Author Archives: isaac

Happy Carnival:

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Carnival is a Western Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent, although its roots are likely to be linked to the pagan festival celebrating the arrival of spring.

The name of the holiday is sometimes also spelled Carnaval, and is said to come from the Latin expression carne levare, which means “remove meat”; a folk etymology derives it from carne vale, “farewell to meat”.

Carnival typically involves public celebrations, including parades, public street parties and other masquerade entertainments, combining some elements of a circus. The main events typically occur during February or early March and this year the celebrations would be happening this week, across the world and most famously in Rio de Janeiro – Brazil.

Events (February 18th 2021):

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.  Cardiff Lunchtime Talk Series – TODAY 13:10-14:00  

 

Dr Woon Wong, Reader in Financial Economics in the Cardiff Business School, and Dr Dave Atkins, our UCU pensions officer, will be talking about “Understanding Pensions: Conversation and Q&A”. To join please use this link.

Next week, we will have another talk of our series Resist! The future of collective action and unionisation with Professor Jean Jenkins talking about: ‘The Struggle for Freedom of Association: Organising Against the Odds at the Grass Roots’

Thursday 25th February 13:10-14:00

Join using this link

We hope to see you there!

 

2.   Stop deaths in custody Solidarity and Justice for Refugees Public Meeting  

Thursday March 4 at 5.00pm

 

UCU Black Lives Matter is organizing a public meeting, supported by our branch, in protest of institutional racism in the police and in solidarity to the victims of police brutality, including Mohamud Hassan who died recently in Cardiff following his detention by the South Wales Police. To join this event, please register here. 

 

3. UCU week of action against workplace racism – 22-26 February 2021 

Community accountability: an antiracism for abolitionist times

The sixth week of action against workplace racism will be held from the week beginning Monday 22 February 2021. This annual campaign event has grown from strength to strength as it involves a whole union approach in tackling the issues of workplace racism and its impact on careers, mental health and well-being and relationships with peers/students. For more information and events, click here.

 

4. Risk assessment: No return until safe 

24 February & 1 March 2021, 1:30pm – 3.30pm, Online, (National course)

This online course has been designed for Reps and activists who are looking to better understand the risk assessment process. The course will take account of the pandemic, look at how current Health and Safety legislation can help, and discuss strategies for involving members. Click here for more information and to register. 

 

5.  Wales green transitions network event – Friday 26th February at 14:00 online.   

 

During the next decade, we foresee the climate emergency impacting upon our professional lives. To ensure that this transition is fair, UCU is working closely with TUC Wales to drive a green recovery and a just transition, building strength in our workplaces and liberating the expertise that sits in our institutions.

Timed to closely follow the 10 February launch of Wales TUC’s ‘greener workplaces for a just transition’ toolkit, this event will give you the opportunity to explore how you can root a just transitions agenda in the workplace.

• Learn – from UCU reps who are already taking this work forward

• Share – your own experiences, successes and challenges

• Network – be inspired and supported to make the change happen

• Access – training, advice and continuing professional development

Please join by clicking the link on this page.

Branch News and Updates (18th February 2021):

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1.  Volunteer to help with Get The Vote Out Campaign (GTVO) 

 

Our negotiators are meeting with the University Executive Board (UEB) today in another attempt to resolve the dispute. Recent correspondence from management indicates that they are still refusing tomake the commitment that face-to-face work on campus will be optional. Time is of the essence in a situation like this and we must be prepared to keep up the pressure for ours and our colleagues’ safety. We urge all members to check their UCU records here (link) to ensure they have the correct address to receive a ballot for industrial action. We also need volunteers to help with the GTVO campaign so that we can reach those members who are less engaged with the union and encourage them to vote in order for us to reach the required 50% voting turnout. If you can spare any time over the next few weeks, please add your name to this form and we will get in touch soon.

