Wakefield UCU AGM 5th July 2012

The 2012 AGM was held on Thursday 05/07/12 at Wakefield City campus at Margaret Street. There were 20 members present.

1.    Last years elected officers made their reports:

Highlights of the year included the 1^st Wakefield College Branch newsletter in September, the victory over IFL membership, The new Wakefield College Branch blog, twinning the branch with Wakefield and District NUT in May and support from colleagues in schools around the district as well as from the Five towns trades council in relation to the strike on 10^th May. The Branch now has a hardship fund in place and there were donations to this from local trades council, the NUT and £115 from staff. Members of the committee had attended lobbies of the Conservative party conference in Manchester, and the lobby of parliament in October. The march for the alternative on March 26^th and protests against the EDL in Dewsbury in June.

2.    A new election was held:

·         Peter Korn Morris from Wakefield Campus was unanimously elected as Joint Secretary and Treasurer.

·         Mark Wilson from Thornes campus will take the role of Health and Safety Rep.

·         Ken Spencer from Wakefield Campus was unanimously elected as Joint Secretary and Membership Secretary.

·         Lesley Kimber from Wakefield Campus was unanimously elected as Equality Rep.

·         There is a vacancy for Skills Exchange rep and a member from this campus is considering whether to take this role.

·         Michael Ward from Wakefield Campus was unanimously elected as Branch Chair.

3.    An open discussion was held

One of the key themes that emerged from this was that there appears to be a marked inconsistency in the way policies and procedures are being applied in different departments and by different managers. These inconsistencies have been noted even in terms of the recruitment and appointment of new staff.

Another theme was the perception of the college as a ‘good place to work’ has changed for many staff also that staff perceive that their levels of stress and their workload have increased in the past year. Some staff were felt that this was best reflected in terms of the Sunday Times Best Public Sector (Not for Profit) places to work because Wakefield College were 30^th in the UK in 2010 and were awarded the best public sector employer award for Yorkshire and the Humber for this year. However this success was not repeated in 2011 or 2012 when the college was not listed at all.

UCU will look into these matters.

4.    UCU Campaigns

The committee highlighted that they are running an anti-bullying and stress at work campaign with the support of regional. This is an attempt to raise awareness amongst staff many of whom might not be aware of the characteristics of bullying in the workplace or how to identify it.

ACAS list some of the behaviours which constitute workplace bullying and harassment:-

·         Constant criticism of competent staff, removing their responsibilities or giving them trivial tasks to do.

·         Shouting at staff

·         Picking on staff in front of others or in private

·         Obstructing professional development/blocking promotion

·         Regularly making the same person the butt of jokes

·         Setting a person up to fail by overloading them with work or setting impossible deadlines

·         Regularly and deliberately ignoring or excluding individual from work activities

·         Ignoring staff views and opinions

·         Different rules for different people

·         Criticism and threats

·         Excessive monitoring

·         Unrealistic expectations

If any member of staff has any concerns please do not suffer in silence – speak to your UCU rep as soon as possible for confidential advice and support.

Finally:-

The TUC have called for a mass demonstration in London on 20^th October. This promises to be as big if not bigger than the March for the Alternative on 26^th March and will send a firm message to the Government that we are not prepared to see them dismantle our public services. It is important that as many Trade Unionists (and non-trade unionists) attend as possible. There will be local transport arranged.

TUC march

Final Pay Offer

Branches will now be aware that the AOC (Association of Colleges – our sector’s official government body) at the last negotiating meeting withdrew its demands for an end to automatic incremental pay rises and made a final pay offer for 2012/13 of 0.7%.

The FEC met on 29 June and agreed to consult members in   branch meetings during September and to make decisions on the next steps at its meeting on 5 October.  

The committee recognised that the removal of the conditions was an important achievement allowing UCU to make it clear that any employers who attempt to end incremental progression do so without the recommendation from the AoC. The agreement to recommend colleges adopt minimum rather than zero hours for part time staff, the promotion  of the national workloads agreement and a willingness to discuss best practice on lesson observation are  also very  welcome.   

FEC however is recommending that the offer is rejected because it far below the claim for 5% and with current inflation rates is an effective pay cut. 

