We want to hear your opinions! Please drop in to our Post-Brexit Discussion Meeting, Wed 10 August, Octagon Meeting Room 1, 12-2pm (light lunch provided).
Summer Branch News
The university freezes recruitment, we solicit members views on Brexit, USS announces its defined contribution section and the HE Bill gets through its second reading.
The university announced a four-month recruitment freeze in July, citing the result of the EU referendum and a forecast deficit for the coming year. We are watching the situation closely and are keen to understand the full picture behind this response. In particular, is the university in any kind of financial difficulty? If so, why, when it's been consistently running operating surpluses in recent times "to ensure that the university's activities remain financially stable in the long-term"? It certainly isn't due to pay for the majority, which has eroded as a proportion of income. Could the university have planned for too much growth in student numbers and over-stretched on construction projects? Does it have too loose a grip on salaries at the top end? Did apathy in the face of a flawed pension valuation bite back with increased costs? Or is this a spot of opportunism to justify actions it wanted to take anyway? If you have the skills to help us dig around, please see 'Can you help?' below.
The nationally coordinated pay campaign may have gone into a summer lull, but you should continue to work to contract, and national discussions have started on how to implement a marking and assessment boycott in the autumn. In addition, Unite and UNISON are consulting with their members over possible action.
In Sheffield we think it's important to listen to our members' views and, with this in mind, we are holding a special Post-Brexit Discussion drop-in meeting on Wednesday 10 August to allow members to informally discuss the impact of the Brexit vote nationally, on this university and on the pay campaign. The discussion at the meeting should help formulate a branch response, and we have arranged an Extraordinary General Meeting in September which would be able to formalise our position, with motions if applicable. If you have opinions on these matters, please do participate!
We have seen an increase in recent months on the number of reviews and restructures the university has announced, and take our role seriously in pushing for fair treatment of staff affected. If you are involved in a team that is being restructured, please remember to talk to colleagues about how important union representation is in such matters and encourage them to join.
The implemented changes to the USS Pension Scheme are nearing completion, with the introduction of the Defined Contribution section coming into effect in October. Branded as the 'USS Investment Builder', this primarily affects those earning over £55,000, but all staff have the option of paying in an extra 1% of salary, matched by the employer. You should have received information on this from USS, including what you need to do to opt-in, but you may be interested in this presentation which explains the changes in full.
Finally, the government's HE Bill passed its second reading in July, and UCU continues to work to oppose a number of matters it contains, not least increased marketisation and the introduction of degree-awarding powers for private providers. You may be interested in reading an Alternative White Paper which came about as a result of the Second Convention for Higher Education which Sheffield UCU sent three delegates to in February. You can read more about these matters on their website.
University finances: can you help?
We are keen to dig around in the university finances to try to get a good understanding of the reasons behind the university's recently announced recruitment freeze. Do you have a good head for figures and balance sheets? Are you willing to look through annual reports to look for interesting patterns? The union is its members, and the more members do to help, the better we function. Please get in touch at ucu@sheffield.ac.uk.
Are you on an insecure contract?
An MA (Resource Management) student at Keele is conducting an empirical research survey with a small number of follow-up interviews. The aim of the "research is to look at the use of casualised contracts among university lecturers and examine how this affects their commitment." The student is very keen to access staff who have or are working on casual contracts. If you fit the bill, please take part in the survey.
NUS Extra Cards
University of Sheffield staff are able to purchase an NUS Extra card and take advantage of discounts from various companies, including travel and money off days out. To purchase a card visit https://cards.nusextra.co.uk/. You don't need to be a student although the website says you do; when prompted for your Course, simply select "Other". You need to use your University email to complete the sign up process.
Don't forget to use other benefits you are entitled to, including those offered by UCU and, although we have our reservations about the skew towards corporate multinational companies, the offers through The Deal portal.
June Branch News: Alternative Open Day, AGM and EU referendum
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Can you spare the time to help with generating ideas for our campaigns? Come to our Action Group on Wednesday 13 July, 1pm, venue tbc!
June Branch News
UCU responds to the EU referendum, our Alternative Open Day entertains prospective students and embarrasses the university and we round-up the year and confirm committee places at our AGM.
In response to last week's EU referendum result, Sally Hunt wrote to all members to set out what the union will be doing in reaction to the vote, particularly with regards government policy and the impact on a highly international workforce and student body. She also reiterated that "universities and colleges have a vital role to play in fighting racism and intolerance and in continuing to promote the benefits of education to both the individual and society as a whole". UCU's National Executive Committee also made a statement, which you can read here.
