Author Archives: isaac

Trevithick Teaching Star Competition:

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The Anti-casualisation group was made aware of a scheme developed in the School of Engineering for post-doctoral researchers to gain teaching experience for which they are paid in the form of a travel grant, with extra funding for the award winner. This Trevithick Teaching Star Competition ran for the first time in the last academic year. We passed on members’ concerns about the principles and fairness of the scheme.

 

When the scheme was announced again this year, we met the new Head of School, Professor Jianzhong Wu, to reiterate our concerns and ask for teaching roles to be paid as a salary and not as a prize in the form of a travelling grant. Professor Wu acknowledged that the competition element of the scheme and its evaluation through student feedback could be problematic and is open to discuss a better solution with the union, although he commented that the School had received only positive feedback from those researchers who participated last year.

 

If any members of the School of Engineering are happy to discuss this with us, please let us know so that we can build a strong case for a fairer approach. If similar schemes are happening in other schools, please let us know.

Ways to get involved with your union:

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The only way to make your union stronger is to get involved. You can do this by helping to build our executive committee where we have current or upcoming vacancies for a Media and Communications Officer, LGBT+ Officer and Pensions Officer.

This short guide outlines how your union branch operates and some of the ways you can get involved.

Other ways that you can help are by being part of a working group or taking on a role as a department rep. If you’re interested in any of these roles, or want to help but don’t know how, please contact our branch organiser Rowan Campbell (RCampbell@ucu.org.uk), or any of the members of the Executive Committee.

USS Pension Update:

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The Cardiff USS Advisory Group are working alongside university management to help inform responses to Universities UK (UUK) surveys.  Following the March USS valuation, UUK is consulting with employers around the methodology of the valuation and Cardiff’s recent responses are available on the staff Intranet, consultation around debt monitoring and consultation on USS technical provisions.

The current valuation suggests pension benefits of 29.4% to 37.6%, but with an indicated deficit (at 31 March 2020) ranging from £9.8bn to £17.9bn, deficit recovery would mean total contributions could range from 40.8% to 67.9% of payroll.  Even the lower estimates would be crippling for members and employers. Big decisions need to be made about the future direction the union takes on the way forward.

UUK representatives on the USS Valuation Methodology Discussion Forum (VMDF) agreed that every avenue should be explored but there is a fear that USS aren’t listening to the employers’ responses. We could end up with only minor concessions being made following this consultation.

We will keep you updated and how UCU will be responding as this process continues.

Update on special HESC on HE governance:

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On Friday 6th of November, a special Higher Education Sector Conference (HESC) meeting was held to discuss the Gillian Camm Wales Governance Review Final Report. Our anti-casualisation officer, Renata Mirra, represented our branch at the meeting.

Concerns were raised over the report’s recommendation that Universities’ Council boards should include staff – but not union – representation. Our UCU Wales Official, Margaret Phelan, urged the branches to endorse the report, which she believes is positive overall despite falling short of the necessary changes to HE governance. All branches agreed in principle, on condition that UCU Regional Office support branches to retain/seek Council representation.  Regional Office will produce a detailed evaluation of the report by January 2021. We urge all members to read the report and let us know your views.

2020 UCU Equality Groups Conference:

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UCU’s annual Equality Groups Conference will be held online from Thursday 3rd December to Saturday 5th December.
The deadline for registration is Monday 16th November.

As in previous years, the UCU Equality Conference will consist of a plenary session for all delegates and five separate equality group conferences for black, disabled, LGBT+, migrant and women members. Attendees will hear from a range of guest speakers, and there will be time for motions and nominations in each equality group. This year’s joint plenary session will focus on the impact of COVID-19 on members with protected characteristics and building a shared equality agenda for the future.

More details and registration can be found here

ARPS Committee :

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The academic-related professional services (ARPS) staff committee is organising a webinar specifically for ARPS staff about their experiences during the pandemic.

From IT staff and those working in libraries or museums, to the e-learning teams and counselling services, ARPS staff are a crucial part of the academic team that has kept universities running over this difficult period.

The webinar will be on Monday 16 November, between 5:00 and 6:00pm. Members are encouraged to register in advance so you can ask the questions that matter most to you – see here for details.

The discussion will focus on practical questions about health and safety on campus and how ARPS staff can organise to ensure their welfare. Please share this event with your colleagues and encourage them to participate.

Happy Diwali (and info about Islamophobia awareness event):

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Some people around the world celebrate Diwali, which this year will be on the 14th November, joined by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world. The Mughals also linked this to Navroz festivities so Muslims celebrated alongside. Diwali, which for some also coincides with harvest and new year celebrations, is a festival of new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. Diwali is commonly referred to as the festival of lights since a lot of the celebrations involve big, bold displays of light and colour. The term Deepavali comes from the Sanskrit meaning ‘row or series of lights.’ and is often associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity. Those celebrating the festival will typically decorate their homes with lights and rangolis, elaborate patterns made out of materials including rice, coloured sand and flowers and my favourite part are all those sweets!!!

Here’s a virtual Diwali celebration in London.

Also, the Student Race Equality Steering group mark Islamophobia Awareness month with a virtual display and event – see here

Abyd Quinn-Aziz
Equalities Officer