 

2.  Anti-Casualisation Update 

 

Casualisation in HE, including at Cardiff University, has been a growing concern over the past years and the impacts of the pandemic on those in precarious work are particularly concerning.

We recently wrote to HR enquiring about the progress of the Teaching Delivery Governance Group, set up to improve the contracts and progression of hourly-paid staff and to evaluate the terms of conditions for postgraduate tutors (for which UCU is requesting working contracts), after a number of meetings have been postponed – we have received no reply yet but we will update members when possible.

The Anti-casualisation working group set up a new taskforce, led by Dr Ryan Davey, to look at contracts with relevant factors. We aim to submit a claim to the University with demands relating to these contracts. If you would like to contribute to the discussion leading to submitting the claim, please get in touch with the office (ucu@cardiff.ac.uk).

 

3.  Casualisation – Potential Legal Cases 

 

UCU National is asking branches for case studies for potential legal challenges across HE institutions by way of unfair dismissal or indirect discrimination claims. We are seeking cases for submission that include staff on fixed terms contracts which have been allowed to expire where:

• They have been on one Fixed term contract of 2 years or more, or

• On successive fixed term contracts with a gap between them of no more than 1 week, or

• Have had a significant history of fixed term contracts (more than a few years) expiring at the end of the academic year and being issued another one in September

(all of these with the same institution)

 

We are also interested in any cases of fixed terms contracts being allowed to expire  where those contracts are primarily fulfilled by (a) staff of one sex, (b) a particular age group or (c) a particular race or ethnic origin, or (d) of staff being selected for redundancy (i.e. let go when their latest contract expired) just because they were on a fixed-term contract.

 

If you think you can be used as a case-study or know anyone who might fit any of the above please contact the office to let us know (ucu@cardiff.ac.uk).

 

4.  Promotions 

 

Following the University’s announcement on the decision to delay promotion awards this year, we inquired about the reasons and objected to the effective ‘suspension’ of the academic promotion process for 2021 in this letter sent to the University Executive Board (UEB) on 21st January 2021.

 

UEB have responded and confirmed that the decision to delay the promotion award is not because of savings to staff costs but they did not address our questions and concerns sufficiently. As a result, we sent a follow-up letter pushing for the award to be back-dated to August so that no member of staff incurs a detriment when applying for promotion this year.

 

5.  Home Working Risks 

 

Many staff have still not had a proper Risk Assessment, including a Display Screen Equipment (DSE) assessment, specific for home-working.

The Health and Safety Executive Government Agency (HSE) has some useful advice for home-working here and here and this fact sheet by Greater Manchester Hazards Website contains details on some of the risks involved in working long periods without the right equipment.

 

If your home does not have the conditions for you to arrange a proper workstation, you should consider discussing with your line manager a different space to work, including safe access to your office.

 

6.  Four Fights National Dispute 

 

UCU national office is surveying members on the latest offer by the employers at UCEA (Universities and Colleges Employers Association) over the four fights dispute relating to: Pay inequality, Job insecurity, Rising workloads, and Pay devaluation.

 

There’s still time to have your say if you have not yet done so – later today please lookout for a reminder email from independent scrutineers Civica containing your unique link to vote in the e-ballot (with subject line: ‘UCU consultative ballot on UCEA final offer 2020/21’ from sender ‘takepart@cesvotes.com‘).

 

If you do not receive this email, after having checked your spam/junk folder you can request a replacement by entering your details on this online form. 

 

The consultative ballot closes on at 12 noon on Tuesday 23 February 2021. UCU’s higher education committee will then meet on 26 February and will decide the next steps.

Events (11th February 2021):

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1. Cardiff Lunchtime Talk Series – Thursday 18th February 13:10-14:00 

Next week, we will have Dr. Woon Wong, Reader in Financial Economics in the Cardiff Business School, and Dave Atkins, our UCU pensions officer, talking about “Understanding Pensions: Conversation and Q&A”

Thursday 18th of February 1:10-2pm

Register here.