In line with a decision of the national annual sector conference in June, branches are therefore being asked to support the position that members should be balloted for a programme of escalating strike action in pursuit of an improved offer.

As a branch we have to decide on our position before September which is basically;

1.    Rejection  or acceptance of  the final pay offer

2.    A ballot of members for a programme of escalating strike action in pursuit of an improved pay offer.

Rally & March for the future – in Oxford & Sheffield on Saturday 14th July 2012

 

Demonstrations are being organised in Sheffield and Oxfordshire to highlight concerns about the impact of the Government's cuts and to help mobilise teachers and other public sector workers in the run up to the TUC demonstration on 20th October 2012.
These demonstrations are supported by the local Trades Councils, and the local and national NUT and NASUWT. The theme of the demonstration is Rally for our Future: Defend Education, Defend Public Services, Defend Pensions, Pay & Jobs. See Oxford and Sheffield fliers for contact details and more information.

UCU CONGRESS REPORT - 2012

UCU CONGRESS REPORT - 2012

FROM UCU REGIONAL SECRETARIES AND NEC REGIONAL-RELATED LONDON MEMBERS

This was one of the most critical Congresses of recent years. The mood was serious, but positive and determined. Almost certainly as direct reflection of this, this was also an extremely well attended Congress with many ‘first time’ delegates from Local Associations and Branches in both sectors that previously had been under-represented or not represented at all at Congress. This should be seen also as a credit to everyone including the General Secretary, the National Campaigns team, Regional Officials and Organisers and lay Officers who did so much to promote Congress attendance this year.

From a regional perspective the Thursday night pre-Congress meeting called by Regions was absolutely packed with an attendance of well over two hundred.  Motions on the Congress floor that spoke of and stressed the significance of developing regional organisation, Regional Committees and regional initiatives over the last year and into the next were passed with full support of everyone.

All constituencies and interests groups at Congress engaged in informed, animated debate over the maximization of democratic governance within UCU and how best to meet the many challenges we face in the year ahead. Motions and debate considered NEC structures, election of national negotiators and the value, and timing of consultation with and balloting members.

In the light of the critical imperative to defend pensions, pay and job security all delegates committed to a review of UCU national structures to maximise effective leadership to activate the fullest possible involvement of membership.

It was agreed that a Commission will be created comprising equal numbers of HE and FE membership (5 per sector). Voting will take place amongst Congress delegates and be completed by Friday July 13th. UCU officials confirmed that this was a manageable and achievable time line. All delegates acknowledged that equality issues must be respected and visible within the voting process. The Commission will report back to Congress as sovereign body of the union in 2013.

All delegates were committed to a united UCU that can and will lead a positive defence against the ‘austerity’ agenda of the Con-Dem government. All delegates had examples from Local Associations, Branches and Regions as to how that agenda was already causing institutional havoc. All reported how that agenda was already reducing and narrowing student opportunity, threatening established policy and practices on work-place equality and work-life balance, putting at risk job security, putting back attempts to improve terms and conditions for disadvantaged workers including most critically ‘casual’ ‘hourly-paid’ staff and causing misery for individual members. Threats of privatisation, outsourcing and ‘shared services’

were a common concern across both sectors as, unfortunately, were related threats to academic freedom and security of academic ownership and intellectual property rights to research and teaching materials arising directly from opportunist ‘market-led’ initiatives of Vice Chancellors and Principals.

All delegates were committed to a UCU that continues with and intensifies our leading role in the defence of positive educational and social values alongside all sister Trades Unionists within the public sector and beyond. September can and will see a re-engagement in the collective struggle to defend pensions, pay and job security by all public sector unions. Reflecting frustration with lack of progress in both pension campaigns over USS and TPS, Congress passed motions by clear majority to continue the TPS campaign in September and to end the suspension of current industrial action over the USS dispute. The TUC have organised a demonstration for 20th October. Our message from Congress is that UCU is now united, ready and capable of playing a winning part in that struggle.

Pura Ariza UCU North West Regional Secretary Mick Dawson UCU South East Regional Secretary Veronica Killen UCU North East Regional Secretary Liz Lawrence UCU Yorkshire & Humberside Regional Secretary Jeannie Robinson UCU East Midlands Regional Secretary.

