Statement on the appointment of the new President and Vice-Chancellor
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Sheffield UCU would like to extend a warm welcome to Professor Koen Lamberts. We look forward to working with him very much.
The University of Sheffield’s Chief Operating Officer, Andy Dodman, wrote to us recently to reiterate that the incoming President and Vice Chancellor will ‘play a key role in building strong and meaningful industrial relations here at Sheffield.’ Sheffield UCU members may recognise Professor Lamberts’ name from his role as Chair of the Employers’ Pension Forum for Higher Education, where he was also Chair of the USS sub-committee. In August 2017 he wrote for Universities UK1 about the USS scheme, noting that the scheme was £12.6bn in deficit. ‘With a deficit this large’, he wrote, ‘doing nothing is not an option’.
We hope to have the opportunity to discuss this and other matters with Professor Lamberts very soon.
Dr Sam Marsh
President
Sheffield UCU
1 https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/blog/Pages/Addressing-the-university-pension-fund-deficit.aspx
June Branch News: a ballot on pay, and the VC hears our concerns
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Come to our AGM and party tomorrow!
AGM, Thursday 7 June, 1pm (sandwich lunch from 12.45), Council Room, Firth Court
End of year party, Thursday 7 June, 7.30pm, Hagglers Corner (get your free ticket)
June Branch News
With pension discussions delegated to an expert panel, the annual pay offer is badly judged, and we meet again with Sir Keith to firm up plans for the future.
Last week saw the first meeting of the Joint Expert Panel (JEP), established to report on the valuation which resulted in the bitter dispute over USS earlier this year. Joining the chair are three nominees from UCU and three from UUK. The terms of reference include a presumption of confidentiality, but we have been told that the chair is keen on transparency where possible. We have yet to hear any reports on how the work is going, but will share whatever we get. Our fingers are crossed.
We expect a consultative ballot over the annual pay offer to land imminently. With mammoth gender pay gaps, chronic casualisation and unmanageable workloads across the sector, the final offer from the employers falls short of the action UCU demanded, and is backed by a headline figure of just 2% on the pay spine: yet another real-terms pay cut. This is a dismal response to a spring of discontent. Time for vice-chancellors to think again? The ballot will come with a recommendation from UCU to reject the offer, and we strongly recommend that members vote in favour of industrial action.
A panel of UCU committee members met with the vice-chancellor again on Monday to discuss unfinished business from the USS dispute. Top of the agenda was the use of the strike pay deductions, likely to total over £1m. We will be in touch with departmental contacts to provide details of this discussion, but we have confirmed that the money does not need to be spent by the end of the academic financial year, and that departments who choose to do so could return the money to a central pot to be allocated to student-facing projects, in discussion with the Students Union. There may also be scope for departments to donate the money to specific university level projects of their choosing. We strongly recommend that student-staff committees be involved in discussions about how the money is spent, to ensure that it is used for students.
The wide-ranging discussion with the VC also included the need for greater support for our international staff (and for Sheffield to put itself at the forefront of a campaign), improved representation of the staff voice in the university's governance, the need for a reformed USS Working Group to prepare for the outcomes of the JEP and more. We pointed out how constructive the meetings with the vice-chancellor have been, and asked for them to become regularised. We hope that they will.
You may not be aware of the large-scale restructuring that is going on at the university, with many fellow members in very uncertain positions. The university management has a right to review its operations, but it must do so according to the policies and procedures they have agreed with us, and we holding them to this as best we can. Added to this, those in Jessop West have been banned from opening windows due to a dangerous design flaw, and this policy has had significant knock-on effects including a ban on out-of-hours access. The claim that there is nothing that can be done until the legal aspects have been looked into (which could take up to a year) is hard to accept and causing significant anger.
Finally, if you haven't yet lost office bins from your department, it may only be a matter of time. Sold as a green initiative, but more likely to be a misguided attempt at an efficiency saving, you might like to read and sign this open letter to EFM on concerns that this could lead to job losses for cleaners and increased workload elsewhere. Those who attended our 'how to write like a manager' teach-out may be especially amused by Aberystwyth University's announcement of a similar policy.
Appeal for Ahmed
You may have heard about the case of Ahmed Sedeeq, the Sheffield University PhD student held for 10 days during the Christmas holiday season in Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre, who is fighting against being deported to Iraq.
Because of the hostile environment policy, Ahmed is now finding himself with impending housing issues as his passport is still with the Home Office and he is unable to get adequate housing without showing a landlord proof of his right to stay in the UK. Ahmed must move out of his flat by the end of July.
Unis Resist Border Controls is looking for lecturers and/or PhD students who might have a spare room in Sheffield that they could provide Ahmed so that he does not find himself destitute. If you can help, please contact them at UnisResistBorderControls@gmail.com.
What on earth happened at Congress?
You may have heard about last week's fraught national Congress meeting, where staff walkouts brought about significant disruptions to proceedings. Please do read our delegates' report on what went on, which will be discussed at our AGM on Thursday. We also highly recommend the superb USS Briefs podcasts made this weekend, featuring discussions with delegates from Sheffield, Exeter, Oxford and KCL among others, and this highly articulate article by Craig Gent.