We hope to see you there!

2. Heart Unions Week 2021 – Free Film Screening of “The Big Meeting”  TODAY 7pm

It is ♥ Unions Week and the Cambridge Trades Council will be hosting an online screening of “The Big Meeting” documentary about the annual Durham Miners Gala (UCU Eastern & Home Counties Regional Committee donated to enable to make the film). This will be followed by a live Q&A with the film makers and one of the organisers of the Gala. The screening will be via Zoom at 7pm on Thursday 11th Feb and the link is below. This will be especially poignant viewing whilst we are in lockdown but hopefully be a positive experience to see and feel something we can look forward to returning to.

Trailer can be viewed here 

Facebook Event here: “The Big Meeting” free film screening with live Q&A | Facebook

If you can’t make it on the night or would like to get your own copy of the film, the filmmakers -Shut Out the Light, are kindly offering the DVD for trade unions for a limited period for £5 instead of £7.50, people just need to go to www.galafilm.co.uk/deal to redeem it.

 

3. Annual adult & continuing education national meeting – Saturday 27 February 2021 

 

This meeting is for branch delegates from UCU branches working in adult and community education and employed in local authorities or the voluntary sector. Each branch may send 2 voting delegates which must be elected by a quorate general meeting or by a quorate branch committee meeting and the registration deadline is the 19th February. You can find more details here.

If you are interested in attending as a Cardiff UCU delegate, please get in touch with the branch, ideally TODAY so that we can vote the delegates at the GM tomorrow.

 

4.  Wales green transitions network event – Friday 26th February at 14:00 online.  

 

During the next decade, we foresee the climate emergency impacting upon our professional lives. To ensure that this transition is fair, UCU is working closely with TUC Wales to drive a green recovery and a just transition, building strength in our workplaces and liberating the expertise that sits in our institutions.

 

Timed to closely follow the 10 February launch of Wales TUC’s ‘greener workplaces for a just transition’ toolkit, this event will give you the opportunity to explore how you can root a just transitions agenda in the workplace.

 

• Learn – from UCU reps who are already taking this work forward

• Share – your own experiences, successes and challenges

• Network – be inspired and supported to make the change happen

• Access – training, advice and continuing professional development

 

Please join by clicking the link on this page.

Solidarity and Wider Campaigns (11th February 2021):

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1. Solidarity with other UCU branches 

 

Brighton strike to defend IT jobs

Members at University of Brighton are taking strike action next week 8-12 February over plans to make IT staff compulsorily redundant. Please tweet support to #SaveBrightonITstaff.

To make donations to their strike fund please use:

UCU Brighton University SO224

Sort code: 608301

Ac. no. 40000280

 

Stop job cuts at University of Leeds: sign the petition 

The University of Leeds is proposing job cuts in medicine and biological sciences. The university refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies, reports an operating surplus of 38 million pounds and has failed to provide any financial rationale for the cuts.

 Please sign their petition to stop job cuts here.

 

University of Liverpool threat to jobs and Covid research 

University of Liverpool UCU branch is consulting members over potential industrial action to stop plans to sack 47 staff from health and life sciences. The cuts are impacting a faculty that is part of Liverpool STOP COVID, a city-wide group whose aim is to decrease the burden of the pandemic locally, nationally and globally. You can read more about their dispute here.
Defending jobs at University of Central Lancashire 

The UCU branch at the University of Central Lancashire is resisting compulsory redundancies, has lodged a dispute and an industrial action ballot opens next week ballot. We will send them a message of solidarity from the branch.
Save London weighting – proposed cuts to teaching grant in London 

The Westminster government has recently announced cuts to the teaching grant in London and the removal of London weighting for institutions in the capital. UCU are campaigning against the decision 
2. Primary School Closures 

Powys County Council is proposing to close a number of primary schools, including Churchstoke Community Primary School, which serves a small village in North Wales, near the border. The alternatives schools are mainly in England, meaning the pupils won’t be learning Welsh. Please support the campaign to keep the school open. You can sign their petition here. 