Cliff Snaith UCU London Regional Secretary Mandy Brown UCU London Regional FE Secretary Sean Wallis UCU London Regional HE Secretary Mark Campbell NEC (London Region) Richard McEwan NEC (London Region) Sean Vernell NEC (London Region) Ben Boydell NEC rep for the South constituency (FE).

New TPS Portal

There is a new UCU portal focussing on the threats to TPS.

http://tps.web.ucu.org.uk/

Wakefield Strike Picket Line in Pictures

There was a successful picket line at Thornes Park Campus this morning. We managed to stay for 3 hours despite the rain and we attracted a lot of supportive hoots from passing cars.

The umbrellas went down as the sun came out briefly and our branch banner took pride of place.

Like any proper picket line things wouldn't be right without at least one copy of Socialist Worker

May 10th Hardship Funds

Solidarity Hardship Fund

The committee appreciates that some members may experience hardship as a result of striking on May 10^th. With this in mind, we have put a hardship fund into place for members to access should they need to. Some members for instance are single parents or the sole breadwinner, others have two members of the same family striking or may experience other financial difficulties. We have a small fund available to help and will do our best to support you. In order to apply, please contact Lesley Kimber or Peter Korn Morris in the first instance stating that you would like to make a hardship application. The process is completely confidential. We would also encourage members to contribute to the fund. A collection will be coming to your staff room soon or give donations to any member of the committee!

 Wakefield College UCU are now ‘twinned’ with Wakefield and District NUT. The NUT voted unanimously to twin with us at a recent committee meeting where a member of the committee was a guest speaker. The twinning process was borne out of the frustrations felt by many NUT members at not being called out with London Teachers on the 28^th March. NUT members made collections and sent ‘solidarity’ cards and 44 boxes of cup cakes to picket lines across central London.

Wakefield and District NUT have sent collection sheets to schools in Wakefield area and plan to donate the proceeds to our hardship fund. They also voted to donate the remaining collection money from the London Cup Cake collection to our hardship fund. The committee would like to express our gratitude on behalf of the membership for this.

UCU will join strike action and protests on 10 May

UCU's national executive committee have today voted to take strike action on Thursday 10 May alongside other unions in an ongoing row over changes to members' pension schemes.

UCU members in England and Wales who are part of the Teachers' Pension Scheme will join civil service union PCS and parts of the Unite union on strike.

Other events on the day include a protest by members of the police and prison officers' trade unions - the Police Federation, NAPO and the POA - in defence of their pensions.

The controversial changes imposed by the government at the start of the month will see members of the Teachers' Pension Scheme work longer, pay more into their pension each month in return for a reduced pensions package when they finally retire.

Staff in colleges and universities across the UK are receiving reduced pay packets this month as the rise in their pension contributions takes effect.

Members can see how much they stand to lose by going to the contribution and benefits calculators here.

Unions demand 5 per cent rise for staff ‘at breaking point’

Unions have warned that staff in FE are at “breaking point” as official figures revealed that the salaries of college lecturers have fallen over the past year, even before the effects of inflation were taken into account.
Justifying a pay claim of 5 per cent, the joint submission by the six unions that work in FE said that staff have seen their standard of living eroded by the equivalent of thousands of pounds over the past two years as a result of inflation. Some staff have even seen their pay cut directly, with the average salary in FE falling by £38 this year, according to the Office for National Statistics.
And this is only the beginning. Lecturers are likely to face even greater pressure on pay as the government’s funding cuts begin in earnest: so far, just 3 per cent of the proposed 25 per cent budget reductions have been implemented. At Gateshead College, some staff are being asked to take an £8,000 pay cut next year, while Sunderland College is also revising job descriptions and pay grades as part of an effort to save £2.2 million.
According to statistics quoted in the unions’ joint pay claim, staff have on average already seen their income fall in real terms by the equivalent of £3,100 over two years, while the cost of living rose by 9.4 per cent. Even the highest paid teachers received only £200 in salary increases over the same period.
“Whichever way you look at it, staff working in further education colleges have taken a massive hit to their living standards in the last few years, a situation which for many is reaching breaking point and cannot continue,” the unions said.
In the joint claim, produced by the University and College Union, the ATL, the Association of Managers in Education, Unison, Unite and the GMB, the unions called for a 5 per cent increase, with a minimum rise of £750 for the lowest paid. The claim also called for tougher measures to improve conditions for part-time workers and the use of lesson observations.
Unions claim that, in the past 12 months, there has been a “sharp increase” in the use of contracts with no minimum hours of work. This means that staff need to be constantly available for work but have no reliable income - a practice the unions compare to the fast food industry. They have called on the Association of Colleges (AoC) to take action to halt the use of “zero hours” contracts, in line with existing national agreements.
They have also called for a national agreement on the proper use of lesson observations, which they say have been responsible for an “unprecedented” increase in local disputes, as staff are forced to bear the brunt of increased workloads and greater pressure for students to achieve.
The UCU is clearly angry. Head of FE Barry Lovejoy said: “Pay awards have been very minimal, tokenistic, in the past two years. And there have very often been places that haven’t even paid that. We’re beginning to see an increasing number of pay bars, so people aren’t progressing up the pay scale. This can’t go on, year after year.
“Whether it’s this year or in the near future, pay will come to be seen as a very significant point of dispute.”
The AoC, which represents the college employers in the non-binding national negotiations, said that the process is at an early stage and the first meetings between the parties will be in mid-May. “This year, all parties face a particular set of circumstances, which means that everyone is facing difficult conditions in these straitened times,” said director of employment Evan Williams.