Sheffield UCU Committee
May Branch News: USS latest, international staff and more!
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Come to our event on Casualisation in Education, featuring Lousie Haigh MP on 10 May! Full details lower down this email...
May Branch News
As the USS dispute pauses, attention turns to pay; we make progress on the rights of our international staff; and the university listens to our ideas on combating sexual harassment.
With the dispute over USS paused and the defined contribution proposal officially withdrawn, the current focus is on the establishment of a Joint Expert Panel to provide an assessment of the valuation. Applications to be one of the three UCU-nominated members are open until 14 May, and are not restricted to UCU members or to those working in higher education. If you know of any ideal candidates, please encourage them to apply (or apply yourself!).
Controversy has been generated by a confidentiality clause in the terms of reference for the panel. We think this is a worrying development, as a lack of transparency over the valuation methods has been a running feature of the dispute to date. If you agree, please join those who have signed this petition to try to get the terms modified.
In Sheffield, we are hoping to reform the USS Working Group that met with university management in the year preceding the dispute to understand the technical material behind the valuation. We expect to put out a call for expressions of interest for serving on that panel soon: please put your name forward if you have relevant skills.
With the annual pay negotiations well under way, the employers' opening offer sees yet another real-terms cut of 1.7%, accompanied by resistance to national action to address precarious employment and workload issues. The gender pay gap will receive some further work, with the approach in Sheffield - where we were involved in the gender pay gap reporting process - being held up as good practice.
A newly formed working group to discuss the University's approach to sexual harassment met for the first time this week. We hope that this group, requested by us, will be able to make significant progress on the University's policy, based on the work of the 1752 group. We're keen for the Students' Union to be represented on the group, especially when considering the rights of postgraduate students who also work for the University. We will keep you updated as things progress, but initial discussions have been positive.
Our campaigning for better treatment of our international staff has resulted in the University Executive Board agreeing to significant amounts of extra support. Funding has been allocated for Tier 1 and 2 visa, NHS-surcharge and indefinite leave to remain fees for staff, along with the provision of dedicated HR support and some external legal advice. Costs associated with dependents are to be supported through interest free loans. We will continuing to work on reimbursement of costs for existing staff who are out of pocket to work at the university. We’re eager to hear from any such members, particularly those who applied for visas, extension or ILR in the year prior to the start of this new scheme on 1 April 2018 and were denied reimbursement.
We have also raised concerns with the UEB about how current Home Office regulations prevent our international staff from fully participating in collective bargaining and strike action. Deputy Director of HR, Ian Wright, has agreed to meet with UCU members currently on Tier 2 and 5 visas to discuss Sheffield University's approach to addressing this unequal treatment of workers. The meeting is on Wednesday, 16 May at 1:30 pm in Hicks F35, and any members who are unable to attend are welcome to send questions and concerns to us to be raised.
Finally, our Annual General Meeting is approaching (add to Google calendar!), and nominations are still open for committee positions (deadline 4pm, 10th May). Please get in touch if you want further information. We are starting to organise a celebratory end-of-year party for all UCU members for the evening of the AGM: if organising parties is your thing, please get in touch to offer help!
Sheffield UCU Committee
Louise Haigh MP on Casualisation in Education, Thursday 10 May
In 2016, the Guardian ran a series of articles exposing "the new world of work" which focused on poor employment practices across the UK economy. Higher education came in for particular criticism, with high numbers of staff employed on insecure terms including zero-hours contracts, casual worker agreements and fixed-term contracts. We are delighted that Louise Haigh, Labour MP for Heeley, has agreed to come to speak to us. Join us for a discussion of the plight affecting tens of thousands of higher-education workers across the sector, and to hear about the work that Sheffield UCU is doing to secure better terms of employment at this university.
Casualisation in Education with Special Guest Louise Haigh MP
Thursday 10 May, 7pm
Arts Tower LT4
Facebook event
Dates for the diary
Thu 10 May, 7pm, Casualisation in Education with Louise Haigh MP, Arts Tower LT4
Thu 7 June, 1pm, Annual General Meeting, Council Room, Firth Court
Thu 7 June, evening, Sheffield UCU end of year party! (Details to be confirmed)
March Branch News: Back at work? Here is what you need to know!
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March Branch News
We return to work after 14 days of strike action, as Universities UK comes under intense pressure over how they've been representing their members.
With the first wave of strikes over, the dispute will enter an unsettling time which is likely to lack the fast-paced developments of the past four weeks. Do not allow yourself to misinterpret this as momentum dissipating! UCU is currently planning for more strikes days soon after the Easter break, and another 14 days around the exam period. UUK called our bluff on the effects of the strikes last time, and it backfired spectacularly. They will not dare to second-guess us again.
Here's what you need to know about the next four weeks, and how to make sure you keep the pressure on.
1. Do Action Short of a Strike, and do it properly!
The four aspects of the ASOS are: working to contract, refusing to cover absent colleagues, refusing to reschedule classes cancelled due to the strikes, and refusing to undertake voluntary activities.
