The NSS looks set to miss its target, pay continues to erode and who knows about pensions?
With just a few days to do until the National Student Survey closes, it is very likely that the University of Sheffield will fall short of the 50% response rate at which its results will be published. This is due to the high-profile boycott being run by the National Union of Students which has the support of UCU nationally and locally. The boycott was motivated by the linking of fee-rises to the Teaching Excellence Framework metrics and almost certainly played a part in the House of Lords' rejection of this aspect of the Higher Education Bill. The bill was rushed through the system yesterday to make way for a general election, and while there have been some concessions by the government, it still contains much that is malign.
The annual negotiations on pay have reached an impasse, with the headline offer on the pay spine equivalent to a massive 1.3% pay cut in real terms compared to RPI. There was an agreement for further joint work on the gender pay gap, but nothing further on casualisation, and an outright refusal to engage in negotiations on workloads and stress. The scale of the wage erosion is now such that starting lecturer salaries are lower in real terms than they were in 1999 and, when factoring in last year's downgrade to the USS pension scheme, it becomes clear that the power balance in higher education remuneration is far from healthy.
The triennial valuation of the USS pension fund should appear soon. While the same calculations as in 2014 would produce another large deficit, there are signs that the arguments made by UCU and its actuaries last time are starting to bite. In Sheffield, a joint working group was established to firm up the institutional view of the area, and we were pleased to find fairly closely aligned priorities. It is hard to know what the outcome of all this will be, but the worst case could be another attempt to downgrade the pension scheme; such an attempt would need a robust response from members.
The work of the university's Strategy Delivery Group continues, with the recommendations from major reviews imminent. We encourage all members to take part in the numerous consultation events that are occurring, as it is important that staff voices are heard. Sheffield UCU will have a role in ensuring that agreed procedures are followed in any restructuring that results from the reviews, and we will do our best to support members collectively as best we can.
Along with our sister campus unions, UNISON and Unite, we will be holding a drop-in event on Tuesday 16 May for non-members interested in knowing more about trade unions, what they're for and their role in change management processes (details below). Please do encourage colleagues who are interested to attend.
Finally, our Annual General Meeting is approaching, and there is still time to volunteer to be on the branch committee (see below). With a lot of uncertainty at the university, it is important that the local union provides the collective voice and support that it is here to give. Any part you can play in ensuring this happens will be appreciated by members.
Sheffield UCU Committee
Introduction to trade unions for non-members (drop-in)
Please encourage those who show an interest in joining a trade union to come to our drop in session, held jointly with UNISON and Unite. We will outline what trade unions do, discuss how we make sure the university follows proper procedures in change management and answer questions from the floor.
Introduction to trade unions (drop-in), Tue 16 May, 13:00-14:00, Arts Tower LT7
Sheffield UCU Annual General Meeting
Our Annual General Meeting takes place on Thursday 8 June, 1-2pm, Council Room, Firth Court. Part of the business is to elect members to the committee for the next academic year, and we very much encourage people to put themselves forward for positions. Current committee members would be happy to discuss the roles and what being on the committee would mean.
The roles which currently make up the committee are: President, Senior Vice President, Vice President, Branch Secretary, Education Officer, Equalities & Diversity Officer, Health & Safety Officer, Treasurer, Pensions Officer, Membership Secretary, Communications Officer, and Anti-casualisation Officer. Additionally, we have 6 positions on the committee which can be held without taking a specific role.
To put yourself forward, you need to be nominated by two fellow UCU members, and contested positions will be put to the vote at the AGM in June. The deadline for nominations is Thurs 11th May.
We Stand with CEU!
Our March branch meeting voted unanimously in favour of a motion in support of the Central European University in Budapest, whose existence is under threat from a law passed by the Hungarian government. The move is seen by many as an attack on academic freedom, and has been condemned by over 650 universities and academic organizations worldwide. We will be writing to our Vice Chancellor to ask if Sheffield will join the list. In the meantime, you can show your support with the hashtag #IstandWithCEU.
Support for EU staff
We were pleased to see the university has committed to paying the fee for permanent residency applications for its staff from EU countries, backdated to the EU referendum of last year. The university are also offering free specialist legal advice for such staff. To enquire about either, email eu@sheffield.ac.uk.
TUC survey of LGBT+ staff
Are you LGBT+? Are you currently working or have worked in the last 5 years? The TUC would like to hear from you.
