UCU have notified the university of significant industrial action. In this context, the university community will wish to know what your position is in relation to the disputes over pay and conditions on the one hand, and pensions on the other. UCU’s position in relation to pay and conditions is outlined here (https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/12528/HE-unions-claim-2022-23/pdf/TUJNCHESclaim202223FINAL.pdf) and on pensions, it is that benefits must be restored to 2021 levels and that all future valuations are evidence-based and moderately prudent.
These statements acknowledge your active role in these disputes and highlight your commitment to protect staff pensions and working conditions. Under the current cost of living crisis where our pay is losing more value than ever and following the most recent USS surplus announcements, we therefore hope your position to be broadly sympathetic to UCU’s demands of restoring our pensions and receiving a meaningful pay rise. We believe it would be expedient to publish your position in these disputes (including what your positions within UCEA and UUK are) at the earliest opportunity in order to clarify what you are prepared to do to contribute to a speedy resolution of the dispute and the avoidance of immense disruption to the university and to our students.
We would also welcome the opportunity to discuss these issues with you in an open meeting where all staff can be present as observers for full transparency on the issues surrounding the strike action.
Welcome to the December 2022 newsletter. We are ending another year in dispute with our employers over long-standing issues affecting our workplace. Our unity and strength were highly visible during our three days of strike action last month. We hope this is enough to convince VCs to stand with their staff on these issues and to move UCEA and USS, but we need to remain energised and organised for the likely possibility of an escalation of action in 2023.
We will be calling for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) in the first week of term and in the meantime, we warmly invite all members to an informal Zoom forum hosted by the strike committee,next Thursday 15th December at 4pm. The aim of this forum will be to take stock of our recent strike action and give members an opportunity to discuss what worked well and what we might want to do differently or learn from for future rounds of industrial action. The meeting will be hosted on Zoom, and we will send a reminder on the day. We would like to remind you that the strike committee is a group of members empowered by the executive committee to make decisions related to organising strike action and all members are very welcome to join and contribute. Please contact the UCU office (ucu@cardiff.ac.uk) if you would like to participate.
In order to improve communication with members, particularly during periods of intense activity like this one, we created a Cardiff UCU WhatsApp channel, where members can receive notifications of events or relevant developments at national and local level. If you would like to join this channel, please use this link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hd8vclEmjUvCsanTJEDyL1 from a device with WhatsApp installed. We also have a Teams Members Forum, where members can debate issues and ask questions directly to the office or the executive committee. If you would like to be added to this channel, please email the UCU office.
Finally, we wish all our members a happy Christmas and a very happy new year, in hope and solidarity for better pensions, better pay, better workloads, more security and more equality!
Our branch president Lucy Riglin, who is on maternity leave looking after her baby son, sends her greetings and solidarity to all members. We wish her all the best as she ventures into motherhood and look forward to having her back sometime next year.
In this newsletter, you can read about:
Branch News & Updates
Report on our EGM ahead of strike action in November
Report on strike action
Reporting your strike action
Accessing the strike fighting fund
Action Short of Strike (ASOS)
Cardiff University Students’ Union votes to support UCU strikes
Our branch’s commitment with equality and inclusion during the strikes and beyond
One of our members proposed a motion to financially support the Neil Davies and Ewan McGaughey legal case “Save university pensions, and save the planet” against the USS trustees and managers but unfortunately, our executive committee received communication from UCU national advising against branches carrying out such donations. The motion was withdrawn and we have since received more detailed information on the reasons why branches were instructed not to donate to the case; this detailed information is available on the branch website.
We do encourage members who are concerned about the way that the USS has been managed to read about this legal case and to consider making individual donations to hold the scheme to account. Neil and Ewan are currently crowdfunding to appeal a recent decision and the fact they have permission to appeal means there is a “real prospect of success”. Please consider contributing to their crowdfunding efforts.
Report on strike action
We’ve had three very well attended days of picketing, rallies outside the Main Building, a rally outside Senedd with other UCU branches from Wales and a benefit gig that raised more than £1000 for our local strike fighting fund. You can see our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter) for more photos and details. Our action attracted a lot of media attention that you can follow on the branch website.