Do not routinely work more than your nominal contracted hours (in most cases, 7 hours a day). This is a VERY important aspect of the action. If you are unable to effectively complete your work, then you should ask your manager or head of department what work needs to be prioritised. It is the university management's job to attempt to maintain business as usual.
2. Resign as an external examiner from USS institutions.
Are you an external examiner at a USS instituion? Resign now! You can find more details about what you are being asked to do, including a template letter, on UCU's webpage. Then, add your name to this list.
3. Ensure you stay afloat financially.
Pay deductions for strike action will now take place over the next four pay slips, which should soften the initial blow. UCU have a national strike fund which will pay up to £50 per day of action, prioritised to those most in need. Applying requires evidence of pay deductions.
Sheffield UCU also have a hardship fund, though much smaller than the national one. Those on casualised contracts or in severe hardship may apply to us directly.
Our hardship fund can receive donations directly using the details on our webpage.
4. Notify about strike action when asked.
Given the clarification in our meeting last week about USS contributions, it is unlikely to matter too much how you go about this. If using a form, we recommend the versions on our webpage.
5. Keep following national and local developments.
Our Twitter account is the best way to go about this. There has been plenty of UUK-related news over the weekend, with their under-pressure CEO, Alistair Jarvis, attempting to diffuse tensions with a poorly judged piece in the Sunday Times, followed by a long, long-overdue response to questions from Athene Donald of Cambridge regarding the infamous 'September risk consultation', confirming what we suspected all along: that Universities UK had acted to obscure the detail and misrepresent the position of its members in a way that had a huge effect on the position we find ourselves in now.
6. Keep an eye out for local meetings and news.
We hope to reschedule a meeting with the vice-chancellor later this week, after last week's damp squib. and may also manage a meeting of members. We will let you know about these developments as they happen!
Returning to work is unlikely to be easy, particularly for those who have been on the picket-lines. Remembering the solidarity of the past few weeks, and keeping an eye out for new friends around the campus, should make things bearable. Stay strong!
Sheffield UCU Committee
February Branch News: soaring membership, international staff and more!
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Please encourage your colleagues to come to our USS Roadshows! We are joined tomorrow by Paul Bridge, UCU's Head of Higher Education, who has been coordinating UCU's negotiations and privy to all national developments. No prior knowledge necessary!
USS Roadshow, Thu 15 Feb, 1-2, Geography Building, C03 (with Paul Bridge, Head of HE for UCU)
USS Roadshow, Mon 19 Feb, 1-2, Firth Court, Council Room
February Branch News
Our work in support of international staff reaches the University's executive board, our casualised colleagues are in the forefront of our thoughts, and our membership soars as strike action draws ever closer.
Before we get stuck into USS, some good news: after a year of solid campaigning on the difficulties facing our international staff, a paper backed by the vice-chancellor went to the University's executive board earlier this week proposing a whole host of extra support, including significantly enhanced financial, legal and practical assistance. We do not yet know what was agreed, but hope to be able to provide details soon. You can read more about the history of our campaign on our dedicated website.
Unfortunately, our campaign over the employment conditions of the University's over-casualised workforce has had much less support from Sir Keith. There will be few members who cannot name colleagues on temporary, insecure or even zero-hours contracts, yet the University does not appear to recognise the levels of exploitation in practice across the insitution. Following on from our investigations a little over a year ago, meetings have been taking place to try to force some movement, but it is clear that the University does not see this as a high priority. With the upcoming strike action a particular challenge - emotionally and financially - for low-paid, precarious, or otherwise casualised colleagues, we are putting the finishing touches to an open letter of support, and will be asking professors in particular to sign.
On to USS, we are now a week away from the heaviest industrial action this university has seen in a generation. With our membership up 12% since the start of December, and students firmly on our side, our vice-president for learning and teaching's message to students that "while there is likely to be some disruption to lectures, we don't expect expect this to be significant" may not be helping anyone. We are doing all we can to pressure Universities UK into reopening meaningful talks, but are well on the way with preparations to do these strikes properly.
We sent our local guidance to members earlier this week on what strike action will involve. Please read this! One key point is that you are not required to pre-notify that you intend to take action. If your manager asks you in advance, reply that your union has advised you that you shouldn’t answer this, as is your right. You should work normally until the day of action: do not make preparations in anticipation of being on strike. When the action starts, come in and join your colleagues on the picket lines: visibility is crucially important, and the camaraderie is uplifting. We have planned a full programme of events for the first five days of action, and will circulate details soon.
On the dynamics of the dispute itself, details are emerging of how Oxford and Cambridge have had a big hand in the hard-line position of Universities UK, with both universities favouring a breaking up of the scheme, and ending defined benefits being the first step. If you needed clearer evidence that this is about more than simple affordability, you've now got it.
We will continue to keep you updated with USS developments. By far the best way to keep on track is by following our very active Twitter account. Before Christmas we asked whether we were beginning to see the tide turning on the power dynamics within Higher Education. Looking at how students and staff are uniting in the defence of education itself, the optimists among us may hold some hope for the future.