May Branch News: USS latest, international staff and more!
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Come to our event on Casualisation in Education, featuring Lousie Haigh MP on 10 May! Full details lower down this email...
May Branch News
As the USS dispute pauses, attention turns to pay; we make progress on the rights of our international staff; and the university listens to our ideas on combating sexual harassment.
With the dispute over USS paused and the defined contribution proposal officially withdrawn, the current focus is on the establishment of a Joint Expert Panel to provide an assessment of the valuation. Applications to be one of the three UCU-nominated members are open until 14 May, and are not restricted to UCU members or to those working in higher education. If you know of any ideal candidates, please encourage them to apply (or apply yourself!).
Controversy has been generated by a confidentiality clause in the terms of reference for the panel. We think this is a worrying development, as a lack of transparency over the valuation methods has been a running feature of the dispute to date. If you agree, please join those who have signed this petition to try to get the terms modified.
In Sheffield, we are hoping to reform the USS Working Group that met with university management in the year preceding the dispute to understand the technical material behind the valuation. We expect to put out a call for expressions of interest for serving on that panel soon: please put your name forward if you have relevant skills.
With the annual pay negotiations well under way, the employers' opening offer sees yet another real-terms cut of 1.7%, accompanied by resistance to national action to address precarious employment and workload issues. The gender pay gap will receive some further work, with the approach in Sheffield - where we were involved in the gender pay gap reporting process - being held up as good practice.
A newly formed working group to discuss the University's approach to sexual harassment met for the first time this week. We hope that this group, requested by us, will be able to make significant progress on the University's policy, based on the work of the 1752 group. We're keen for the Students' Union to be represented on the group, especially when considering the rights of postgraduate students who also work for the University. We will keep you updated as things progress, but initial discussions have been positive.
Our campaigning for better treatment of our international staff has resulted in the University Executive Board agreeing to significant amounts of extra support. Funding has been allocated for Tier 1 and 2 visa, NHS-surcharge and indefinite leave to remain fees for staff, along with the provision of dedicated HR support and some external legal advice. Costs associated with dependents are to be supported through interest free loans. We will continuing to work on reimbursement of costs for existing staff who are out of pocket to work at the university. We’re eager to hear from any such members, particularly those who applied for visas, extension or ILR in the year prior to the start of this new scheme on 1 April 2018 and were denied reimbursement.
We have also raised concerns with the UEB about how current Home Office regulations prevent our international staff from fully participating in collective bargaining and strike action. Deputy Director of HR, Ian Wright, has agreed to meet with UCU members currently on Tier 2 and 5 visas to discuss Sheffield University's approach to addressing this unequal treatment of workers. The meeting is on Wednesday, 16 May at 1:30 pm in Hicks F35, and any members who are unable to attend are welcome to send questions and concerns to us to be raised.
Finally, our Annual General Meeting is approaching (add to Google calendar!), and nominations are still open for committee positions (deadline 4pm, 10th May). Please get in touch if you want further information. We are starting to organise a celebratory end-of-year party for all UCU members for the evening of the AGM: if organising parties is your thing, please get in touch to offer help!
Sheffield UCU Committee
Louise Haigh MP on Casualisation in Education, Thursday 10 May
In 2016, the Guardian ran a series of articles exposing "the new world of work" which focused on poor employment practices across the UK economy. Higher education came in for particular criticism, with high numbers of staff employed on insecure terms including zero-hours contracts, casual worker agreements and fixed-term contracts. We are delighted that Louise Haigh, Labour MP for Heeley, has agreed to come to speak to us. Join us for a discussion of the plight affecting tens of thousands of higher-education workers across the sector, and to hear about the work that Sheffield UCU is doing to secure better terms of employment at this university.
Casualisation in Education with Special Guest Louise Haigh MP
Thursday 10 May, 7pm
Arts Tower LT4
Facebook event
Dates for the diary
Thu 10 May, 7pm, Casualisation in Education with Louise Haigh MP, Arts Tower LT4
Thu 7 June, 1pm, Annual General Meeting, Council Room, Firth Court
Thu 7 June, evening, Sheffield UCU end of year party! (Details to be confirmed)
March Branch News: Back at work? Here is what you need to know!
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March Branch News
We return to work after 14 days of strike action, as Universities UK comes under intense pressure over how they've been representing their members.