The TUC are launching a UK wide survey for all LGBT+ workers, whether you are in a trade union or not. They want to understand your experiences of work – good and bad. Have your say today by completing the survey.
Do you employ student ambassadors as casual staff?
If you engage any student ambassadors as casuals, the pay rate has changed for those on Grade 1 since 1 April 2017 due to the removal of point 1.1 on the pay spine.
Any work completed up to and including 31 March 2017 - £8.09 (Grade 1.1)
Any work completed since 1 April 2017 - £8.25 (Grade 1.2)
Please make sure all those you employ are properly paid!
Dates for the diary
Wed 24 May, 13:00-14:00, Action Group (theme tbc)
Thu 8 June, 13:00-14:00, Annual General Meeting, Council Room, Firth Court
March Branch News – reviews everywhere, lecture capture and NSS
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March Branch News
Reviews spring up everywhere, we record our thoughts on lecture capture, and the boycott of NSS seems to be taking hold.
As will be all too clear to many staff, the university has been gripped by review-fever, with a major review of Student Services joining that of Research and Innovation Services and numerous other departments already under the microscope. Add to that a recently announced reflection on the faculty structures and it is clear that there is a lot of change in process. While we acknowledge the university has a right to review its processes and structures whenever it likes, we are concerned that too much at once may lead to over-stretching, insufficient oversight and rushed decisions. We are watching as closely as we can to ensure policies are followed properly and staff treated fairly. We are grateful to the university for the transparency they are providing on the Strategy Delivery Group webpages; do familiarise yourself with the content there if you haven't already.
The Strategy Delivery Group's remit is, of course, predicated on the university's financial position. We are still seeking clarity on the university's accounts, with the new accounting standards raising more questions than they answer. In particular, in this age of alternative facts, it is disappointing that that the university is refusing to correct inaccuracies and misleading statements in its financial infographic after we have repeatedly asked them to do so. We haven't heard recent claims anywhere near as worrying as those used as a launchpad for the SDG last summer, and note the sizable total surplus for the 2015-16 year. We await updates, and will pass on any information we can.
Lecture capture is now firmly on the agenda, with an 'opt-out' system due for for the 2017-18 academic year. We have been discussing this issue with the university in depth, and have raised numerous concerns that staff have brought up in meetings and by email. We are doing our best to ensure that the implementation of the policy protects as many staff rights as possible, with retaining performance rights currently a priority. We have an Action Group meeting dedicated to lecture capture on 29 March (see below) where we will be brainstorming a way forward. We also plan to meet with the Students Union to see if we can form a joint position of aligned interests.
The NUS's national boycott of the National Student Survey appears to be working in Sheffield, with low response rates across the university. Interestingly, we believe that students who have already filled in the survey are entitled to ask for their data to be removed. The boycott is supported by UCU nationally, and we have formed a joint statement with the Student Union locally. Our advice to staff is that it's acceptable to make final year students aware of the boycott and where to find more information, but to stop short of advocating they take part.
Our Action Group meeting in early March focused on stress and workload. The need for a university policy on workload allocation was discussed, with significant variability evident across the institution, along with the potential for better coordination with the university's Staff and Disability Network. Health and safety matters are a continual source of negotiation with the university, and health and safety law offers powerful protection for staff. We believe that the university should be doing full risk assessments of all departments, particularly with regards stress, and hope to make further headway in the coming months.
Lastly, some good news: Sheffield UCU membership continues to climb, up 5% over the past year, and we have co-opted new members to the committee. With uncertain times at the university, it seems an important moment to be part of a collective. Please do encourage colleagues to join and consider responding to our plea for help to increase our effectiveness locally.
Sheffield UCU Committee
Do you want a trip to Brighton?
The annual UCU Congress - the main decision making body of the union - happens 27-29 May in Brighton. This branch can send four delegates. If you are interested in attending to see how UCU works on a national level, then please get in touch (ucu@shef.ac.uk).
Save Sheffield Central Library!
Our March branch meeting was addressed by Rebecca Gransbury who is leading the campaign to save Sheffield Central Library, which is under threat from plans to sell it to developers who plan to turn it into a hotel. Please do sign the petition and keep out for events via the Facebook page. You can find out more about the proposals on the Sheffield City Council website.