We need more schools with fewer pupils and not fewer schools with more pupils!
3. Petition: Protect our news media from monopoly control 

A free, diverse and independent media is vital to the functioning of any democratic society. But the British media landscape is increasingly dominated by a small number of corporations and very wealthy individuals.

The Project for Peace & Justice, founded by Jeremy Corbyn and recently launched, is calling on Parliament to establish a new independent commission into broadcasting standards. You can support this petition here.
4. Key Workers Pay Rise 

Throughout the pandemic key workers have risked their lives to take care of us. But despite this they get paid 8% less than the average workers. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is asking us to show support by joining the key workers campaign to win a pay rise and sign their petition here.

Branch News & Updates (February 11th 2021):

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1. General Meeting next week – TOMORROW Friday 12th February 1.10pm 

Please join the branch General Meeting on zoom tomorrow to discuss the current dispute in light of the mandate for industrial action given by the indicative ballot. This includes strategies to achieve the 50% turnout and forms that an Action Short of a Strike or a Strike Action could take, if we do not reach an agreement with management in the meantime.

To register for the meeting, please complete this form 
2.  Cardiff Dispute and Media campaign 

The recent article in the independent media platform voice.wales covering our dispute, has generated disaccord with the University management who sent us a letter of complaint. pointing out that the article was misleading and unfair that they were unaware of the issues presented. You can read our response here.

 

We are committed to working with University management in resolving the dispute and we have brought their proposed statement in response to our demands to a vote with the members at our last General Meeting on xxx. Their statement was rejected by a large majority of members present since it did not offer the reassurance we were asking for, that no worker should be compelled to work face-to-face on campus. We are open to alternative wordings that offer us the same reassurance and our negotiators will meet with management again on the 18th February.

 

In the meantime, and while we prepare to ballot members on industrial action in case a resolution is not achieved, we urge all members to update their contacts on our database to ensure that your ballot will be sent to your home address. You can do that here or email the office (ucu@cardiff.ac.uk).
3.  Four Fights National Dispute 

 

UCU national office is surveying members on the latest offer by the employers at UCEA (Universities and Colleges Employers Association) over the four fights dispute relating to: Pay inequality, Job insecurity, Rising workloads, and Pay devaluation. If you have not voted on whether to accept or reject the offer, please check your inboxes for an email sent on Monday 8th by CES titled UCU consultative ballot on UCEA final offer 2020/21.

 

UCU is recommending that we vote to REJECT this offer, because:

– the 0% pay adjustment is yet another real-terms pay cut;

– there is no commitment to ending the sector’s reliance on zero-hours contracts and reducing other types of precarious contracts;

– there is no commitment to controlling and reducing excessive workloads;

– it does not offer any meaningful actions on gender, ethnic and disability pay gaps; nor does it recognise the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on carers, LGBTQ+ members, disabled members, and our Black, Asian, and ethnic minority members.

 

This offer does not recognise our efforts during the pandemic and the work we have done to keep higher education functioning. The employers’ offer is unacceptable, and only the possibility of more industrial action can bring employers to their senses

 

4. UCU HE Sector Conference & Wales Congress – REMINDER 

 

The HE Sector Conference will take place on Saturday 17th April 10.30 AM – 12.30 PM and the UCU Wales Congress & AGM will take place on Saturday 24th April 2021, via Teams.

 

Issues relating specifically to HE are dealt with in the Sector Conferences while overall policy issues for Wales or wider political issues are dealt with at the Congress. Each branch is entitled to submit 2 motions to the Conference and 2 motions to the Congress.

 

Our branch is entitled to 23 delegates with voting rights (but more members can join as observers). If you would like to attend either event or both as a delegate for our branch, please get in touch with the office. All delegates much be registered by noon on 2nd April. This is an important opportunity to represent our members in shaping the priorities of UCU Wales and we strongly encourage members to put themselves forward – we usually do not fill all the places we are entitled to.