With the first wave of strikes over, the dispute will enter an unsettling time which is likely to lack the fast-paced developments of the past four weeks. Do not allow yourself to misinterpret this as momentum dissipating! UCU is currently planning for more strikes days soon after the Easter break, and another 14 days around the exam period. UUK called our bluff on the effects of the strikes last time, and it backfired spectacularly. They will not dare to second-guess us again.
Here's what you need to know about the next four weeks, and how to make sure you keep the pressure on.
1. Do Action Short of a Strike, and do it properly!
The four aspects of the ASOS are: working to contract, refusing to cover absent colleagues, refusing to reschedule classes cancelled due to the strikes, and refusing to undertake voluntary activities.
Do not routinely work more than your nominal contracted hours (in most cases, 7 hours a day). This is a VERY important aspect of the action. If you are unable to effectively complete your work, then you should ask your manager or head of department what work needs to be prioritised. It is the university management's job to attempt to maintain business as usual.
2. Resign as an external examiner from USS institutions.
Are you an external examiner at a USS instituion? Resign now! You can find more details about what you are being asked to do, including a template letter, on UCU's webpage. Then, add your name to this list.
3. Ensure you stay afloat financially.
Pay deductions for strike action will now take place over the next four pay slips, which should soften the initial blow. UCU have a national strike fund which will pay up to £50 per day of action, prioritised to those most in need. Applying requires evidence of pay deductions.
Sheffield UCU also have a hardship fund, though much smaller than the national one. Those on casualised contracts or in severe hardship may apply to us directly.
Our hardship fund can receive donations directly using the details on our webpage.
4. Notify about strike action when asked.
Given the clarification in our meeting last week about USS contributions, it is unlikely to matter too much how you go about this. If using a form, we recommend the versions on our webpage.
5. Keep following national and local developments.
Our Twitter account is the best way to go about this. There has been plenty of UUK-related news over the weekend, with their under-pressure CEO, Alistair Jarvis, attempting to diffuse tensions with a poorly judged piece in the Sunday Times, followed by a long, long-overdue response to questions from Athene Donald of Cambridge regarding the infamous 'September risk consultation', confirming what we suspected all along: that Universities UK had acted to obscure the detail and misrepresent the position of its members in a way that had a huge effect on the position we find ourselves in now.
6. Keep an eye out for local meetings and news.
We hope to reschedule a meeting with the vice-chancellor later this week, after last week's damp squib. and may also manage a meeting of members. We will let you know about these developments as they happen!
Returning to work is unlikely to be easy, particularly for those who have been on the picket-lines. Remembering the solidarity of the past few weeks, and keeping an eye out for new friends around the campus, should make things bearable. Stay strong!
Sheffield UCU Committee
February Branch News: soaring membership, international staff and more!
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Please encourage your colleagues to come to our USS Roadshows! We are joined tomorrow by Paul Bridge, UCU's Head of Higher Education, who has been coordinating UCU's negotiations and privy to all national developments. No prior knowledge necessary!
USS Roadshow, Thu 15 Feb, 1-2, Geography Building, C03 (with Paul Bridge, Head of HE for UCU)
USS Roadshow, Mon 19 Feb, 1-2, Firth Court, Council Room
February Branch News
Our work in support of international staff reaches the University's executive board, our casualised colleagues are in the forefront of our thoughts, and our membership soars as strike action draws ever closer.
Before we get stuck into USS, some good news: after a year of solid campaigning on the difficulties facing our international staff, a paper backed by the vice-chancellor went to the University's executive board earlier this week proposing a whole host of extra support, including significantly enhanced financial, legal and practical assistance. We do not yet know what was agreed, but hope to be able to provide details soon. You can read more about the history of our campaign on our dedicated website.
Unfortunately, our campaign over the employment conditions of the University's over-casualised workforce has had much less support from Sir Keith. There will be few members who cannot name colleagues on temporary, insecure or even zero-hours contracts, yet the University does not appear to recognise the levels of exploitation in practice across the insitution. Following on from our investigations a little over a year ago, meetings have been taking place to try to force some movement, but it is clear that the University does not see this as a high priority. With the upcoming strike action a particular challenge - emotionally and financially - for low-paid, precarious, or otherwise casualised colleagues, we are putting the finishing touches to an open letter of support, and will be asking professors in particular to sign.
