UCU campaigns

Dear colleague

In this week’s campaigns update:

Higher education (HE) pay – next steps
At its meeting on 14 October, the union’s higher education committee (HEC) discussed UCEA’s imposed 1.1% pay award and the final offer of future joint work on casualisation and the gender pay gap. The HEC heard a report summarising the feedback from the consultation with branches and discussed the union’s response. After discussion and debate, the HEC voted to pause and consult members on the next steps by conducting an indicative ballot. The HEC agreed that members would be asked whether they wish to accept UCEA’s offer to continue with the joint work on casualisation and the gender pay gap or whether they wish to take further sustained industrial action with the aim of improving the offer. Members will be provided with a commentary summarising where we are in the dispute and providing information on the consequences of voting to take further action, including the likelihood of an assessment boycott and the union’s plans for responding to punitive pay deductions.

Transforming lives: showcasing the power of further education
As further education (FE) continues to face funding cuts and mergers, UCU has launched a campaign to highlight the importance of the sector and its power to change people’s lives. In the coming months we will, with your help, be showing politicians and decision makers the human face of FE and asking them to give support to the remarkable and hardworking people who work in FE. Please take a look at the stories collected in our Transforming Lives campaign and share the link with colleagues and friends. 

Success at Coventry
UCU is pleased to confirm that staff who were put on FutureWorks agency contracts will now be offered CU Services employment contracts, recognition has now been agreed and in addition, the union and the University have agreed to meet for talks around the issue of dealing with recognition in the group’s companies. Thank you to all members who supported our campaign at Coventry.Please read more here.

Also this week:
• In the news
• Union votes to censure London Metropolitan University
• Victory at Hull College as redundancy threat lifted
• Senior management survey (SMS) to audit university management practices
• Demonstrate for Education: 19 November
• Build the union: recruitment week 21 November 2016
• UCU Learning for Life: develop your career with our CPD courses
• Further education England consultative ballot open
• Save Manchester Metropolitan University Cheshire campus
• Ask your MP to Let Refugees Learn
• Further education staff governors’ conference: change with care?
• Disability History Month: 22 November to 22 December 2016
• Equality conference: 1-3 December 2016
• UCU LGBT+ research conference

Please click here.

All the best

Ed Bailey
UCU acting head of campaigns