Outcome for Sally Hunt

Nearly 23,000 of you voted in the ballot. The turnout has far exceeded that in recent elections including my own. However you voted thank you for taking part!

Overall the results were as follows:

•88.6% voted to support reducing the size of the National Executive Committee and spending the savings to improve member services
•85.1% voted to be balloted whenever the majority of negotiators believe a final offer is on the table and before a decision is taken to accept or reject
•82.4% voted to elect your lay national negotiators by one member one vote rather than by annual conference.

IFL Fees Scrapped

UCU today welcomed the news that staff in further education colleges would no longer be forced to pay a fee to do their job. An independent panel said the Institute for Learning (IfL) could not remain a compulsory body and money should be refunded to staff who had paid to join.

Membership of the IfL is currently compulsory for teachers in adult and further education, but up until this year the fee was picked up by the government. In September, members of UCU voted overwhelmingly to boycott the IfL after membership became compulsory.

That action, coupled with the threat of legal action, prompted further education minister John Hayes to announce an independent review into professionalism in the sector in England. As well as welcoming the news that IfL membership is no longer compulsory, the union said it was looking forward to playing a full role in the wider review of professionalism.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'We are pleased that the panel has recognised compulsory membership of the IfL is a bad move. We are also delighted that the relatively small number of people who did pay the fee will now be reimbursed.

'Boycotting the IfL was not a decision UCU members took lightly, but to be effective as a professional body it must enjoy the confidence of the majority of practitioners. Today's recommendations are a vindication of the members' boycott and we look forward to playing a full part in the review of professionalism in further education.'

The full report can be found the department for business, innovation and skills website

The report says: 'The panel recommends that, as already planned, public funding to the IfL should come to an end in the financial year 2012-2013. When combined with our recommendation to revoke the 2007 Regulations, this advice will restore the IfL to its original status as a private membership body, dependent on voluntary subscriptions in return for services.'

GS Manifesto Vote Closes on Wednesday

General Secretary’s manifesto proposals: A reminder that the consultative ballot on the General Secretary’s proposed changes to UCU will close on Wednesday 28 March, so if you want your say on UCU’s future, make sure you use your vote: http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=5993

Supporting London's Strike

TPS dispute – Support London’s strike and demonstration on Wednesday:A reminder that London members in the TPS pension scheme will be taking a day’s strike action alongside NUT members on Wednesday 28 March in the latest phase of the campaign. There will also be a demonstration in central London. If you are covered by the call to strike action, please support your union. You can find out more about the demonstration and see our latest campaign materials here:
http://tps.web.ucu.org.uk/
If not , you can show your support by attending the demonstration or getting involved in whatever support your branch is planning for the day. Lots of branches are already developing twinning arrangements with striking London branches. Contact your branch for more details.