The pickets were busy with witty banners, hot drinks, music, constant honks, solidarity from students, other trade unions and other organisations, and dogs aplenty to keep our spirits high in the cold and amidst the grim prospects of the future of Higher Education as it stands. Even if you weren’t able to picket, by withdrawing your labour you were still making a very significant contribution to the action.
Our joint rally with the Open University, University or South Wales and Cardiff Metropolitan University (with one representative from Swansea University) counted with over 400 people gathering at the Welsh Senedd. MSs across political parties came out of the Senedd during their lunch breaks to talk to staff and students at the rally about the situation with the disputes and the state of HE in the UK and in Wales more specifically. Many of them agreed to write to Vice-Chancellors about our dispute. We encourage members to contact their local MP asking them to exert pressure for meaningful negotiations that can resolve our disputes. Speakers at our rally included George Phillips from the Cardiff University Socialist Society, Nathan Mintz from Cardiff University Labour Society (video on Facebook), Nicki Hughes from the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) (video on YouTube), Dave Bartlett from the Cardiff Trades Council, AJ Singh from the Welsh Trade Unions Council (and previous officer of the Communication Workers Union, CWU) and Layla Sadeghi Namaghi speaking in the name of the Iranian solidarity campaign (you can read a transcript of her speech on the branch website).
We also had a delegation of members attending the massive UCU rally in London.
Trade unions have re-entered negotiations with UCEA, our employer’s representative in national pay negotiations. These negotiations will wrap-up by the end of January, so let’s all hope for an acceptable offer (but plan for one that isn’t). We also expect reasonable negotiations on tackling casualisation, workload and equality. On our USS dispute, since USS announced a surplus of £5.6bn, it is difficult to understand which grounds they have to insist on cutting our pensions. We expect our VC to keep his word during our negations to prevent the marking boycott in May and to use his position in UCEA and UUK to resolve these disputes in the interest of his staff.
Cardiff University HR emailed all staff requesting us to report our strike action using their portal. Although we are obliged by law to respond truthfully when asked whether and when we took part in strike action, the law does not specify a particular way in which we must respond. Hence, any means that you choose for reporting strike action should be accepted. However, our contracts oblige us to respond to employer’s reasonable requests and HR believes that the request to using their portal is a reasonable one. If you comply, we recommend choosing the option ‘STRIKE-Pension maintained’ as this ensures that the university makes their employer contribution to our pension even on strike days. The university will deduct pay at the rate of 1/365th of annual salary for strike day for those on salaries. Those who have to use time sheets cannot claim for hours they would have worked but did not work due to the strike. Members who are hourly paid will be able to submit their time sheets to our fighting fund to request support (see ‘Fighting fund’ below).
Important: at this time, we do NOT advise any members to report ASOS via the HR system (see ‘ASOS’, below).
For those who suffer hardship because of strike deductions, the UK-wide fighting fund pays out from the second day of strike (please see the national UCU guidance on how to do this). Our local fighting fund additionally pays out for the first day (for details and how to claim, please see the branch fighting fund policy). The procedures for claiming from fighting funds are designed specifically to ensure hourly-paid, low-paid, and casual staff are prioritised.
Please note that we cannot pay hourly-paid members from the fighting fund until we receive the timesheets and the correlating payslips, which people will not get until the end of the December, so we are expecting these applications to come in around the last days of December/beginning of January.
Although UCU General Secretary Jo Grady reports that employers have returned to negotiations because of our determined strike action, we must keep up the pressure to achieve a result. This is why the union is calling all members to undertake the following types of ASOS (since 23 November): working to contract (meaning that we only fulfil the duties explicitly expressed in our contracts, in particular regarding our contracted working hours) not undertaking any voluntary activities not covering for absent colleagues refusing to reschedule classes missed due to industrial action (when applicable) not sharing materials for classes that would have taken place on strike days During ASOS, please consider setting up an automatic reply message using the bilingual ASOS templates.
The UCU head office’s FAQs has a lot of detail on ASOS, and we’d refer members who have queries to this FAQ in the first instance and to speak with their colleagues and dep reps to share ideas and to feel supported. You can email the branch office (ucu@cardiff.ac.uk) if your question is not covered by the FAQ.