 

We also encourage members to submit motions to the branch to be voted by members at our AGM and decide which motions to put forward as a branch for the Sector Conference and for the Congress. Motions must be no longer than 150 words, not including titles. Titles must not be more than 10 words. Guidance on how to compose a motion can be found here. All motions must be submitted to the branch office ahead of our branch’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 10th March. 

Events (February 5th 2021):

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1. Cardiff UCU Lunchtime Talks and Discussions – Thursdays 1:10-2pm
Next week we will have Professor Lina Dencik talking to us about ‘Unions in the Datafied Workplace: Covid-19 and Beyond’ – Thursday February 11 13:10-14:00
https://cardiff.zoom.us/j/85200186810?pwd=RmpFVno0UCtrQTk4c21aazJtK096dz09

2. Wales green transitions network event – Friday 26 February 2021 at 14:00
Timed to closely follow the 10th February launch of Wales TUC’s ‘greener workplaces for a just transition’ toolkit, whether you teach in a college or university setting, this event will give you the opportunity to explore how you can root a just transitions agenda in the workplace. Please join by clicking the link on this page.

3.  Annual adult & continuing education national meeting – Saturday 27 February 2021
This meeting is for branch delegates from UCU branches working in adult and community education and employed in local authorities or the voluntary sector. Each branch may send 2 voting delegates which can be elected by a quorate general meeting or by a quorate branch committee meeting. If you are interested in being a delegate for this meeting, please contact the UCU office
More information can be found here.

4.  Happy Imbolc
Imbolc (pronounced “EE-molc) is a Gaelic traditional fire festival held on 1st February and one of the 8 Sabbats or seasonal points on the Wheel of the Year (the annual cycle of seasonal festivals, observed by many modern Pagans). The meaning of Imbolc, Imbolg, or Oimealg is “Ewe’s Milk” and celebrates a time when life is returning to the fields as livestock begin to give birth.

Imbolc welcomes the return of the sun and marks the changing of the Goddess from Wise old Crone to Fair Maiden. It is a time of new beginnings and of hope that spring will return.

There are also several other names and festivals associated with this time of year. In Ireland, February 1st is the Feast Day of Saint Brighid (pronounced “Breed”) – the Celtic Fire Goddess of healing and inspiration.

In the Christian faith, it’s Candlemas – the Festival of Lights, where candles are blessed for the coming year. Like many of the Christian festivals it has echoes of its Pagan past, in that it marks the halfway point between the Winter Solstice (Yule) and the Spring Equinox (Ostara).

Solidarity and Wider Campaigns:(February 5th 2021):

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1. Brighton UCU has 5 days of strike action coming up 8th-12th February against redundancies in their IT Support department. They are not eligible for strike pay and have sent an appeal for messages of solidarity and donations. Please use this link or the details below to make a donation and email BrightonUCU@gmail.com for messages of solidarity.

UCU Brighton Bank Account Details:
UCU Brighton University SO224
Sort code: 608301
Ac. no. 40000280

Their first rally is at 12 noon on Monday 8th Feb and will be addressed by three Labour MPs, Vicky Blake and others. If you can join the rally, please register here

2. People’s Assembly Wales launched a campaign demanding Free school meals for all pupils in Wales to tackle issues of child poverty and stigma. According to Child Poverty Action Group over half of children living below the UK poverty line in Wales (over 70,000) are not currently eligible for free school meals. This will be aggravated during and after the pandemic. You can sign the petition directed to the Welsh Parliament here.

3. Unite, along with GMB and Unison, have launched the campaign to halt Croydon council cuts and protect jobs. We urge our members to sign the petition organised by our fellow union Unite. the link is here
#SaveOurCroydon

4. Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) are asking for signatures to this letter asking that Care Workers and personal assistants (PAs) can continue to apply to work in the UK after Brexit, with a similar status to that of Frontier Workers, which would allow them to come here to work while primarily living in their home nations. To add your name to the letter please email DPAC on mail@dpac.uk.net no later than 7th February 2021.