Rolling Strike Action Confirmed

Dear colleague,

On Friday, the NEC agreed that the union’s London TPS members would take action alongside colleagues from NUT on 28 March. It was also agreed to defer a decision about action elsewhere in the country until the PCS union’s Executive had met. That meeting has now taken place and PCS have decided NOT to take strike action in the UK on 28 March. For the avoidance of doubt this means:

· UCU members in London TPS branches WILL called on to take strike action on 28 March

· UCU members in TPS branches outside London WILL NOT be called on to take strike action on 28 March

· UCU members in Scottish (STSS) and Northern Ireland (NISS) branches WILL NOT be called on to take strike action on 28 March

The NEC has asked branches not taking action to nonetheless hold lunchtime or similar events in support of our dispute on pensions on 28 March. Please let us know if you are planning an event so we can tell others. We will also be circulating details of a demonstration in London by NUT and UCU colleagues on 28 March as soon as we have more details.

All the best.

NEC Meeting last Friday

Last Friday’s NEC met to discuss what action to take in the light of the membership consultation.

1.       UCU had an overwhelming vote of over 80% (of those who voted) supporting the NEC’s rejection of the government’s pension proposals and in favour of a continuing campaign against them. 60% of those who voted also supported striking on March 28^th alongside other unions. The PCS, NUT and EIS all got broadly similar results from their consultations.

2.       The NUT Executive last Wednesday decided against a national strike on the 28^th but instead decided to bring out its members in London as the start of a campaign of rolling strike action. The EIS Exec. then decided not to strike on the 28^th. The PCS Exec. does not meet until today.

3.       We had to consider both what our members had voted FOR and what other unions were planning to do. We decided therefore to:

A)     Tell the PCS that UCU will endorse national strike on the 28^th March if the PCS does as well.

B)      Endorse UCU strike action in London on the 28^th alongside the NUT. With dinnertime protests nationally outside other colleges.

C)      Instruct the general secretary to talk to other unions urgently to agree a programme of action for after Easter.

4.       I’ll send out further details tomorrow when I hear the PCS decision. It strikes me, however, if it is the case that the PCS does not strike on the 28^th and we just have a London only strike on that day then one concrete way of making the day as national as possible will be for Yorkshire UCU branches to ‘twin’ with London UCU branches – that can mean collecting money to pay for picketers’ breakfasts, messages of support, linking up at department level etc. We must not let our London members feel they are being asked to fight for all of us on their own. So we also need to demand that there is a rolling programme of regional action to follow.

Weekly update

Dear Colleagues,



IN THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP:

TPS Update:
Yesterday (16 March), the National Union of Teachers (NUT) National Executive met and agreed to ask their London membership only to take strike action on 28 March. Today our NEC has considered this and agreed to ask UCU’s TPS members in London to also take strike action on 28 March.
The NEC also agreed to confirm national TPS action (England and Wales) on the 28^th provided that the Executive of the PCS union does the same when they meet on Monday.  We will issue a further urgent update to TPS members on Monday as soon as we have more information.  The NEC has also asked the general secretary to contact other unions to discuss further possible rolling strike action. The full result of the  union’s TPS consultative ballot can be seen here:
http://tps.web.ucu.org.uk/

General secretary’s manifesto proposals:

In this week’s Time Higher Education magazine, general secretary Sally Hunt says changes will put members in charge and improve support for branches:
http://tinyurl.com/7bmokp5
We have also been asked to provide a link to  information from those who oppose the changes:
http://uculeft.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Why-we-should-vote-No-to-all-three-of-Sally-Hunts-proposals.pdf
To view the FAQs on Sally’s proposals and make a comment go here: http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=5993

IFL reminder:
A reminder to all FE branches that members in England should continue to NOT pay their IfL registration fee:
http://www.ucu.org.uk/iflfee

Last chance to lobby on the NHS Bill:
The government is intent on forcing its Health and Social Care Bill through Parliament, but you can still help the TUC make a last bid to persuade Peers to delay it until the risk register is published here:
http://www.goingtowork.org.uk/peers/?campaign=6

UCUHE137: 23 March Post 92 annual meeting cancelled:
www.ucu.org.uk/circ/rtf/UCUHE137.rtf
www.ucu.org.uk/circ/pdf/UCUHE137.pdf