Navigating ASOS can be challenging and it does not help that communication received from HR has been less than helpful. You can read our prompt response (and subsequent correspondence) to the email sent by Sue Midha (director of HR) to all staff on 22 November, threatening 100% pay deductions for ASOS that constitutes partial performance. UCU General Secretary Jo Grady has labelled such behaviour ‘bullying’ and ‘intimidation’ issuing from panic on the part of employers.
The preliminary outcome of our communication is a clarification by the Director of HR that ‘where colleagues work with schools to mitigate the impact of any detriment to student learning outcomes, we cannot envisage a situation where it will be necessary for pay to be withheld.’ UCU have also published legal advice.
It is not clear which aspects of ASOS constitute a breach of contract and could therefore be subject to pay deductions. At this time, we therefore advise any member to seek advice before reporting that they are undertaking ASOS that constitutes partial performance, e.g. via the HR system.
We have prepared a series of templates that members can use if they need to communicate that they are taking part in ASOS. We hope you find them useful.
Cardiff Students’ Union votes to support UCU strikes
Cardiff University Students’ Union has passed a motion to support UCU industrial action. The AGM to vote on the motion of support had to be rescheduled, but in the meantime, the Union had given provisional support to the action. We are enormously grateful for the support of the Union, as we have been grateful for the support of students bringing hot drinks, placards and good will to our pickets. With a motion passed, the Union will be able to put more pressure on the University to go to its national representatives and demand a resolution to the disputes.
Our branch’s commitment to equality and inclusion during the strike and beyond
During our strike rally on the 30th November, by the Welsh Senedd, our branch’s senior officers Andreas Buerki (branch co-vice-president), Joey Whitfield (branch co-vice-president) and Renata Mirra (branch chair) reiterated Cardiff UCU’s commitment to equality and inclusion with the following speech:
“One of the issues at the heart of our dispute is pay equality, and most commonly we speak about the gender pay gap. Most of us will have already heard that in our sector women are paid on average 20% less than men. Discrimination related to pregnancy or care duties, which more often fall on women, can add layers into this.
Another issue that women are often faced with is sexual harassment, which can affect them at work, as students, and in many organisations such as political parties and indeed trade unions. This is a sad and unacceptable state of affairs and we all need to play a role in ending this. We all need to play a role in ending discrimination, in fighting for justice for victims of sexual harassment and in fighting to prevent it. We are calling on our employers to do more and we are calling on ourselves, as a trade union, to do more.
Unfortunately, women are not the only group of people facing discrimination. In fact, they often suffer from the intersection of other types of discrimination that we have in our workplaces. The gender pay gap is only the tip of the iceberg. People of colour, people with disabilities, or those who are LGBTQ+, are also facing great levels of discrimination, but we don’t hear about the figures, because in most part they don’t even exist. And here too, the intersections are important – trans people of colour are among the most marginalised, persecuted and discriminated in the world – you can look into the statistics and I promise you, you will be shocked. It is also shocking to learn that 1 in 4 employers in the UK won’t hire someone with a disability. And it doesn’t end here, class, age, or religious beliefs are among other factors that can contribute to discrimination at work.
What kind of world is this?
This is why equality is a very important part of our dispute and our demands. This is also why we, senior branch officers of Cardiff UCU, will be reading statements written by members affected by discrimination related to disability, race, and gender identity, to reiterate our own commitment to equality and inclusion and to remind our employers of theirs.”
Please engage with our branch EDI survey to help us defend the interests of all members and inform our priorities for action.
Events, solidarity and wider campaigns
Workers can win podcast
On the 27th November Ian Allison, a longstanding UK trade unionist, came to Cardiff to launch his book: Workers can win: a guide for organising at work. The event was organised by Cardiff People’s Assembly and the independent media platform voice.wales and was chaired by our branch Chair, Renata Mirra, and by our retired member, Steve Davies. You can listen to the voice.wales podcast of the event at anchor.fm, which includes an interview with Renata about the UCU strikes.
DivestUSS
The DivestUSS group has produced a report on USS’s carbon intensive investments and their (inadequate) plans for ‘net zero’. The report and summary along with USS’s response are all at https://divestuss.org/report/
We plan to hold a Teach Out around USS’s approach to investment in the new year.