Action Group on Lecture Capture
Our next Action Group meeting is focused on the issue of lecture capture. We will be discussing what we should be doing about the issue, ways to link up with the local student union and more. If this is an issue that you feel strongly about, please come!
If you are concerned about your right to work in the UK, whether as an EEA or non-EEA National, you can find information on your rights and legal advice through UCU by visiting the page below.
January Branch News – NSS boycott, anti-casualisation and more on university finances
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Come to our USS-themed Action Group meeting, Wed 1 Feb, 1-2pm, to plan how to raise the profile of the upcoming valuation.
Save the date! Tuesday 21st February (tbc): Sally Hunt and Jo McNeill have been invited to Sheffield for a General Secretary Hustings.
January Branch News
Students campaign to boycott the NSS, our anti-casualisation drive continues, and we find the university's accounts of its accounts unconvincing.
The National Union of Students has just begun a campaign to boycott the National Student Survey (NSS). This boycott is designed to disrupt the metric-based Teaching Excellent Framework (TEF), which is tied to the raising of student fees. The boycott is supported by UCU nationally and locally, and we have produced a joint statement with our students' union on why this is an important issue. There is guidance from UCU on how individual members can support the boycott and a poster you can display. Our branch advice is to draw students' attentions to the NUS campaign, and that it has the support of UCU, but to stop short of advocating that students take part in the boycott. If you encounter any problems with this approach, contact us.
Our big push to bring the spotlight on the university's casually-employed workforce got significant attention in the run up to Christmas, with local MPs offering their support. We are in the middle of a series of meetings with the university on this issue, and are hopeful we can make some progress. You can follow the status of the negotiations on the website we made for the campaign.
You will have seen our immediate response to last week's post from the Deputy Vice Chancellor on the university's finances. We wrote to Shearer West to express our displeasure with the way the university is writing about its accounts to staff. Given a recent branch motion calling for transparency on such matters, we were particularly upset at the selective reporting and, in some cases, factually incorrect information. We urge staff to look for themselves directly at the key points in the annual report, including the treasurer's statement, to verify that the picture is not as black and white as you may have been led to believe.
Members who were here in 2014-15 will remember the outrage at the downgrading of the USS pension scheme in response to the last statutory valuation. This March it will all happen again and, despite excellent growth in the fund's assets, the methodology which crippled the fund last time points to an even bigger, looming deficit. There are signs, however, that the actuarial profession is waking up to the fact that the modelling seems inadequate, and we hope that USS, the biggest funded defined-benefit scheme in the country, might be bold enough to break with tradition. This university has agreed to form a working group to look closely at the matter; if you have relevant expertise and would like to help, please get in touch.
Finally, you will soon receive a ballot to vote in the election of UCU's new General Secretary for the next 5 years. The University of Liverpool's Jo McNeill will be running against Sally Hunt, who has held the position for the past decade. The Sheffield UCU Committee strongly recommends you use your vote, and endorses Jo McNeill's candidacy. We have invited both Sally and Jo to appear at a hustings in February (Tuesday 21, tbc). We will keep you informed.
Sheffield UCU Committee
USS Action Group, 1 February
We want to raise awareness of the USS pension fund and brainstorm what we can do, locally and nationally, to make headway on this important issue. No knowledge of pensions necessary! Please do come and help if you can.
Action Group, Wed 1 February, 13:00-14:00, Bartolome House Room DLG06
Local/National Events
Education Conference With Angela Rayner MP and Russell Hobby, Sat 4 Feb, 10:00-16:00, Matlock (details)
Sheffield University Students' Union and Sheffield University and College Union believe that students should boycott the National Student Survey (NSS). The NSS will become a key element of the proposed Teaching Excellence Framework according to which teaching will be evaluated according to a set of centrally imposed metrics that threaten to reduce education to narrowly conceived vocational training. The TEF will not only have a negative effect for students and staff, but also contribute to the increasing marketisation of Higher Education. The NSS and TEF also lead universities to provide courses based on fluctuations in fashion and the job market rather than as a result of their intrinsic educational value and resources built up over decades. As a result experienced, professional staff are replaced by precarious teachers on zero-hours or temporary contracts. Boycotting the NSS provides us with a real opportunity to ensure that the TEF cannot be implemented as it makes one of the datasets unusable. Together, Sheffield Students’ Union and Sheffield University and College Union believe that Sheffield is better than this. #ShefBetterThanTEF
Winter Branch News – Finances, insecure employment and more
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Please forward this email to any potential members who might be interested!