5. Osime Brown is a young man who has lived in the UK since the age of four and is set for deportation to Jamaica, where he has no family or connections, following a 5-year jail sentence over the theft of a phone in a street robbery. Osime is profoundly autistic and has been diagnosed with a range of mental conditions, including depression. There are real concerns that his deportation poses a great risk to his health and his life. Please sign this petition to support Osime’s appeal to remain in the UK.

Branch News and Updates(February 5th 2021):

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1. Dispute Update

Following the failing negotiating efforts between UCU and UEB to agree on a public commitment by the University that no worker should be forced to work face-to-face on campus, it seems as if we have no option but to proceed to a formal ballot for industrial action (strike and/or ASOS). Recent developments suggesting that the University’s Test & Trace has been put into place in a rush and has a potential high rate of false negatives that has not been properly assessed, add to our general concerns of safety on campus. You can read about it here.

We are conscious of the difficulties of holding a strike under the current circumstances and we will be exploring with members what our action could look like. Please do get in touch with your ideas for imaginative and effective forms of action short of strike, and please attend next week’s General Meeting (see below) where we can discuss this.

Please get in touch with us if you can help with our Get-the-Vote-Out campaign, as this will be crucial to the success of our action.

We also urge all members to update their contacts on our database to ensure that your ballot will be sent to your home address. You can do that here or by emailing the office (ucu@cardiff.ac.uk).

2. General Meeting next week – Friday 12th February 1.10pm

There will be a branch General Meeting of members next Friday on Zoom to discuss the current dispute in light of the mandate for industrial action given by the indicative ballot, and our next steps as a branch.

We appreciate that there has been a high volume of general meetings lately but these times are exceptional and your views and these discussions are essential for the members-led leadership that we are trying to maintain. Please join if you can.

To register for the meeting, please complete this form:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=MEu3vWiVVki9vwZ1l3j8vMkThCs84atPurRDycehngdUMUNONTQ3OUYyTlJITUpDQzNBWlo0VlVVRS4u

3. UCU HE Sector Conference & Wales Congress

The HE Sector Conference will take place on Saturday 17th April 10.30am – 12.30pm and the UCU Wales Congress and AGM will take place on Saturday 24th April 2021, via Teams.

Issues relating specifically to HE will be dealt with in the Sector Conferences, to which each Branch is entitled to submit 2 motions and 2 amendments. Overall policy issues for Wales or wider political issues will be dealt with at the Congress, to which each Branch is also entitled to submit 2 motions and 2 amendments.

Our branch is entitled to 23 delegates with voting rights (but more members can join as observers). If you would like to attend either event or both as a delegate for our branch, please get in touch with the office. All delegates much be registered by noon on 2nd April. This is an important opportunity to represent our members in shaping the priorities of UCU Wales and we strongly encourage members to put themselves forward – we usually do not fill all the places we are entitled to.

We also encourage members to submit motions to the branch to be voted by members at our AGM and decide which motions to put forward as a branch for the Sector Conference and for the Congress. Motions must be no longer than 150 words, not including titles. Titles must not be more than 10 words. Guidance on how to compose a motion can be found here. All motions must be submitted to the branch office ahead of our branch’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 10th March.

4. Home working and childcare

We are receiving various communications from members on issues relating to home-working and childcare, including key-worker status for HE staff. Some universities are using furlough or putting in place a Special Leave scheme for these cases. While Cardiff University has increased dependents’ leave, it is disappointing that it is suggesting that staff use their annual leave or take unpaid leave in order to fulfil their responsibilities as carers.

