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News in brief from SUCU Committee.

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

Published on

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..

SUCU Branch News 11th December 2014

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Up to 10% bonuses for University Executive Board members

Just in case you are thinking of applying for the Deputy VC or PVCLT jobs you may notice that your 'highly competitive' pay would come with a bonus scheme which applies now to all UEB members.  They get a bonus of up to 10% of salary "upon delivery of agreed objectives".  This is a very worrying development.  What does it say about someone's commitment to the institution and their work if they really need a bonus to put effort in? If they don't need it why have it? And any bonus scheme distorts the work as only a limited set of objectives can be set, and these must be measurable ones. There is ample evidence that bonus schemes create dysfunctional organisations - why on earth is the University leadership on one? 

Student occupation of INOX Dine

SUCU Committee members would like to send a message of solidarity to all involved in the recent student occupation which was protesting against privatisation, for the Living Wage, and against tuition fees.

University of Sheffield statement about USS

Our lobby of Senate yesterday was called off in response to the statement from University management on USS.  We welcome the decision to at least have some criticism of some elements of the USS approach, which seems to be in response to our pressure and proposed lobby and support from the Students Union.  But the criticism is very late and extremely muted - the fundamentals are unchallenged. We remain concerned as expressed on our website: The University's commitment to decent pensions for staff must be in question when they have:
  • slashed the pensions of grade 1-5 staff and closed their final salary scheme, and
  • the VC has bought out of USS two years ago (with a 17% rise on top of his 26% pay rise, as previously reported)

UCU Survey - fairness, accessibility and transparency of the higher education application and admission process 

This is a reminder that all UCU members are invited to complete this UCU survey exploring the fairness, accessibility and transparency of the higher education application and admission process and how this works for your students.