If you have any questions about the report, Divest USS or the Ethics for USS campaign, please contact Paul Kinnersley.
Network to challenge racism
Do you identify as Black, Asian or minority ethnic? Abyd Quinn-Aziz, a Reader at SOSCI, is working with UCU Wales office and TUC Wales in developing a network to challenge racism and in publicising the anti-racist toolkit. As a branch we do not hold this kind of data on members, and so Abyd is asking members who identify as Black, Asian or minority ethic to contact him or to contact AJ Singh (the Wales TUC contact for this piece of work) directly if they are happy to do so. The information will be used to help the formation of a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic network in Wales.
Diolch initiative – put your reps forward
Your local UCU representatives are absolutely vital to the functioning of the branch. They are often the first port of call for members having issues at work. They help to make sure everyone is able to vote in ballots. They help to bring the views of members to wider attention. The University is currently running its ‘diolch’ scheme, which allows staff to thank a colleague, and have their thanks recorded on the University intranet. Please consider saying ‘diolch’ to one of your dep reps by filling in the University’s form.
Protest & lobby to save St. David’s Hall
Cardiff council announced plans to privatise St. David’s Hall in the centre of town. If you would like to support the campaign to oppose these plans, you can join the protest and lobby on Friday 9 December, 3 pm – 4.30 pm, outside City Hall, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3ND and/or sign the petitions below.
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/885321925963766 Sign the ‘Save the National Concert Hall of Wales’ petition opposing any council plan to sell off St David’s Hall to a commercial company. This petition gives lots of useful background information on concerns about proposals: https://t.co/57ymXiamMs Sign the petition to Senedd asking the Welsh Government to directly intervene to secure the future of the venue as a publicly run and publicly funded Welsh cultural institution. If enough people sign it could trigger a debate in the Welsh Parliament: https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/245325
The UCUs general secretary Jo Grady spoke at this year’s conference and said:
“Trans people are threatened, intimidated, attacked and dehumanised, often by people who should know better. … The issues and challenges facing working people have never been greater. The UK has never been more unequal. Yet we are constantly drawn into right-wing territory. Divide and conquer. This is a repeat of how gay people have been treated. And this is a repeat of how black people have been treated. As trade unionists we should never engage in the oppression of others. … Let us tackle the reality of issues faced by trans people, not as they are imagined by people who do not face them.”
Today we want to take the opportunity to reaffirm our support for our trans siblings to ensure they feel safe and supported on campus. As a branch we stand with our most marginalised colleagues and comrades. Trans people are currently the focus of a manufactured moral panic. The public discourse on trans rights often focuses on the theoretical and abstracted, forgetting that real people are at its centre. This discourse very rarely includes trans voices yet since 2014 transphobic hate crime has increased 332% (Pink News) with 4 out of 5 trans people experiencing transphobic hate crime within the last 12 months (Galop). As a union we do not forget that real people are suffering as a consequence of a so-called debate. Universities have a duty to ensure staff and students can work and study in safety and without harassment and they must be held accountable if they fall short. The UCU stands with trans people and stands up for trans rights.
We send our solidarity from UCU to the Black, Asian and minority ethnic members of our union throughout this action and beyond. The industrial action that we are taking together is aimed at resolving problems that impact our Black, Asian and minority ethnic members often more acutely. Some of us research and teach about the inequalities in society based on race, but it is interesting that often we do little to address that very inequality in our own communities and we even maintain it through our own processes and culture.
You will know there are data (e.g. UCU, HEA, NUS, UUK) that show inequality in university working conditions for Black, Asian and minority ethnic members in terms of workload, precarity, recruitment, pay gaps, promotion, and disciplinary processes. Of course, all of these affect the career choices we have and create ongoing wellbeing issues for our Black, Asian and minority ethnic members as well as impact on the pension that will support that person at the end a career of working hard.
We also recognise that these lead to unequal conditions that impact the learning environment for our students and again we have data that show the disproportionate effect on Black, Asian and minority ethnic students, of which the awarding gap (UUK, NUS) is an example. Black, Asian and minority ethnic international students are seen as an important income generator for the university, but they are not being providing with the education and ability to challenge this inequality.