HE staff have “essential worker” status under the Welsh government guidance. This means that some members may be able to send their children to school on that basis. However, we know that this is not a solution for all members. Besides adding pressure to the schools and posing greater public health risks, resourcing to key-worker status among HE staff has a number of important limitations. For example, to our knowledge, Cardiff Council and some neighbouring authorities will only grant a place if both parents (or one, in a single parent household) cannot work from home. In addition, school places are likely to be limited because of the huge demand. Please check the guidance to see if you qualify.

Despite Cardiff University’s reluctance to use furlough, this can be a possibility for staff with home-schooling responsibilities. UCU National has released guidance on requesting furlough for staff in those circumstances, which you can read here and we advise our members to discuss it with their line managers.

We will continue to attend regular COVID meetings with members of senior management, which resumed this week, and will push for solutions that reduce pressure on staff, for example by reconsidering managerial-type work such as PDR and REF. We are preparing a document to share with members on this issue, please get in touch if there are any particular problems/solutions that you would like us to raise with management.

We also propose to hold a meeting with members specifically to address childcare issues and we encourage you to get in touch with the office to register your interest for this.

5.  Nominations for the branch Executive Committee

Nominations for next year’s Executive Committee (September 2021 to August 2022) are now opened and need to be received by 10th February (28 days before the AGM).

The current Executive Committee have gaps for the roles of Media and Communications Officer, Policy Officer, and Disability Representative. Nominations for these roles would be particularly helpful but all nominations will contribute to the democratic and participative nature of our branch. We encourage members to consider submitting nominations to any roles they feel compelled to take (each person can submit as many nominations as they wish). If you would like to discuss the roles with the current Executive Committee members, you can find their contacts here.

Please download and complete the nomination form, including signatures of two Cardiff UCU members, and send it to our Branch Administrator/Organiser, Sally Buffard: Sbuffard@ucu.org.uk

You are the Union!

6. UCU National Disputes – Survey on Industrial Action

The New Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (JNCHES) negotiations 2020/21 have ended, following the conclusion of the dispute resolution process, and the employers have made a final offer, which UCU believes falls short of the demands made under the four fights dispute.

A members’ consultation on whether to accept the offer or not will start on the 8th February through an e-ballot (make sure not to miss it in your inbox) and in the meantime, UCU is surveying members regarding the possibilities of further industrial action, including how members’ views about industrial action are changing in the context of the pandemic and the increase in remote working. Please use the link to complete the survey before it closes on Wednesday 17th February. It should take about 20 minutes.
Or copy and paste the URL below into your Internet browser:
https://civicaengagement.fra1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eQjiug4axFJQ0vz?Q_DL=Y3xlMNk5joGbIDA_eQjiug4axFJQ0vz_CGC_Ej7KvORYP8F1ofi&Q_CHL=email

7.  Senior Management Survey 2.0 – Moral Injury and HE during the pandemic

Researchers from the University of Brighton and University of Surrey, launched a ‘Senior Management Survey’ in 2017, which had 6000 participants and featured in the national media, ending up as the 74th most viewed and shared article in the world in 2020 (Altmetric.com). The article can be read here.

They have now launched a new Senior Management Survey which focuses on HE staff experiences of working throughout the pandemic, with a particular focus on how supportive senior managers have been and the extent to which staff have had to act against what they feel is morally right. The survey takes 5-10 minutes and can be found at the following link: https://brightonpsychology.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cGhF1Uc5CP9MZ1j

Dispute Update and Ballot Results:

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Members voted YES for strike action and YES for Action Short of Strike (ASOS). Thank you to everyone who voted in our indicative ballot on the dispute with the University over our demand that staff should not be coerced into working on campus: 77% voted yes for ASOS and 59% yes for strike action on a 36% turnout. This will continue to inform our dispute strategy. While we are continuing to try to resolve this dispute through discussions with management, we have not yet been given the assurances we need (highlighted by members’ rejection of management’s position on this at our last General Meeting): see management’s latest response here. These results show that members are prepared to take action to defend each other against forced face-to-face campus work during the pandemic.