On to USS, we are now a week away from the heaviest industrial action this university has seen in a generation. With our membership up 12% since the start of December, and students firmly on our side, our vice-president for learning and teaching's message to students that "while there is likely to be some disruption to lectures, we don't expect expect this to be significant" may not be helping anyone. We are doing all we can to pressure Universities UK into reopening meaningful talks, but are well on the way with preparations to do these strikes properly.
We sent our local guidance to members earlier this week on what strike action will involve. Please read this! One key point is that you are not required to pre-notify that you intend to take action. If your manager asks you in advance, reply that your union has advised you that you shouldn’t answer this, as is your right. You should work normally until the day of action: do not make preparations in anticipation of being on strike. When the action starts, come in and join your colleagues on the picket lines: visibility is crucially important, and the camaraderie is uplifting. We have planned a full programme of events for the first five days of action, and will circulate details soon.
On the dynamics of the dispute itself, details are emerging of how Oxford and Cambridge have had a big hand in the hard-line position of Universities UK, with both universities favouring a breaking up of the scheme, and ending defined benefits being the first step. If you needed clearer evidence that this is about more than simple affordability, you've now got it.
We will continue to keep you updated with USS developments. By far the best way to keep on track is by following our very active Twitter account. Before Christmas we asked whether we were beginning to see the tide turning on the power dynamics within Higher Education. Looking at how students and staff are uniting in the defence of education itself, the optimists among us may hold some hope for the future.
If you haven't posted your USS ballot yet, what are you waiting for? We will be chasing up people individually in the New Year. If you're not sure which way to vote, perhaps see our 'Ten reasons why USS is a scandal waiting to bite back'.
Christmas Branch News
We look back over the year and find plenty to be cheerful about, with signs that staff are beginning to take the initiative in Higher Education.
It's been quite a year. We've often focused on the bad in our mailouts, but, so as not to dampen Christmas cheer, we thought it was the time to look at the good, and remind ourselves of where collective resolve has had a positive impact.
Our International Staff were at the forefront of our minds this year. With all at this university proud that #WeAreInternational, we have campaigned hard to remind our executive board that a hashtag is only a start. We now have the ear of the Vice-Chancellor, who we are meeting in the new year to discuss what practical measures can be taken to make sure our international colleagues feel properly valued by the university and remain eager to stay here.
In a reminder of the power of the collective, a strong response from members to the University's Saturday Open Days enabled us to present a robust defence of the importance of rest days, and forced a substantial rethink in the guidance to managers. We are happy that staff on lower grades are now being treated well, and that those at higher grades who do not normally work on Saturdays are agreeing to come in voluntarily. Additionally, the University has committed to reviewing the impact of the change with us later in the year.
Vice-Chancellor pay hit the headlines this autumn and, in a clear sign that the staff voice across the sector is growing, Dame Glynis Breakwell of Bath was forced to resign by the staff of her university. Other unpopular highly paid VCs are also under increasing pressure. We are hopeful that this represents a something of a turning point, with recent unsustainable pay trends starting to have repercussions. The new year will bring our university's financial statement, and we look forward to giving the figures proper scrutiny.
The biggest story in the recent months has been the USS pension scheme. We were very pleased to see that the national negotiations have been extended into January, beyond what had been presented as a firm deadline. A strong ballot response is now even more crucial, so make sure you return yours. We were also pleased to see our Vice-Chancellor respond to the petition of almost 300 of our staff calling on him to make his views known. We think he can say more on this issue, so please continue to sign!
Finally, please do remember to have a proper break over Christmas. See you in the New Year!
Sheffield UCU Committee
USS: keep up with the news on Twitter!
We have been making sure that all the breaking news on USS is featured prominently on our Twitter account. As well as all the latest developments and in-depth analysis, we have also found time for a more light-hearted take on things. Please do re-tweet and share our posts to make sure the counter-arguments to those being presented by Universities UK get heard.
Sign the petition against the 'Sacker's Charter' at Leeds University
If you haven't already done so, please sign the petition in support of staff at Leeds University, whose management are trying to push through a new clause allowing dismissal 'for some other substantial reason'. UCU members in Leeds have been on strike in protest at the proposed changes, and need our support!
October Branch News: Saturday open days, pensions and more!