We at Cardiff UCU are starting work with other unions both on campus and across the nation, with Wales TUC to take actions as recommended in their Anti Racist toolkit and with the Senedd on its aspiration to be becoming an anti-Racist Wales.
We are striking due to a continuing battle over pensions, pay, and working conditions.
The University is failing everyone, but it is especially failing our disabled workforce.
The UCU campaigns to highlight the disadvantages faced by disabled people and the barriers and challenges they face in joining our workforce and reaching their potential in the workplace.
Only a small percentage of our workforce have declared a disability and even fewer have positions in senior positions.
UCU campaigns to educate, change attitudes and perceptions and raise awareness of disability issues to enable everyone to access jobs, buildings, and services.
We are all struggling with the cost-of living crisis, but the crisis is felt more by disabled people as they typically require more heating and transport, for example, often on lower pay.
The UCU works with our members to conduct risk assessments, to negotiate the complaints procedure where necessary and addresses issues of physical and digital inaccessibility. Amongst many issues, it campaigns for flexible working hours, to close the disability pay gap and achieve reasonable adjustments to remove or reduce disadvantage.
We work to address society’s inequalities, barriers and stereotypes that creates discrimination and oppresses disabled people.
“Teaching and other duties due to take place on strike days have been disrupted.”
Questions regarding whether materials have been made available to students or not:
“National UCU advises members not to reschedule lectures or classes cancelled due to strike action nor to share materials related to lectures or classes that have been cancelled as a result of strike action.”
Questions regarding impacts on learning outcomes or the need for changes in assessment:
“Strike action is likely to have caused disruption to students’ learning. A full determination of how is not possible at this point without significant additional labour on our part that would go against our current ‘action short of a strike’.”
If asked for any further information you think may be useful
[Do not provide any information beyond what you were directly asked]
As a PhD student and teaching assistant here in Cardiff, I am so proud to support the lecturers, academics, and all staff striking for change. My partner and his family are also nurses who, like you, deserve so much better. I’m going to tell you a bit about what’s happening in universities and across the country of Iran right now, as Iranians are fighting in their struggle for freedom.
‘In the name of the God of Rainbows’- This is a sentence of a 10-year-old boy called Kian. He was a creative and intelligent young boy in Iran who was shot dead by the Police force while he was in his car with parents and younger brother.
“Woman, Life, Freedom”, “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî”, is the slogan that Iranians have been chantingin the past 75 days in response to the Islamic Republic Regime’s fathomless violations of human rights. The slogan, in its essence, brings light to the systematic suppression of women’s rights and all minority groups in Iran. The revolution started with the death of Mahsa Amini, but according toreports, more than 400 people, including 63 children, have been killed and more than 18,000 people have been arrested since the protests began the real numbers are likely to be much higher than this. Furthermore, ethnic minorities, including Kurdish and Baloch people have been subjected to increasing suppression at ruthless levels.
University students, like myself, and school children have joined the forefront of the revolution throughout the country by protesting, not attending classes, and writing statements to demand justice for political prisoners and victims. In return for their peaceful protests, the Regime’s security forces, specifically the Police, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Paramilitary Volunteer Militia (the Basij force), and the Plainclothes Police have raided campuses, dorms, and high schools, and have assaulted and arrested a vast number of students. Many students have been either suspended from education or have been denied entry to campuses until further notice. Several professors and lecturers have also been dismissed or suspended due to their political stance in supporting the students.
As we are releasing this statement, many students and academics are being assaulted, detained, abducted, and held in unknown locations. Some of those detainees are being subjected to brutal interrogations, coerced confessions,torture, and rape. Some are facing wrongful convictions, in particular, death penalties issued by the Regime’s courts. The imminent risk to students’ lives and safety in Iran is extremely dire and requires immediate action and attention from all who have freedom of speech.
