UCU will challenge a large (30%) increase in staff car parking fees on behalf of its members who face ever increasing pressures on their finances following 10 years of real terms pay cuts. In recent years UCU has worked with the University on a number of successful initiatives which make it cheaper, easier and more convenient for staff members to commute sustainably. Unfortunately, in the case of this increase, UCU has not been consulted or involved. The University has now agreed to meet with us about this. We will demand the establishment of a review group in partnership with the campus trade Unions and the University to consider the introduction of a more fair and environmentally-friendly car parking scheme that will look at fees, how fee money is used by the University, how car parking spaces are allocated to staff, and how this fits within a broad commitment to green and active travel policies.
Category Archives: General News
Call on Cardiff Uni to Declare a Climate Emergency:
Following the University’s recent Climate Emergency debate, a letter to the Vice Chancellor has been drafted by a group of Cardiff academics requesting that the University declares a Climate Emergency. They are calling for all members of staff of Cardiff University, including doctoral students, to sign this letter, to demonstrate the support for such a measure. Please do also share this widely among colleagues within the University.
The UK and Welsh Parliaments declared a climate emergency this year, as have two of the GW4 universities, Bristol University and the University of Exeter. We strongly urge Cardiff University to demonstrate its leadership in the academic community by being the first Welsh university to publicly declare a climate emergency, to help move forwards the sense of national urgency on this matter.
Sign a Petition to Support an Academic Boycott of Trinity College Cambridge Over Moves to Withdraw from USS:
The Council of Trinity College, Cambridge, has voted to withdraw the college from the USS pension scheme. USS is a mutual scheme with more than 400,000 members across the UK, and Trinity’s action undermines pension provision not only for its own employees but for staff across the entire pre-1992 Higher Education sector. They’ve admitted that the scheme is in good health, but are going ahead with this mover anyway. This needs to be resisted in the strongest terms, if necessary, by an academic boycott. So-called “grey-listing” procedures have already been initiated by UCU at its recent 2019 Congress.
Cardiff UCU General Meeting:
There will be an all-member General Meeting for the branch on Wednesday 12th June at 1.10pm in Committee Room 1 in the Glamorgan Building.
We will discuss, and share info about:
- Transforming Cardiff;
- USS Pensions; and
- Our up-coming claim to the University on fighting the scourge of casualisation.
Full details of the GM, including the Agenda, can be found here. Lunch will be provided!
Anti-casualisation campaign update
The anti-casualisation working group held an open meeting on Tuesday 4th June to work on an “Anti-Casualisation Manifesto” as a base document to inform our campaign and future negotiations with the University management. This manifesto is based on the premise that secure employment is that which guarantees continuity of gainful employment (e.g. ongoing contracts with consistent work and payment).
We’re aware, based on our own research and many examples of members seeking support through case-work, that Cardiff University uses contracts which do not fit this description in a wide variety of situations in which this would not be necessary, with dramatic and damaging consequences to staff.
We have initiated conversations with University management about these issues and we will soon submit a claim to demand the University to engage with UCU in reviewing the use of fixed-term and atypical contracts across the University and work towards providing secure working conditions to *all* staff.
We will be presenting results from our precarity survey and discussing our manifesto and our claim to the University at our General Meeting next Wednesday, as well as sharing more widely, and we would value the input from all Cardiff UCU members!
Consider Standing for Senate or Court: Have your say in running the University!
There are a number of vacancies on Senate, to which it is essential we nominate UCU members for election so our perspectives get aired and considered at the highest level. Details are below, and UCU members tend to meet and confer in advance of meetings. If you are considering standing and would like to discuss it, or need somebody to propose or second your nomination, please email ucu@cardiff.ac.uk. Nominations close at noon on 26 June.
There are vacancies for a Senate term up to 31 July 2022 for members of staff:
- at grade 5 and above – but excluding Professors – who work in a School or College of the University (excluding Architecture, Biosciences, Medicine, Psychology or Social Sciences which already have the maximum 2 representatives).
- who are Professors (but who don’t work in Biosciences, Engineering, English Communication & Philosophy, History Archeology & Religion, Mathematics, Music, Optometry or Psychology which already have the maximum 1 representative).
- at grade 5 and above from the Professional Services directorates (excluding Human Resources, Research and Innovation or IT and Programme Management which already have the maximum 1 representative).
There are also vacancies for staff from each of the Colleges and Professional Services directorates at grade 5 and above to serve on Court.
Click here for more information on the vacancies or to get a nomination form
Or email Committees@cardiff.ac.uk
Cardiff UCU Motions to UCU Congress 2019: “Protect LBGT+ studies/protect LBT+ staff”, “Workload, Mental Health, Health & Safety, and Workplace Suicide”
Two super-important motions were moved on our behalf at the UCU Congress a few weeks back by our branch President Ryan Prout;
- The first, on LGBT+ studies and protection of LGBT+ colleagues was passed; and
- The second, which called on UCU to campaign for a new law to force employers to record workplace suicides (in light of the tragic loss of more than one of our Cardiff colleagues in recent years), was remitted to the UCU National Executive Committee because time ran out. We hope it will be passed soon.
Work-related mental health crisis in Universities:
Research by Liz Morrish (who spoke recently at Cardiff in an event supported by us) identifies widespread structural issues with workplace stress in UK HE.
UCU Congress in 2019 also saw an important fringe event (co-organised by Cardiff UCU branch President Ryan Prout) about the epidemic of stress and bullying in the workplace. Among other things, stats were shared form the UK’s Education Support Partnership charity.
Counsellors at Education Support Partnership, the only charity dedicated to improving the wellbeing and mental health of the whole education workforce throughout the UK, dealt with a record 9,615 cases between April 2018 and the end of March 2019, the largest number in the charity’s history. At the same time, its counsellors continue to report that more calls are coming from those already experiencing a crisis. Read more here.
Cardiff UCU continues to campaign on unmanageable workloads at Cardiff University, and along with the Union nationally is seeking to use Health and Safety legislation to pursue its claims and force recognition and changes. To find out more or get involved, or want help negotiating unrealistic workload demands, email ucu@cardiff.ac.uk.
If you are experiencing mental health difficulties and need someone to listen now, please, please, please ring the Samaritans on 116123, call the University’s outsourced and confidential employee assistance programme Care First on 0800 174319.
Here is more info on support provided by the University to staff.
Your views on the effects of your savings and investments:
The Ethics for USS campaign have made us aware of this survey being run by the Department for Work and Pensions.
If you could all fill it in and ask your friends (whatever pension scheme they are in) to do so, that would be great!
Background: Pension schemes like USS constantly use a definition of Fiduciary Duty which *only* takes into account monetary return and ignores ethical and environmental concerns. If the legislation were clearer, they would have to take members views into account.
Jo Grady elected as new UCU General Secretary:
Jo Grady from the University of Sheffield has been (convincingly) elected as the new leader of the UCU on the highest turnout ever in a UCU leadership vote. This is the first time that a rank and file member has been elected, and this represents an exciting new direction for our union.
Read her inspiring address to UCU Congress last week.
You can read more about Jo’s priorities on her manifesto page, as well as checking out short videos about her plans & a whole bunch of other resources.
The Times Higher Education covered the win (paywalled, but all Cardiff Uni staff & students get access).