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Come to our Branch Meeting and help us discuss the big issues!
Branch Meeting, Thursday 19 October, 1-2pm, Council Room, Firth Court
October Branch News
Widespread anger bubbles up over Saturday open days, the lecture capture roll-out falls short of our full support, and pensions are becoming a major headache for the sector.
The decision to shift University open days to Saturdays was announced before the summer, but most have only recently found out what it will mean for them. We are aware of widespread anger over the imposition of a decision made without any meaningful consultation or clear justification and against the wishes of a number of departmental admissions teams. Lab-based subjects in particular have big concerns over how they can show the university at its best when there is no activity to present. Members are showing significant opposition to the University's attempts to break our 'contract by conduct' of not coming into work on Saturdays. For the university to demand that we do against the backdrop of relentless pay erosion and increasing demands elsewhere is unforgivable, and has potential to be the straw that broke the camel's back. We will be debating a motion on this issue at our October branch meeting and would welcome thoughts from members by email or through departmental contacts.
The widespread roll out of the University's lecture capture technology continues to fall short of having our full support. While the policy is now very close to what we asked for, one major sticking point remains: that the final decision on whether a lecturer can opt-out resides not with the lecturer but with the head of department. Please do contact us urgently if you have been over-ruled on a request to opt-out, as we need evidence on how this policy is working in practice. A little on the late side, we have now issued guidance to members on your rights and how to use the technology sensibly. We also urge all to look out for red-lights every time you enter a lecture theatre or finish any teaching: one firm press of the light will stop the recording of private conversations.
The USS pension scheme is becoming a prominent issue for all in pre-92 universities. The current valuation, which even the regulator describes as 'very complex', shows a best estimate large (£8bn) surplus. Factoring in a required safety-buffer for prudence puts the fund in a break-even position. It is only when investment plans are changed, due to the innocuously named Test 1, that problems arise. The wranglings over the valuation are making national headlines and we are doing everything we can to force all behind-the-scenes activity into public. As a last resort, the union has the option of strike action, and we strongly urge members to make it clear that they are prepared to take this action if it is necessary and appropriate.
A recent post on a security services webpage, which appeared to shift responsibility for sexual assault onto the victim, was swiftly removed following outrage from students and staff. We have received an apology from security services for this 'administrative error', but we have not received a response to our question over the training that is in place to make sure these views have no place at the University. We hope to make progress on this, and will keep members informed.
Finally, you may have received a request to participate in the University's 'Top 100' survey. While we remain deeply sceptical about the meaningfulness of a survey that excludes the University's casually employed staff, we do encourage members to fill it in, and to do so as honestly as possible, warts and all. View it as catharsis.
Sheffield UCU Committee
Leeds and Manchester on strike!
Leeds University UCU are involved in a stand-off, with an attempt by the university to add ‘Some Other Substantial Reason’ to their list of reasons for dismissal.
Staff at Leeds have been working to contract and today are on their third of three consecutive days of strike action. Solidarity and external exposure will help them to win this dispute. With this being a UCU dispute of national significance, please take a few minutes to:
Email their Vice Chancellor, Sir Alan Langlands, to protest. You could let him know that SOSR to dismiss staff has no place in a University and that Leeds Uni has managed well without it to date. If you are a Leeds alumnus please mention this.
Sign their petition and circulate to everyone you know.
In Manchester, staff will strike later this month after they overwhelmingly backed industrial action to protect a planned 140 job losses. A massive majority of members who voted (87%) backed industrial action. Strike action has been planned for Monday 23 October and Tuesday 24 October, and staff will then begin working to rule from Wednesday 25 October.
Professorial pay increases: fair and transparent?
We have expressed concern that heads of department now have the final say over whether professorial staff may be considered for an incremental pay increase. Professors no longer have the right to put themselves forward for consideration, or to challenge the head's decision. The head has no obligation to provide any written justification for their decision, making it impossible even to use the grievance procedure to challenge cases of perceived victimisation or discrimination. The University insists all heads should have had ongoing discussions with professorial staff about their decision throughout the year, but we are already aware this often does not take place and that relationships between heads and professors vary significantly across the institution.
If you are concerned that procedures are being flouted or about unfair treatment in this area please let us know and help us bring some fairness and accountability to this rather arbitrary process.