This is not only the story of teachers and educational staff who are under pressure and at risk, but also young school and university students who have been tortured, killed and imprisoned. Recently a 16-year-old girl was beaten to death in front of fellow students and teachers, by security Forces who forced their way into the school. There are headteachers who are leaving their jobs or confronting the authorities because they do not want to cooperate with the regime. One headteacher was imprisoned for not letting the authorities check the CCTVs in the school as they attempted to identify students who were protesting. Just yesterday another headteacher, Dr Zahra Lori, died. After supporting her student’s she was suspended, and was under intense mental pressure from the Islamic republic over the last four weeks. Shiva Mofakheri, a teacher and mathematician, like myself, was arrested two weeks ago – her fate and whereabouts remain unknown. In Iran, every moment of life is a protest, is a conflict. The Islamic Republic regime is actually sending students to mental hospitals for protesting, and this has been condemned by the American Psychiatric association.
We thank NEU- National Education Union- who showed their solidarity with the Cooperative council of Iranian Teachers Trade (CCITT) on the 11th November. But there is more that the world can do, so we demand the following from academia and governments:
To issue an official statement condemning and demanding an end to the assault on the academic community in Iran.
To boycott Iranian university officials and academics who have actively facilitated and are facilitating the Regime’s attacks on Iranian students and scholars; this includes preventing their participation at international events and conferences, their collaboration to scientific discourse and publications, and their presence at academic institutions.
To provide protective and facilitative measures for Iranian scholars at risk or in exile; measures include creating scholarships, explicit application processes; waiving tuition and application fees, and further accommodating actions.
To establish and promote educational activities including funding programs and scholarly research projects that raise awareness on the human rights situation in Iran; workshops, panel discussions, conferences, and publications can be called to this matter both in the short- and long-term.
To disengage with the Regime’s lobbyists who promote the Regime’s propaganda, and to amplify the collective voice of the people of Iran.
To call for a firm and unequivocal release of all political prisoners and detainees of the current revolution in Iran, and to advocate international organizations including the United Nations and all its subsidiaries to apply maximal international pressure to hold the Regime accountable for its crimes and violations against human rights.
To call for a halt to and abstain from any deal or action that will financially or otherwise assist the Regime.
Your support is appreciated. We have freedom of speech here in Wales, please use it. Your silence helps the oppressor, not the oppressed. I am so happy to support all of you in the UCU and to receive support from you all. Please stand on the right side of history with us.
If working to contract or not undertaking voluntary activities:
•You may know that from 23 November, UCU members are taking action short of a strike (ASOS) consisting of working to contract. Because I would be entirely unable to fit the proposed activity into my 35-hour contracted weekly workload, and it is an activity I’m not contractually obliged to engage in, I am sorry to say that I will be unable to [outline requested activity].
If not covering for absent colleagues:
•You may know that from 23 November, UCU members are taking action short of a strike (ASOS) consisting of working to contract and refusing to cover for absent colleagues. Because I would be entirely unable to fit the proposed activity into my 35-hour contracted weekly workload, and it is an activity that is part of the declared ASOS, I am sorry to say that I will be unable to [outline requested activity].
If refusing to reschedule classes missed due to industrial action:
• You may know that from 23 November, UCU members are taking action short of a strike (ASOS) consisting of working to contract and refusing to reschedule classes missed due to industrial action. Because I would be entirely unable to fit the proposed activity into my 35-hour contracted weekly workload, and it is an activity that is part of the declared ASOS, I am sorry to say that I will be unable to [outline requested activity]. I expect, however, that module learning outcomes will be met even if no classes are rescheduled.
Important: these template answers should only be used in response to particular requests. We do not need to say that we will be taking part in ASOS where this is not in response to a request that we do something that we refuse to do because of ASOS. With working to contract and voluntary activities, line managers can request a colleague does a certain activity, but we are entitled to respond by asking which other activity we should not perform, as there is no spare time available in the workload. This tends to defuse the demand and is not a breach of contract.
Cardiff UCU Branch has established a local fund to help those suffering particular financial hardship due to loss of pay arising from UCU industrial action.
“Particular hardship” means that the member is low-paid (such as on a small fractional contract or hourly paid equivalent) and/or that the action disproportionately affects them (for example, they have been participating in the Marking and Assessment Boycott for an extended period, or a strike is on the only day(s) that they work or covers the majority of their hours).
While the loss of income through striking affects everyone, those who are already in very financially insecure situations are the worst hit, and these people will be prioritised – e.g. hourly-paid workers; postgraduates who teach/demonstrate.
