At the General Meeting of Cardiff UCU Branch on 18th October, members were joined by UCU Bargaining and Negotiations Official (Health, Safety and Sustainability) Adam Lincoln and UCU Wales Support Official Phil Markham to discuss the results of the Workload Survey and outline the plan locally and nationally to address some of the key concerns around workload.
The priorities that the branch identified from its analysis of the Workload Survey results are:
- To combat managerialism: to have the ability to say no and have it respected;
- To have enough time for self-supervised work, including research, scholarship, personal and professional development;
- To have headroom for unexpected tasks;
- To allow time for all aspects of our jobs;
- An increase in tariffs for marking and preparing new teaching.
The link between rising workloads and stress is a major concern. To help the union identify areas where members are at risk of, or are experiencing, work-related stress, the branch agreed to recruit additional Health & Safety Representatives across the University.
Anyone interested in becoming a Health & Safety Rep is encouraged to contact the Cardiff UCU branch office: ucu@cardiff.ac.uk