We held a Cardiff UCU Health & Safety meeting for local reps on Monday (16th) ahead of the JCNF to hear from Health & Safety and Dep Reps to gather information about members’ Health & Safety concerns and whether staff are being formed to work on campus. Reports highlighted the huge variability in approaches, with some reps reporting that staff are being forced and threatened with disciplinary action if they do not return to campus and others reporting a more supportive and collaborative approach. There were also reports of insufficient equipment for home working, being unable to access on-campus facilities and increased workloads. We will hold subsequent meetings about supporting and co-ordinating the branches Health and Safety work – please email ucu@cardiff.ac.uk if you would like to help.
Category Archives: General News
Anti-Semitism and University Autonomy:
UCU HE branch officers have received a letter from Professor Jonathan Rosenhead, Chair, British Committee for the Universities of Palestine (BRICUP). The group have written to alert us to an emerging crisis for UK universities that is likely to have significant repercussions for academic staff and their right to free expression and academic freedom and to invite us to act. This follows the significant pressure on UK Universities to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, with the threat from the Secretary of State to impose punitive financial penalties on any HEI which does not adopt the definition by the end of this academic term. While this is initially targeted at English universities, it will be rolled out to Wales.
You will be aware the IHRA definition of antisemitism, with its attendant examples, is highly controversial, and was condemned in motions adopted overwhelmingly by UCU Congress in both 2017 and 2018 (the motions are available on request). The definition, and the illustrative examples attached to it which conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism, have been heavily criticised by the Institute of Race Relations; eminent legal experts including ex-Court of Appeal Judge Sir Stephen Sedley; Liberty; leading academic experts on anti-Semitism, including Anthony Lerman and Brian Klug; 40 global Jewish social justice organisations, and more than 80 UK-based BAME groups.
The right to free expression is at the centre of public concern, and in particular freedom of speech on a range of topics concerning Israel/Palestine. For scholars and teachers at universities, this is of particular concern since it also is likely to have an impact on our freedom to research and teach in the Academy, subject to the law, without let or hindrance from powerful influences or the state. If the Government’s intervention in this case is not resisted it will very likely become a precedent for similar interference on other issues.
We ask members to have conversations in their schools and with their managers, highlighting concerns about the challenge to academic freedom. We will be talking to the VC about this, and reiterating our commitment to opposing anti-Semitism and all forms of racism through our equality and dignity at work policies.
Trevithick Teaching Star Competition:
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:
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.
Update on special HESC on HE governance:
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.
Expenses for working from home:
The University has confirmed that it will not compensate staff for additional household expenses incurred while working from home – see the intranet
If you are required to work from home, you may be able to claim tax relief of up to £6 per week to cover some expenses. See the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) website for details.
General Meeting Reminder
The next Cardiff UCU Branch General Meeting will take place on Wednesday 2nd December at 1.10pm on Zoom.
If you would like to attend, please complete the registration form and you will be sent the Zoom link before the meeting.
2020 UCU Equality Groups Conference:
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 :
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.
Survey on Black NHS Wales Workers :
UNISON and ITV are asking Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic healthcare workers to complete a survey asking if they have experienced racism in the NHS. The survey is on the UNISON Cymru/Wales website.
We ask our members to publicise the survey and encourage others to engage with it. You do not have to be a member of UNISON to complete it.
The survey closes tomorrow.