UCU/414 Congress minutes 2011:
The formal minutes of UCU’s 2011 Congress meeting, including all resolutions passed.
http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/html/ucu414.html
http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/rtf/ucu414.rtf

UCU/413 NEC annual report to Congress 2012:
An annual report of the union’s activities, reported in sections corresponding to the NEC’s sub-committees.
http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/html/ucu413.html
http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/rtf/ucu413.rtf

UCU/412 Annual TUC Disability Equality Conference:
Details of arrangements for the 2012 TUC Disability Conference to be held in central London, 30-31 May.  Nominations should be sent to James Taylor ( jtaylor@ucu.org.uk) by 12 noon, Monday 26 March 2012.
http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/html/ucu412.html
http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/rtf/ucu412.rtf

UCU/411 Academic-Related Annual Meeting – Agenda, Motions & Nominations:
Please see the agenda, motions and committee nominations submitted to the Annual Meeting for Academic Related Staff to be held at UCU HQ on 21 March. Please note that the deadline for any amendments to motions is 5pm on Monday 19 March.
http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/html/ucu411.html
http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/rtf/ucu411.rtf

UCU/410  HE Negotiating Pack Briefings:
Details of the HE Negotiating Pack Briefings in April and May; why the packs have been developed, how the packs can help local negotiations, where the briefings will take place, what briefing your branch can register for and how to register. 
http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/html/ucu410.html
http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/rtf/ucu410.rtf

Workers’ Memorial Day 28th April:
TUC calls day of action on health and safety: Commemorating those killed at work and campaigning for safer workplaces on 28th April. The TUC is calling all trade union members to make 28th April in UK a day of action. Planned events here:
http://www.tuc.org.uk/workplace/tuc-20489-f0.cfm      

All the best,

Justine Stephens,
Head of Campaigns UCU

Consultation on proposed changes to UCU

Following her re-election, UCU general secretary Sally Hunt is launching a ballot on members on the future structures of the union.

All members should receive an invitation to participate in the online ballot on three changes to UCU which Sally proposed in her election manifesto. The ballot will open on 12 March 2012 and will be run by Electoral Reform Services. Members for whom we have no valid email address will receive a ballot by post over the folowing few days. If you expect to and haven't received an email invtation by 16 March a query form will be available here.

A set of questions relating to these changes is set out belo and you can read again her letter to members on the changes here.

---

What are your proposals?

I am proposing three main changes.

The first is to reduce the size of UCU's National Executive Committee from 72 to a maximum of 40 and use the savings to improve services for members and branches.

The second is to give members a right to be directly consulted on a final offer from employers before the union decides whether to accept it or reject and escalate action.

The third is for members to elect lay national negotiator posts currently elected by annual conferences.

Today  marks the start of the ballot on the manifesto commitments made by the general secretary in the recent election.  Members for whom the union does not have an email address should receive a postal ballot over the next few days. Any member who has not got either an email postal ballot by Friday 16 March should use the online form here to request a new one: http://www.ucu.org.uk/changeproposals

Strike ballot results

Public sector pensions - consultation ballots

The results are as follows:

1. Do you support further strike action beginning with a national one day strike on March 28 alongside other unions?

Further Education (England and Wales) 

Yes 5,250 (62.9%), No 3,102 (37.1%) Turnout 25.1%

Higher Education (England and Wales)

Yes 3,668 (55.3%), No 2,962 (44.7%) Turnout 31.3%

Higher Education (Scotland) 

Yes 107 (69.9%), No 46 (30.1%) Turnout 26.7%

Further and Higher Education (Northern Ireland)  

Yes 145 (51.1%), No 139 (48.9%) Turnout 20.6%

2. Do you endorse the decision of the NEC to reject the government's final pension proposals and continue the campaign against them?

Further Education (England and Wales) 

Yes 7,151 (85.7%), No 1,194 (14.3%) Turnout 25.1%

Higher Education (England and Wales)

Yes 5,276 (79.4%), No 1,367 (20.6%) Turnout 31.3%

These results and those of other unions will be considered by the NEC at its special meeting this Friday.

*Turnout figures include any  ballot forms returned blank.

Weekly Update

A reminder that in this new weekly bulletin you will find links to all the publications we have produced this week for branch officers and activists. If there are officers in your branch who should be receiving this but are not on our current distribution list, please email jstephens@ucu.org.uk

We hope you find it useful.

