SUCU Branch News 4 December 2014

USS update

  • Motions passed by a very well attended General Meeting last week have been sent to UCU HQ.  Members have called for a Special Sector Conference to recall the current UCU negotiating position as well as putting forward our USS position, and expressing our concerns over punitive pay deductions over ASOS and a proposal for local flexibility over what action is taken. We will update you with progress on this.
  • Lobby Senate next Wed 10th Dec 13.45-14.15, outside Firth Court.  Many Russell Group Universities have opposed the pension cuts – why hasn’t Sheffield done likewise?  UUK risks recommending a major downgrading of pensions – due to a flawed valuation.  THIS MUST BE CHALLENGED.   Imperial College have publicly come out against the USS methodology.  Please join us outside Firth Court at 13.45 to demand our University speaks out too.
  • The USS petition now has OVER 16,000 signatures!  This will be handed over to Universities UK at the USS board meeting today.

Researchers: Could you redeploy into a Vice Chancellor’s Fellowship?

Our employer is about to advertise a series of “Vice Chancellor’s Fellowships”, which are posts created by the employer with the deliberate intent of bringing new staff in from other universities while it simultaneously lays off hundreds of existing researchers already here every year.   But under recent EU law, researchers and anyone else threatened with redundancy are eligible to redeploy into such new roles if they can show they can meet the basic requirements with “sufficient retraining” (which can be quite a lot of training).  If they can do this, then they automatically must be given the job in preference to any external candidates.   Are you interested in doing such a redeployment?  If so please get in touch with us.

LGBT Research Conference 2015 Manchester,  Friday 15th May 10-16.00 and reception until 18.00

Attendance is free for UCU members, but regrettably UCU is unable to reimburse travel and accommodation expenses for UCU members on this occasion.  For all non UCU members the cost will be £12.00 (inclusive of VAT). Refreshments and a light lunch will be available.  Venue: University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL.  The deadline for registration is Friday 17 April.