The Cardiff UCU Fighting Fund is designed as a safety net for local members and is intended to augment the UCU National Fighting Fund by allowing members to claim towards loss of income for the first day of action which the National Fund does not cover, or in cases where it is not applicable (deductions of less than 100% for ASOS).
Please be aware that the local fighting fund is a limited pot of money – for which we are already fundraising and will continue to fundraise throughout the action – and we cannot guarantee to reimburse you for the full amount that you have lost.
If you wish to donate to the fund you can do so by direct bank transfer, or set up a regular standing order, to:
View this page for information about how to check your strike deductions.
Cardiff UCU Fighting Fund
The Cardiff UCU fighting fund applies to the first one day of strike action taken by the member (i.e. your first day – this might not be the first day of the action). The National UCU fighting fund will cover the remaining days.
Applications from members on all pay grades will be considered although priority will be given to:
those who are casually employed or on part-time contracts;
those on lower grades (Grade 6 or lower)
If you are a PGR who teaches, make sure that you have upgraded from “student” to “standard free” membership. It only take a minute, and is still FREE while you’re studying. You can update your membership online.
Members who continue to suffer disproportionate fighting are eligible to submit further applications to the Cardiff UCU Fighting Fund although we reserve the right to seek information on support received from the National Fighting Fund and we may ask you for additional evidence of hardship.
Evidence
Where staff are paid on a regular monthly basis and the strike pay is indicated as a loss on the pay slip, this will be the evidence required.
The evidence required for hourly-paid staff who submit monthly timesheets for the hours they have worked will be: the time sheets that have been submitted during the boycott / strike period, and a timetable or email showing that they were scheduled to teach or mark. In addition, please provide a recent pay slip for a period unaffected by strike action.
Please note that PhD funding is not affected by your decision to take action.
Payment
After looking at communications from the university the branch understands that it is likely that the first payments will be deducted by them at the end of February (1st -10th Feb strike dates), the second payments at the end of March (14th Feb – 2nd March) and the third payments end of April (16th – 22nd March).
The branch needs evidence of loss of pay, therefore staff cannot apply before they have had pay deducted – so those taking strike action in February will not be able to apply until the end of February and so on.
How to Apply to the Cardiff UCU Fighting Fund
Ensure you read and familiarise yourself with the eligibility requirements and terms and conditions set out below.
If approved, funds will be made by bank transfer to the account stated in the application.
We aim to process all applications as soon as possible following the deductions from salary / non-payment of missed work.
Applying to the UCU National Fighting Fund
Do not delay your application to the national fund until you have received payment from the local fund. If you are claiming for more than the first 1 day of strike action then submit a claim to the National UCU Fund by logging into MyUCU and clicking on the ‘Fighting Fund’ tab.
Eligibility
To be eligible to make a claim against the Fund, you must meet the following criteria:
Be a current and fully paid up member of the UCU.
Be paying the correct subscription rate.
Have taken part in the industrial action called by the Union.
To have been deducted pay from the University on each day of action in which you have participated.
Be able to supply a PDF or scanned copy, of your pay slip(s) showing the gross amount of pay deducted in respect of each day’s participation in the action, or other evidence showing loss such as that stated below.
Members unable to demonstrate loss of pay from relevant payslips can include: your teaching timetable; letters/emails from the School confirming your teaching times or other documentation confirming appointment and the time sheets submitted to your School for the period of the action.
Claims not accompanied by payslip(s) showing the deductions or other supporting documentation will be rejected.
A claim arising from this dispute will only be paid if it is received within 3 months after the date of loss of pay.
No claim can be met for members who are in arrears of subscriptions or for those who are not paying the correct level of subscription based on their earnings.
If you have selected “yes” to the special circumstances button on the claim form we may ask you for additional evidence.
Please ensure that you enter correctly all the bank details as we may not be able to recover any payments sent to an incorrect bank account and, if that occurs, we regret it may not be possible to make a further payment from the Fund to recompense for the mis-directed payment.
Terms and Conditions
In no case will payments from combined applications to UCU accredited funds be made in excess of your actual total loss of income. The pro-rata principle will be applied where appropriate for part-time staff.
