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News in brief from SUCU Committee.

SUCU Branch News 5th Feb 2015

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USS Pensions - A Lost Opportunity

The SUCU General Meeting last week saw many members expressing anger at the USS pensions deal which has just been agreed by UCU nationally.  The final salary scheme will end and a 'defined contribution' element start, probably in April 2016. This is a very bad deal for us, particularly given what a good position we were in to stop this blitzkrieg on our pensions:
  • Last summer we had the biggest vote for action since UCU was founded
  • The supposed deficit was demonstrably phoney, and independent accountants backed us on this.  It was fabricated to justify attacking our pensions and shifting towards the sort of pensions the City of London love - 'defined contribution'.
  • The employers were divided, with some publicly opposing UUK's position.
  • The employers have plenty of money, and indeed spending on staff as a proportion of income has steadily declined over the years.
Unfortunately this was all frittered away, and last month members gave up and accepted the deal in an e-ballot. What can we do now? In December our branch along with many others demanded a recall 'Special Conference' to get the branches and membership back into control of the dispute.  Apparently there were not enough branches (20) to make this happen by January, so our negotiators have signed the deal off, but the Special Conference is happening on 24  February.  It will give us an opportunity to lay the groundwork for the future.  We are continuing to lobby the University of Sheffield to ask why they haven't joined Imperial College, Warwick University, Oxford, LSE and Cambridge and others in speaking out against the changes. We know many members feel very let down, and justifiably so, and some have even talked of leaving the union.  But that would be giving the aggressive employers exactly what they want.  This is our union, we must reclaim it.
  • You can vote in the current NEC elections for people you feel will lead the union effectively.
  • You can become active locally: the strength of our union is here.
We have a very active and effective local branch, and we have negotiated some sector-leading agreements here, and we do a huge amount of individual support work.  Please continue to support us, however you feel about the national leadership. Standing together we can continue to make life better for staff here in Sheffield.

Reward & Recognition: Good Progress

We have told you about our local 'Reward and Recognition' negotiations in previous Branch News emails. We had made some very good progress but there was one key area where we were in deadlock with management, the issue of normal incremental progression. We are pleased to say that we had a very constructive meeting with management yesterday and are now hopeful that we will be able to reach an agreement.  We will keep you informed, and you will of course have the final say on whether to accept the eventual set of proposed changes.

Pensions surgery for members

SUCU Committee are organising a surgery for Branch Members to receive individual advice from a UCU national pensions official.  We will keep you updated about arrangements for this.

Industrial action at Barnsley and Sheffield Colleges

Sheffield College and Barnsley College UCU members took strike action on Thursday 29th January. At Sheffield the threat of 75 redundancies and downgrading of lecturing staff to trainer, assessor facilitator roles amongst other attacks on lecturers conditions has led to the dispute there.  Barnsley College UCU members were on strike for three consecutive days  from Thursday 29th January to Monday 2nd February. They have already taken 3 days of strike action since October over the forcing through of a new contract in the summer on the back of a major restructure.  Both branches plan more action in the near future. It is really  important to members in dispute to know they have support from UCU members in the Region so please:

Public meeting: Stand Up to Racism and Fascism Tuesday 3 March 7pm

No to scapegoating immigrants - No to Islamophobia - No to anti-Semitism - Yes to diversity.  This event is organised by Sheffield Unite Against Fascism.  Venue:  Central United Reform Church, corner of Chapel Walk opposite the Crucible Theatre.  Read more..          

SUCU Branch News 29 Jan 2015

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Update following Branch Meeting on Wednesday

Members turned out in good numbers yesterday despite the terrible weather and heard:
  • A briefing following the UCU consultative ballot on USS.  Representatives from this Branch also attended a special USS meeting for UCU Branches in Manchester yesterday.  A full update on USS will be circulated in Branch News next week.
  • The need for continued local strength in negotiations was re-emphasised, as members heard from Branch Officers about University management's plans to link your incremental pay progression with performance. This represents a threat to the 'Framework Agreement' underpinning our current pay structure.  Negotiations are ongoing but the campus unions may be reaching a point of deadlock on this issue and we will of course keep you informed. Read more in this joint union paper - Performance Related Pay. A Flawed Vision
  • Brandon Wilshaw from Sheffield College spoke of the attacks his members are facing to their terms and conditions and threats of redundancy.  Industrial action starts today with an all out strike at Sheffield College.  Send messages of support and solidarity to brandon.wilshaw@sheffcol.ac.uk.

Letter to Times Higher 

Members are encouraged to read this letter to THE from HEC members opposed to any retreat from defending members’ pensions.

A reminder about union subscription payments

Could colleagues please check that you are paying the correct UCU sub.  If you have received a pay increment - this may have taken you over the boundary to a higher UCU subs rate. You can update your membership details online.

National Voter Registration Day Thursday 5th February. -Volunteers Required!

