus proposal. If this is not possible then management may need to introduce selection criteria. UCU will not participate in this selection process but will continue to support members affected.

‘Defend the Right to Strike’ rallies

Preston Trades Council has organised a rally to protest against proposed ‘minimum safety levels’ legislation limiting the right to strike, a move which members voted to oppose at the Branch General Meeting. It will take place on Preston Flag Market, 11.30 on Wednesday 1^st February. For members living in the Manchester area, there is a rally organised by Manchester Trades Council starting at 12.30 in St Peter’s Square.

Workplace Charter on Harmful Gambling

UCU, Unite and Unison have signed up to the Workplace Charter on Harmful Gambling, which commits the University to providing support for staff and students who may be a risk from gambling harms.

And Rosta – Comrade of Distinction

Heartfelt congratulations to Branch Secretary And Rosta on receiving a Distinguished Service Award from the UCU General Secretary and UCU President for his outstanding contribution to UCU over the last two decades. And was nominated by the Branch Committee in 2020, endorsed by the NW Regional Committee that year and would have received the award at Congress had it not been cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. It is richly deserved and a fitting testimony to And’s unstinting dedication to UCU members as a rep and officer of the branch.

UCU Branch Committee

In this bulletin;

Branch Survey – please respond!

Redundancy Prevention

Extra Bank Holidays

Academic Calendar

Harmful Gambling – awareness training

Climate action CPD meeting

Please respond to the branch survey on industrial action!

Yesterday the Branch Committee sent out a link to an important survey on industrial action. If you haven’t yet done so, please complete the survey as soon as possible. It’ll take you only a minute.

Check your email for the link.

Redundancy Prevention

UCU have been attending weekly Redundancy Prevention Committee meetings with Management, with the goal of preventing there from being any compulsory redundancy. Of the VR/PVR requests that have now been made, Management are able to immediately grant some of them; of the remainder, Management will aim to make the organizational rearrangements necessary to be able to grant VR, and RPC will have overview of this. As things stand at the Christmas break, the CCI subject teams affected by the Management proposals fall into one of three categories:

1. The Management proposal has either been achieved through VR or else been withdrawn; residual discussion will be confined to accommodating VR requests.
2. Management will meet with subject teams (in the new year)  to discuss deployment and workloads.
3. Particular issues remain to be resolved at RPC before further steps can be taken.

This week, Management will write to affected staff to let them know whether the proposal that affected their team falls into Category (1) or not. Additionally Management will send teams some marketing and recruitment information and proposals, in the expectation that subject leaders will coordinate the compilation of a response.

More extra bank holidays

For each extra bank holiday or university holiday beyond the usual, target annual workload hours should be reduced by 7.4 hours (pro rata). This academic year there are two extra bank holidays, so the total reduction should be 14.8 hours (pro rata).

Academic calendar

Management have released an academic calendar for 2023–24 without having consulted UCU on it. For the second year running, they do acknowledge both that they had committed to consult UCU and that they failed to honour that commitment. For most academic staff, the most problematic aspect of the new calendar is that exams have been moved into teaching weeks. The intention is that there should remain 24 teaching weeks, and that there should be no reduction in contact hours, and hence no risk of creating staff redundancy; but the contact hours and exams that formerly spread over 26 weeks must now be squeezed into 24. So this becomes an issue of timetabling for affected modules.

Harmful Gambling – awareness training sessions

The joint unions have been working to expand the University’s Drug and Alcohol Policy to support colleagues who are struggling to cope with harmful behaviour arising from problem gambling; their own or that of a colleague, friend or family member. We are hopeful that UCLan will sign up to the Workplace Charter on Harmful Gambling as part of its stated commitment to Wellbeing. As part of this work, the University is hosting 3 one-hour online sessions on Harmful Gambling Awareness via Microsoft Teams. Please click on the links within the below dates/times to reserve your space on the session through iTrent Self Service:

• Harmful Gambling Awareness on 18 January 2023 between 14:00-15:00
• Harmful Gambling Awareness on 7 February 2023 between 10:00-11:00
• Harmful Gambling Awareness on 23 March 2023 between 10:00-11:00

Climate action CPD meeting

Over the last couple of years, UCU have run a number of Climate-related CPD events with thousands of UCU members, reps and activists attending.  The union wants to maintain this momentum and harness members’ experience of climate action in the workplace. This short online conference will be an opportunity to understand what action is taking place around the country and hear about future plans to develop and shape  environment work.  We hope you will be able to join the first Climate CPD – Take action! online meeting. The full itinerary will follow in early January. Please see below for registration details:

Date: 26^th January 2023

Venue: Online

Time: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30p.m.

Please check your email for the link to register.

Just in case you need to re-acquaint yourself with UCU’s approach to climate action in the workplace via our Green New Deal framework, please see here: https://www.ucu.org.uk/green-new-deal

We wish all members a restful Christmas and best wishes for the new year.