Member who continue to suffer disproportionate hardship are eligible to submit further applications to the Cardiff UCU Fighting Fund although we reserve the right to seek information on support received from the National Fighting Fund and we may ask you for additional evidence of hardship.
All claims are at the discretion of the Cardiff UCU Fighting Fund Assessment Panel. The Panel reserves the right not to meet a claim if it is not satisfied about the eligibility of the claimant, the details of the claim itself or the supporting evidence.
As the fund is finite there may be a cap placed on payments. We reserve the right to withhold decisions relating to claims from staff at higher grades until the full extent of applications received has been assessed.
WEEK 1, 21-25 NOVEMBER – STRIKE DAYS 24 AND 25 NOVEMBER
Information stall:
What: Pop by to find information, pick up some UCU leaflets, stickers, and posters, and/or ask us any questions about the strikes, including what it is all about. For students and staff.
What: A picket line is where workers and union reps (‘picketers’ or ‘pickets’) stand outside a workplace to tell other people why they are striking and encourage them not to cross a picket line in solidarity with striking workers. Bring instruments to make music or some noise and don’t forget to wear pink.
When: 8.30-11am, Thu 24 Nov and Fri 25 Nov.
Where: locations around campus, including the Main Building, Queen’s Building, Law Building, Glamorgan Building, Corbett Rd entrance to the John Percival Building, Abacws Building, and Allensbank Rd for the Heath campus. Contact your departmental rep or ucu@cardiff.ac.uk for details. If you are organising a picket in your school, please let us know by completing our webform. If there is no picket organised for your school, please join the picket in the Main Building.
Rallies:
What: Join our strike rallies to hear solidarity speeches from other unions and organisations, and to share experiences and show our strength. If you would like to speak or do a creative act at the rally, get in touch with Phillip Allsopp (allsoppPJ@cardiff.ac.uk). Details of speakers will be circulated very soon on our social media platforms.
When: 11.15am-12.00pm, Thu 24 Nov, Fri 25 Nov *Please note: The Friday Rally is now at noon*
Where: Gather outside the gates of the Main Building, facing Park Place, opposite Centre for Student Life, Students Union, and Greggs. Depending on numbers, we might head to Alexandra Gardens.
Teach-outs & meetings:
What: Teach-outs are free public events addressing themes and questions raised by the strike. Students, staff and members of the public are welcome.
When and Where:
Mon 21 Nov
PGR Tutors: know your rights on strike action. 6pm, Centre for Student Life room 1.26 or on Zoom (hybrid event).
Wed 23 Nov
Banner Making session. join staff and students making creative banners for our pickets and rallies. 4-6pm in the Students Union ‘Y Plas’ Food Hall (2nd floor).
Thu 24 Nov
Tour of picket lines. Meet 9am outside the Centre for Student Life / Student Union steps. Tour ends by joining the rally at 11.00am. For students.
Cardiff UCU working groups lunch. 1-2pm. In the Students Union ‘Y Plas’ Food Hall (2nd floor). Ever been curious about our working groups around Workload, Anti-Casualisation, Equality & Diversity, University Democratisation. Join us for lunch, where we will update and discuss plans. For UCU members.
Fri 25 Nov
Tour of picket lines. Meet 9am outside the Centre for Student Life / Student Union steps. Meet for rally at 12.00 outside Main Building (Park Place side). For students.
Teach-outs
What and when: 2.00-2.40pm ‘The Hostile Environment in HE’ (Lizzy Willmington, LAWPL) 2.40-3.20pm ‘Why We Need More Strikes’ (Steve Davies, WISERD) 3.20-4.00pm ‘Why and When Social Movements Win’ (Emmy Eklundh, LAWPL)
Where: Rooms 3C and 3D – 3rd Floor, Students’ Union
Sun 27 Nov
Book launch: ‘Workers Can Win: A Guide to Organising at Work’ by Ian Allison. 4.30pm in the Cathays Community Centre. This event is not being organised by our branch, but some of our members are involved and it feels very timely for our members. Book your free place through Eventbrite.
Coming up in Week 2:
Wed 30 Nov
Strike day. Events in Cardiff and London. If you would like to be part of the delegation going to London, please contact Patrick Sutton (suttonpj1@cardiff.ac.uk).
