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News in brief from SUCU Committee.

SUCU Branch News 26 Feb 2015

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USS: Management too should reject the restructuring

SUCU met with management recently to press management to publicly distance themselves from the UUK position on USS - UUK being the University managements' national body. The radical restructuring of USS which is proposed is damaging to all current and future staff members of USS, and also to the interests of the institution as a whole. We talked through figures from one of USS's own documents that show the £2.9bn deficit of 2011 disappearing over the three years to March 2014 only to be replaced with more pessimistic assumptions which create a £12.3bn deficit instead. Management said, quite reasonably, that an 'attractive pension scheme' is in the University's interest, and that every 1% increase in their contribution rates adds £2m annually to their overall wage bill. SUCU pointed out that if these changes go through, the highly questionable valuation methodology will, since 2011, have added £8m annually to the University's costs, arguably unnecessarily. UUK's position is inconsistent: their actuaries have not criticised the work of UCU's actuaries, but this didn't change UUK's support for the changes. There have been behind-the-scenes back-testing of previous valuations using an approach advocated by UCU, which apparently shows a much more stable fund which better matches experience; however USS's actuaries won't allow the release of these results claiming 'intellectual property rights'. We are not conspiracy theorists, but the more that one reads about this the more it looks like a stitch-up. SUCU has asked the University management to join the heavyweights of Warwick, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial etc who have spoken out against the need for radical structural change.  Imperial have gone further and commissioned an excellent report from five of their academic staff with relevant knowledge. We believe that an in depth study of all the documents and their implications reveals the necessity of rejecting the radical restructuring of USS.  We urged our management to undertake this study, rather than largely relying on the word of UUK and USS.SUCU has written a summary here collating the information, with links to further reading.  A dedicated webpage will soon be set up to keep member updated - so please watch this space.

Free education demo in Leeds, 6 March

Regional demo for free education, organised by Leeds For Free Education. Fighting cuts, privatisation, tuition fees, for affordable housing and decent living standards for staff.  Read more...

Mental health prejudice still rife in the workplace says report

Prejudice against workers with mental health conditions is widespread amongUK organisations, according to a report from Bupa.  Read more...

Stand up to Racism national demo 21 March

Many organisations will be coming together on Saturday 21 March 2015 to reject racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism; to celebrate diversity and make migrants welcome, to demonstrate our confidence in a future free of scapegoating, racism and hatred, and to remember Nelson Mandela and cherish the idea for a free and democratic society in which all persons live together in harmony and equal opportunities.  More information...

SUCU Branch News 12 Feb 2015

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HE Special Sector Conference re USS, 24 February 

As previously reported this special sector conference to debate the union's strategy to defend pensions is now going ahead, and we as a Branch are fully engaged with it.  3 delegates are being sent to represent branch views and vote on a number of proposed motions.  We believe that motions 2 to 5 are in broad agreement with the sentiment expressed in branch meetings.

Please vote in the NEC elections

It is sometimes difficult to tell a great deal from the candidate statements, and at the Branch General Meeting 2 weeks ago it was agreed that we should also send members advice from the two main groupings within the union:  
  • UCULeft, which wanted more active campaigning on USS and opposed the current pensions deal.
 
  • In addition there are a number of non-aligned candidates whose statements you can read via the elections link above.
Whoever you vote for, please do vote - if your pay and pension matter to you.

UCU modeler for USS pension

Just to alert members - it's been brought to our attention that UCU's pension modeler used to give indications of the effect of the USS changes on our pensions does not have all the information needed to produce an accurate figure.

Stand up to Racism national demo Saturday 21 March 2015, London

Organised by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) and supported by Sheffield Trade Union Council.  No to scapegoating immigrants, No to Islamophobia, No to anti-Semitism, Yes to Diversity.  Read more...

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.