In Sheffield, we urge members to remember that there are arguments for and against leaving the EU, on the left as well as the right, and that it is important to be able to agree to disagree on some of the points in order to decide how to move forward constructively. We ask members to be aware that over-enthusiastic promotion of one view can feel intimidatory and even abusive to those who hold a different view. The Sheffield UCU committee are discussing whether to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting on how to deal with the impact of the vote on Higher Education, and whether it has an effect on our campaigns.
Our Alternative Open Day on the locally-chosen strike on 23 June was a big success, with prospective students welcomed to Sheffield with friendly faces, leaflets explaining why we're making a fuss and a series of soap-box talks. We found that students and parents were very happy to chat to us and listen to what we were saying, and think that our message was well received. We got good media coverage from, among others, Look North, Calendar, BBC Radio Sheffield and Forge Media. We hope that the university is listening to its disaffected staff, and realizing it needs to make concessions. See our Twitter feed to get an idea of what went on.
We finished the academic year with a well attended Annual General Meeting on 8 June. In addition to a summary of the year from our Branch President, the branch heard a report from the National Congress and elected committee members for the coming year. You can find the minutes for the meeting on our website.
Finally, with the summer months now here, there is likely to be a lull in activity on the pay campaign. During this time it is important to keep working to your nominal 35-hour week contract, and to take as much of your annual leave as you can. Low-paid members in UNISON and Unite are both moving towards action over pay and will need our support when they are ready to take action.
Sheffield UCU Committee
Sheffield Strikes Tomorrow!
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Sheffield Strikes Tomorrow!
The member-chosen strike day is now a day away! Our Alternative Open Day will ensure that University will not be able to micro-manage the image they want to portray, and will have to accept prospective students and their parents learning uncomfortable truths from friendly faces that make this institution what it is.
Please turn out for what is likely to be the most impactful strike day we've had in recent times, and show support by retweeting our posts and using the hastags #fairpayinHE and #shefunilife.
Sheffield Strikes, 23 June! University staff: here to help... always.
Arrive from 8am onwards, reporting to our stall on the concourse to pick up an armband and leaflets and placards as you see fit. You can choose a building to picket, or join others elsewhere. Picketers get a free sandwich from John's Van outside the Hicks Building!
To help our Alternative Open Day...
Many thanks to those who have volunteered to give a 5-minute soap-box talk. The list is already looking good, but please do let use know by email or on the day if you'd like to give it a go. We would also be grateful for people to come and chat to prospective students once the picket-lines are finished at 11ish.
To claim for hardship...
There is a hardship fund for members who have been disproportionately hit financially, either because of the level of deductions or because of their personal situation. This could apply to low paid lone/main household earner, or a part time worker hit disproportionately by the strike days or other. To apply, fill in the form.
Hope to see you out and about tomorrow!
Sheffield UCU committee
Sheffield Strikes in 2 days!
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Sheffield Strikes in 2 days!
The member-chosen strike day of 23 June is now 2 days away. This is where Sheffield University staff demonstrate to this university their depth of feeling on pay erosion, the gender pay-gap and over casualised employment.
Please remember that unions are crucial in ensuring that staff are listened to and employers don't abuse their power. Support fellow UCU-members by striking, picketing and contributing to our Alternative Open Day on Thursday.
Sheffield Strikes, Thursday 23 June: this university must listen to its staff.
Sheffield Strikes in 3 days!
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Sheffield Strikes in 3 days!
We're just 3 days away from our locally-chosen strike day of Thursday 23 June, where we will welcome potential students to Sheffield with friendly faces, leaflets, and our Alternative Open Day. A good take up for the strike and turn out picket-lines will catch the University's attention.
Remember: Universities, including ours, have chosen to allow pay to erode, are allowing gender pay inequality to perpetuate, and show no signs of stamping out casualized labour. If they really listened to staff as much as they claim to, we would not be having to strike.
Please continue to show support for this campaign by striking, picketing and volunteering to give a 5-minute soap-box talk (see below).
Alternative Open Day: Can you inspire students?
Our Alternative Open Day coincides with the University's official open day, and we need speakers to deliver 5-minute talks on a theme related to our campaign, but aimed at inspiring students to come here and be engaged. Ideas could include:
a summary of how you got to where you are now, and the challenges facing such a career path;
a retrospective of how Higher Education has changed over the years, and how it can change again;
a look at just how much some VCs (including ours!) take home from student fees;
a history of activism, and how young people can get involved.
What we're after should be short, snappy and entertaining: something that will catch the attention of passing students and parents and flag-up what's lurking behind the scenes in the sector.
Please reply to this email to volunteer or discuss further!
Sheffield University Strike, Thursday 23 June: Make the university listen, and inspire the next generation.