Sheffield Peoples Assembly and Sheffield TUC are holding stalls at both universities and in the City Centre to get people to register to vote. Can you help? The government's move to individual voter registration (as opposed to household) has meant that millions of students, young people and working class voters are not registered - and 44% of those not registered DON'T KNOW! Please contact Sheffield Peoples Assembly if you can help on one of our stalls sheffieldpeoplesassembly@gmail.com

Improved offer accepted at Lambeth College

UCU members at Lambeth College returned to work last week after accepting an improved offer from the college. Read more

Sheffield TUC "Celebrating Sheffield's Diversity" Black Workers event Saturday 28th February  1pm - 3.30pm

Linking Sheffield's Black Asian and Ethnic Minorities with the trade union movement. The event is FREE, food is provided courtesy of Sheffield Trade Union Council and the event is open to ALL - Asian, Black, ethnic minorities and white - to celebrate Sheffield's rich cultural diversity. Entertainment and speeches, award presentations etc. Guest speakers including Mohammed Taj recently TUC President and  currently UNITE executive council  member. N.B. this event was previously scheduled for 24th January. It is the first of a series events to be hosted by Sheffield TUC to engage the Black Asian and ethnic minority populations in Sheffield with the work of the trade union movement Venue: Pakistani Muslim Centre, Darnall.  STUC Celebrating Sheffield Diversity 28.02.2015

SUCU Branch News 22 Jan 2015

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USS: Defending our pensions SUCU Committee recommends that members vote 'No' SUCU Committee believes that the current ‘potential agreement’ offer represents a major cut in pensions. The offer accepts the parameters of the huge fake projected deficit, and cuts pensions to fill this gap. As well as ending Final Salary, it concedes the principle of a Defined Contribution element for contributions over £55,000 that allows the Employer to cut their contributions to 12%, provides members with no certainty about the value of their pension and paves the way for future concessions. SUCU Committee therefore calls on all members to vote to reject the offer. Members on the UCU Higher Education Committee who believe the proposed USS deal is completely unacceptable have sent this message for all members.  What about our motion sent requesting a Special Sector Conference? If 20 branches require a Special Conference then it must be called.  This is the mechanism for the membership to get back in charge of the dispute. We believe that more than 20 branches submitted motions like our own but the conference is not being called.  HQ has told us ours has been accepted but are refusing to say which branches have submitted such motions and which have been rejected and why.  Nevertheless we are hopeful that the 20 can be reached - for instance Nottingham just passed the motion this week. Decoding the jargon: Defined Benefit v Defined Contribution Defined Benefit means that you know what benefits you'll get when you retire. So both of the current schemes ('Final Salary' and 'Career Average') fit this - you have a clear idea what pension you'll be getting when you retire. Defined Contribution means that what you put in is defined, but not what pension you'll get out, as it all depends on the vagaries of the markets. Shockingly, many people's pension 'pots' are far smaller than the money put in over many years. The employers (and the City of London) obviously love this as all the risk is on you. Heads they win, tails you lose. Also as there is no definite end value the contribution from you or the employer is arbitrary.  If an employer decides to cut their contribution from say 15% to 5% they can (and very many companies have). The employers want to introduce a Defined Contribution pension for earnings above £55,000. So why is that such a big deal as most of our pensions will still be Defined Benefit? Because there can be very little doubt that if we allow any element of Defined Contribution into USS the employers will want to grow it, until we have no Defined Benefit scheme left. That's why it's vital you vote 'No'.

USS will be discussed at the next Branch Meeting Wed 28 Jan 1pm and members are encouraged to attend.

Branch Meeting for all members next Wed 28 Jan 1pm Under discussion will be the pensions dispute, local pay and performance management, and we have a speaker from Sheffield College where members have just voted to take industrial action. Beverages will be served at 12.45.  The agenda is attached. Please also display this poster.

Did you want to apply for a VC fellowship?  We have heard some concerns about the treatment of internal applicants for VC Fellowships. Did you put in an expression of interest with your department but believe it was overlooked because you are internal? Are you of the leading calibre the scheme is looking for (competitive candidates should have high impact publications)? If so please let us know. You can reply to this email in confidence.

Fractionals For Fair Play Conference 7 Feb Members may be aware of this successful campaign to demand better treatment of casualised staff at SOAS.

Casualised staff survey Members are encouraged to take part in this UCU survey for casualised staff.  If you are on a fixed-term, hourly paid, variable hours or zero hours contract, or if you are an agency worker and you have not yet completed this survey, please make sure you fill it in now and pass it on to other casualised staff you know, whether they are UCU members or not.  Read more about UCU’s campaign against casualisation. See here for details of UCU's forthcoming annual meeting for staff on casualised contracts.

