The three campus unions (Unite, UNISON and UCU) are pleased to announce that the projected deficit has reduced and the university are saying that they will fund the current projected deficit from reserves.  The proposed changes to terms and conditions are no longer being pursued by the university at this point in time.  As Unions our members’ collective will to push back on the proposals until there were more facts has been clearly vindicated.  Had we not done this members could have been in a worse position financially.  We will of course keep you updated as the financial situation develops.

This is the very positive result received at the last Joint Consultative and Negotiating Forum (JCNF) following our continued resistance to the University’s proposals to make staff cuts. Our negotiators were put under considerable pressure by senior management to agree to staff cuts and our strong position has paid off.

We also made progress on workloads, with management agreeing to hold a joint union partnership forum to properly address our serious workload problems. This is a positive step and our negotiators will continue to hold management to their commitment to engage in “open and honest” discussions.

Our negotiators have very firmly and consistently communicated our members’ health and safety concerns to UEB but these have not been resolved. These are more fully addressed in this Health, Safety and Wellbeing document, but our key concerns remain:

• that meaningful consultation, a legal obligation of our employer, has not taken place across the board and we cannot give our members assurances about the safety of the workplace.
• that staff will be forced to work on campus without enough consideration of their personal circumstances.

• that the concerns of those whose health and wellbeing is at risk as a result of working from home have not been properly addressed.
• that wellbeing issues emerging as a result of increasing workloads have not been addressed.

Cardiff University as our employer owes us a duty of care. To challenge them when they are failing to take the necessary steps to protect our health and safety, we need to collect evidence. This is a precursor to taking any form of legal action. We also need to comply with the University’s own procedures. Should legal action follow, the legal authorities will expect individuals to have fully exhausted these procedures.

On that basis should you be asked to return to work, your employer will be required to perform a risk assessment. However, their assessment of the circumstances may differ from yours. So the first step is to perform your own assessment of your working environment. If your assessment differs from the employers in that you have concerns regarding your health and safety, you should bring it to the attention of the appropriate person. In most cases this will be your line manager, but there may be instances where management have appointed a safety officer.

It is helpful if you use the forms provided by the University.  The University also requires you to complete the All Wales Risk Assessment. Arbitration bodies will look kindly if you have used the employer’s procedures.  It shows you are willing to support the employer, by following their guidance.   It also focuses the matter on the dispute in hand, rather than obfuscating procedural matters.

You can find relevant forms here.

• HSE Health and Safety Poster (which should be displayed in a prominent visible place)
• Risk Assessment forms

• Workplace Inspection forms

Your line manager may have already completed a workplace inspection form.  There is usually a nominated person, within an office, to complete this for efficiency.  It would be quite acceptable to ask if this has been done, and could you have sight of the document to ascertain if your concerns have been highlighted, and what priority has been assigned to them.  If you are not given sight of the document, do not assume it has been done, it probably hasn’t been done well, if at all.  Your line manager is busy “spinning plates” too.

If you have to email your line manager, please use the following wording.  If we all use the same or similar wording then this reduces the risk of individuals being isolated.  Senior management will identify it as a collective action and will wish to identify the organisers, which is the union, and that is where they will focus their efforts.
Proposed wording: 

‘I am very concerned about the suggestion that I return to on-site work activities without knowing all suitable and sufficient risk management controls are in place making it safe to return. My union, UCU, will be advising me of the outcome of collective consultations over any proposed risk management strategy Cardiff University may have. I therefore request that this consultation takes place with UCU prior to any consultation with me individually

If, despite my concerns, you insist I return to work please find a Risk Assessment/Workplace Inspection Form, highlighting my concerns and suggestions on actions required to enable me to conduct my work without significant risks to my Health and Safety.

I would appreciate a response prior to my return to campus, so that I can take responsibility and appropriate steps for my own safety as required’