Winter Branch News
The university acknowledges that capital spending requires scrutiny and we turn the spotlight on insecure employment.
The Vice Chancellor wrote to all staff last week in an update on the university's financial position. We were pleased to see a notable change in tone and a reassurance that the university is 'reviewing all areas of planned expenditure, including our capital spend', important due to the huge increase in such outlay over recent years. Staffing levels are still the most visible focus of the university's cost-cutting drive, with the Staff Release Scheme now closed for applications and the recruitment pause extended until late January. We will be keeping an eye out for overstretched staff and asking the university to be clear: do we now do less work or work longer hours?
We continue to press for transparency in the Strategy Delivery Group's decision making, and were disappointed that our branch request for a union representative on the group was declined. We hear that the most recent financial forecasting has shown a considerably better position than the £35m deficit for 2016-17 quoted on the SDG's website, but are struggling to get confirmation from the university. January will see the publication of the annual report, which we will be giving full scrutiny, especially figures on capital expenditure and salary increases for top earners.
The pay campaign is officially over, with 57% nationally voting to drop further action. It is a disappointing end, especially given the strong early feeling evident in Sheffield and the weight of evidence in our favour. Our September questionnaire indicated that many members point to tactical errors in the campaign, but it is also clear that universities are prepared to disregard staff anger and impose pay settlements as they see fit. It doesn't seem like a healthy dynamic, and we urge the university to listen properly to the discontent before it becomes even more damaging to staff morale and society as a whole.
One key prong of the pay campaign was an anti-casualisation drive, and today we launch a website exposing the levels of insecurity felt by many staff in Sheffield, based on our questionnaire for insecure staff sent last month. This follows on from the Guardian's excellent series of articles on the shameful practice common in the sector. Some of the testimony featured on our site is heart-breaking, with comments such as 'I absolutely resent the place and what it has done to me' and 'I feel worn-down, undervalued, disappointed, helpless, forgotten, so very tired all the time'. We urge you to spend 5 minutes reading about how an often ignored section of the staff at this university are treated. If you know of anyone in a similar position yet to complete the questionnaire, please point them to it. Negotiations with the university are ongoing, and we have had wider interest, including from local MPs.
In March we will be treated to the triennial valuation of the USS pension fund. There is significant possibility that the valuation, done in the way it was in 2014, will show another large, looming deficit. We will be urging our university to pay much more attention than last time to avoid seeing further increased contributions, downgraded benefits and, potentially, the beginning of the end for the defined benefit scheme. Those sufficiently comfortable with figures are strongly encouraged to engage with the issue, which is not widely understood for the scandal it is due to insufficient scrutiny of the decision-making.
Finally, we'll be a 'plea for help' in the New Year, looking for members who can add to the local union's effectiveness with anything from technical know-how to graphic design skills or event organisation. Those who want to help us make a difference, keep your eyes peeled!
Merry Christmas from the Sheffield UCU Committee
Sheffield Needs a Pay Rise
Sheffield Trade Union Council has brought together various trade unions and community groups representing many workers across the city, to fight for a real living wage for all, of £10 an hour, and for a proper pay rise regardless of age. The campaign is about securing dignity for all, and gives working people a collective voice together that cannot simply be ignored.
There is a demonstration taking place on the Devonshire Green on Saturday 17 December. If you can, please support!
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/203599183418980/
Senior Management Anti-Marketisation Survey
The National Senior Management Survey is a survey for university staff around the UK to complete about the practices of their senior management team. University staff have their performance measured by narrow metrics - this survey seeks to move the gaze instead to the senior management teams who set the conditions through which staff performance becomes possible. It also provides a counter-point to the National Student Survey, and will lead to a national league table of senior management teams such that regressive and progressive higher education regimes can be made visible. The project is supported by UCU.
https://smsprojectuk.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/national-senior-management-survey
The survey takes 5 minutes to complete, and all answers are anonymous.
What Women Want 2.0
What Women Want 2.0 is a national non-partisan campaign which launched last month. Women across the country are being invited to answer one simple question: What do you want? It's a re-run of a survey from 1996 which sent some powerful messages and influenced government policy.
If you would like to participate, please respond via the web link, http://www.thisiswhatwomenwant.org/