SUCU Branch News 15 Jan 2015

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USS pension – action suspended,  e-ballot opens tomorrow 16 Jan

We were informed yesterday of HEC's decision to ballot members on new proposals for your USS pension.  We have received information from UCU about the new proposal and arrangements for the ballot - which runs 16th January to 26th January at noon. SUCU Committee recommend the following to members: SUCU Committee believes that the current ‘potential agreement’ offer represents a major cut in pensions. The offer accepts the parameters of the huge projected deficit, and cuts pensions to fill this gap. As well as ending Final Salary, it concedes the principle of a Defined Contribution element for contributions over £55,000 that allows the Employer to cut their contributions to 12%, provides members with no certainty about the value of their pension and paves the way for future concessions. SUCU Committee therefore calls on all members to vote to reject the offer, and to demand HEC officers call hard-hitting industrial action to win the dispute. What about our motion sent requesting a Special Sector Conference?  We believe that more than 20 branches submitted motions like our own calling for a Special Conference but the conference is not being called and HQ is not indicating which branch motions have been rejected and why.  We are requesting that information. USS will be discussed at the next Branch Meeting and members are encouraged to attend.

Local pay and performance management

We have reported previously that SUCU, together with the other campus unions, are in ongoing discussions with management about SRDS and 'reward and recognition'. Management are putting brief updates on the HR website. At this stage we have broad agreement on the main points apart from incremental pay progression.  Discussions affecting pay continue to be on the basis of the 'Framework Agreement' underpinning our current pay structure.  In particular regarding incremental pay progression this says, 'Staff will have a normal expectation that progression from point to point up to the exceptional threshold will take place on an annual basis, subject exceptionally to existing procedures for dealing with performance problems, when increments may be withheld. Accelerated incremental progression, including progression into the exceptional range, will reflect sustained exceptional contribution by the job holder.'  Come to the Branch Meeting on 28 Jan 1pm to hear more and join the discussion.

Next Branch Meeting Wed 28 Jan 1pm, Council Chamber, Octagon Centre

All members are invited to attend.  Under discussion will be the pensions dispute, local pay and performance management, and we have a speaker from Sheffield College where members have just voted to take industrial action. Beverages will be served at 12.45.  Agenda attached.

UCU members at Sheffield College vote for strike action in row over jobs

UCU members at Sheffield College have overwhelmingly backed strike action in a row over job losses. 86% of members who voted backed strike action and 95% supported action short of strike. The branch is due to meet next week to discuss next steps and when any action will start. The college wants to axe 75 jobs now and has warned it is likely to come back looking to make further savings in the near future. Please send messages of support to brandon.wilshaw@sheffcol.ac.uk.  Brandon will be speaking at the next Branch Meeting on 28th Jan.

SUCU Branch News 8 Jan 2015

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Next Branch Meeting Wed 28 Jan 1pm Council Chamber, Octagon Centre

All members are invited to attend.  Under discussion will be the pensions dispute, local pay and performance management, and we have a speaker from Sheffield College. Beverages will be served at 12.45.

Please be prepared - USS dispute marking and assessment boycott may restart on 16th Jan

The UCU Higher Education Committee meets on 14th Jan to consider a progress update from the negotiators and to decide whether to restart the boycott.  You will recall that the marking and assessment boycott was suspended until 16 January 2015.  We have been informed by HQ that to comply with legal requirements, UCU has served a fresh notice of industrial action on the employers.  We will keep you updated.

Local pay and performance management

We have reported previously that SUCU together with the other campus unions are in ongoing discussions with management about SRDS and 'reward and recognition'. Management are putting brief updates on the HR website. At this stage we have broad agreement on the main points apart from incremental pay progression.  Discussions affecting pay continue to be on the basis of the 'Framework Agreement' underpinning our current pay structure.  In particular regarding incremental pay progression this says, 'Staff will have a normal expectation that progression from point to point up to the exceptional threshold will take place on an annual basis, subject exceptionally to existing procedures for dealing with performance problems, when increments may be withheld. Accelerated incremental progression, including progression into the exceptional range, will reflect sustained exceptional contribution by the job holder.'  Come to the Branch Meeting on 28 Jan 1pm to hear more and join the discussion.

Anti-bullying and harassment campaign

Our joint union anti-bullying campaign continues.  We previously reported that as well as raising awareness through anti-bullying campaigning we are working with the HR team to develop new policies for the University on this theme. We will have an update on this soon along with an invitation for members to have an input, and to attend other informative events. Members may be interested to read this Guardian article 16 Dec - Struggle for top research grades fuels bullying among university staff:
  • More than half of university staff say recent policy changes have caused an increase in bullying – and that institutions aren't doing enough to tackle the issue
  • 81% of Russell Group university members said REF has had a negative impact on bullying.
  • The fevered build up to this month’s university research audit has exposed academics to an atmosphere of competitiveness and bullying, according to a survey by the Guardian’s higher education network.
More useful resources: What to do if you are being bullied or harassed – advice for UCU members , Cyber-bullying: the invisible hand of bullying, If you believe that you are being bullied, the chances are, you are,  Ban bullying in Education flyer

MPs tear into government over uncontrolled expansion of private colleges

An influential group of MPs has torn into the government over its failings to account for public money as it rubber-stamped the expansion of private for-profit colleges.  Read more..