UCU Branch Committee

Forthcoming strike action

Members will be aware that the national union’s Higher Education Committee has called for further strike action in the Four Fights dispute. Different institutions will be taking action on two separate weeks. At UCLan, five days of action will take place from Monday 21^st to Friday 25^th March. The Branch Committee acknowledges that some members will be finding further action in this dispute difficult for a number of reasons. However, for as long as the mandate (which members voted for) is live, members should adhere to the strike call and not do any work for the University on those days.

Fighting Fund

Members who are in genuine financial hardship can consider making a claim from the union’s Fighting Fund, but we would stress that the fund is intended only for those members in dire financial straits and is not a compensation scheme for lost pay. Information about the Fighting Fund can be found at: UCU – UCU fighting fund 2021/2022

Pickets

Following a meeting of the UCU branch strike committee today, the Branch Committee has endorsed a proposal that picketing take place on Monday 21^st and Thursday 24^th March from 08.30 to 11.30. Please meet outside the EIC (Engineering Building) adjacent to Adelphi Square.

Withheld strike pay for Ukraine

Last week, UCU asked that Management donate all pay withheld as a consequence of next week’s strike to humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine. We also asked for swift confirmation of this. To their discredit, Management have not responded. UCLan UCU will continue to press for all pay deductions to be used to alleviate the suffering of the Ukrainian people.

Four Fights reballot

Members will be have received notification from the General Secretary that the national union is reballoting members on the continuation of the Four Fights dispute. The ballot is now open and runs until Friday 5^th April. Please keep an eye out for your ballot paper which should arrive in the next few days.

Covid/Health & Safety update

In response to requests from UCU, Management have now provided a report on ventilation measures currently in place in University buildings and proposals for upgrading ventilation and air circulation systems for the future. UCU will continue to raise this and other Covid-related matters via the joint-union-Management Covid meetings, which will move from a weekly to a monthly basis. Advice remains that any Covid matters be raised with your line manager (Head or Deputy Head of School in most cases) in the first instance.

UCU has been consulted on the University’s Health & Safety strategy and has called for greater resources to be devoted to tackling the causes of work-related stress (particularly excessive workloads) and for improved workplace wellbeing. We continue to meet with Management via regular joint-union H&S meetings in addition to the Covid meetings.

Pensions dispute at Staffordshire University – show your support – sign the petition

Members may have read about the proposal by Management at Staffordshire University to cease entitlement to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme  to new academic starters. UCU members at that branch have voted decisively to resist this unprecedented move to drive down terms and conditions and create a ‘two tier’ academic workforce at that institution. You can read more about the dispute here: https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/12195/Staff-at-Staffordshire-University-set-to-walk-out-over-two-tier-workforce-threat

As we know, Management at UCLan ended entitlement to the Local Government Pension Scheme for new professional services starters at the University this year, but Management at Staffordshire are the first to launch such an outrageous attack on academic staff. It is vital that this move be defeated, since this could potentially establish a precedent for the whole post-92 HE sector. Branch Chair Mick McKrell has sent a message of support to Staffordshire UCU and we ask members to support the campaign by signing the petition here: https://speakout.web.ucu.org.uk/staffordshire-university-no-to-a-two-tier-system/

iROWE Seminar – menopause in the workplace

‘Supporting staff going through menopause in the workplace. The UK has one of the highest percentages of women in the workplace in Europe and this, coupled with an ageing workforce and a tight labour market makes the management of the menopause in the workplace a highly relevant topic. However, staff experiencing symptoms of the menopause may feel unsupported in the workplace, and their symptoms trivialised. It is vital that employers provide sensitive and appropriate support for staff experiencing symptoms of the menopause, not least because Acas and the Employment Tribunals are seeing an increase in claims associated with sex, disability and age’.

Tuesday 26th April, 1:00 – 2:00pm. To book a place on this online event go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/menopause-in-the-workplace-tickets-260913327787

AGM reminder

The Annual General Meeting of the Branch will be on Wednesday 20^th April, 13.30 – 15.00 via Teams: check your emails for the link.

NWTUC Blackpool Protest cancelled

The Cost of Living protest by NWTUC planned for Saturday March 19^th in Blackpool has been cancelled.

Dates for your diary:

Saturday 2^nd April– Cost of Living Protest, Preston Flag Market, 11.00-13.00, organised by Preston Trades Council.

Saturday 30^th April – Preston Workers’ Memorial Day, Preston Flag Market, 11.45am. After speeches and a piped lament there will be a short procession along Friargate to the Peace Gardens. Wreaths will be placed on the Preston Martyrs’ memorial outside the 1842 Bar (the old Corn Exchange) on Lune Street. All welcome.

UCU Branch Committee

Four Fights strike dates

Members will be aware that further strike dates have been announced in the ‘Four Fights’ dispute, those dates being;

Monday 21^st and Tuesday 22^nd February

Monday 28^th February, Tuesday 1^st and Wednesday 2^nd 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 2^nd 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 19^th 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  16^th 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, 12^th 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 19^th 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 20^th April: UCLan UCU Annual General Meeting of the Branch, 13.30-15.00 via Teams

Saturday 30^th April: Preston Workers Memorial Day. Preston Flag Market, 11.45am

UCU Branch Committee