IN THIS WEEK'S ROUNDUP:

Vote YES! LAST CHANCE to vote on Public sector pensions:
A final reminder to please urge your members to vote in the consultative ballots. The NEC urges you to encourage members to vote YES to rejecting the government’s final offer and YES to further strike action. Click here for all the arguments:
http://tps.web.ucu.org.uk/
For more on STSS, click here:
http://www.ucu.org.uk/stss

UCU supports NUS 'Come Clean' campaign:
UCU supports NUS’s campaign. Week of action - NEXT WEEK, including a mass walkout on Wednesday (March 14). UCU encourages all branches who have not already done so, to make contact with their local Students’ Union and are asked to request that members treat students who attend NUS activities during the week of action and the walk out sympathetically:
http://www.ucu.org.uk/comeclean
For further queries please contact: jstephens@ucu.org.uk

Also this week:

UCU/415  Results of UCU Trustee, General Secretary, Officer and NEC elections 2012:

The results have been declared and a list of all candidates elected is set out in this circular.  The scrutineer’s reports are available on-line at

http://www.ucu.org.uk/elections   

http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/html/ucu415.html

http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/rtf/ucu415.rtf

General Secretary sets out reform plans:
General Secretary Sally Hunt wrote to all members this week setting out her plans for reform of UCU, following her re-election last Friday:
http://www.ucu.org.uk/5Mar12

IFL reminder:

A reminder to all FE branches that members in England should continue to NOT pay their IfL registration fee:

http://www.ucu.org.uk/iflfee

International Women’s Day Wall Chart:

To mark International Women's Day, UCU has updated its popular wall chart. http://www.ucu.org.uk/media/pdf/5/q/womens_poster_final_2012.pdf

Workers’ Memorial Day 28th April: TUC calls day of action on health and safety:

Commemorating those killed at work and campaigning for safer workplaces on 28th April. The TUC is calling all trade union members to make 28th April in UK a day of action. Planned events here: http://www.tuc.org.uk/workplace/tuc-20489-f0.cfm      

Health and Safety News:

The March issue of Health and Safety News is now out and available to download at the following link:

http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=1739

Climate Week – 12-19 March:

The campaign for a low carbon economy is directly tied in with our fight for jobs inside and outside the sector so as part of Climate Week, UCU branches are urged to get endorsement from their institution for the Green Skills Manifesto that was launched last week:
http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=5986

UCU/414 Congress minutes 2011:

The formal minutes of UCU’s 2011 Congress meeting, including all resolutions passed.

http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/html/ucu414.html

http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/rtf/ucu414.rtf

UCU/413 NEC annual report to Congress 2012:

An annual report of the union’s activities, reported in sections corresponding to the NEC’s sub-committees.

http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/html/ucu413.html

http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/rtf/ucu413.rtf

UCU/412 Annual TUC Disability Equality Conference:

Details of arrangements for the 2012 TUC Disability Conference to be held in central London, 30-31 May.  Nominations should be sent to James Taylor (jtaylor@ucu.org.uk) by 12 noon, Monday 26 March 2012.

http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/html/ucu412.html

http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/rtf/ucu412.rtf

UCU/411 Academic-Related Annual Meeting – Agenda, Motions & Nominations:

Please see the agenda, motions and committee nominations submitted to the Annual Meeting for Academic Related Staff to be held at UCU HQ on 21 March. Please note that the deadline for any amendments to motions is 5pm on Monday 19 March.

http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/html/ucu411.html

http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/rtf/ucu411.rtf

UCU/410  HE Negotiating Pack Briefings:

Details of the HE Negotiating Pack Briefings in April and May; why the packs have been developed, how the packs can help local negotiations, where the briefings will take place, what briefing your branch can register for and how to register. 

http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/html/ucu410.html

http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/rtf/ucu410.rtf

UCUHE/136: Grade Drift:

Ways in which roles and the ‘rate for the job’ can be undermined by grade drift and actions for branches/LAs to challenge this

www.ucu.org.uk/circ/rtf/UCUHE136.rtf

www.ucu.org.uk/circ/pdf/UCUHE136.pdf