Dear Colleagues
I am writing to you to let you know about the dreadful
proposals and management approach that our members at the Grimsby
Institute and Yorkshire Coast College branches are experiencing. Both have the
same employer i.e. the Grimsby Institute Group and the Principal is Sue
Middlehurst.
Last academic year the Principal indicated that during 12/13
she wanted to “harmonise contracts” a euphemism for renegotiate terms and
conditions. She then appeared to pull back from this announcement and indicated
at the beginning of January 13 that she wanted to increase annual contact hours
to 864 hours per year. Unfortunately for her teaching hours are protected by a
collective agreement that is incorporated into contracts and which also has a
12 month notice period attached to it. She then pronounced that her legal
advice was that the agreement had no legal status. Our legal advice contradicts
this.
In March 2013 the college then issued a Section 188 notice
announcing a restructure of the LLDD department. As well as being less jobs in
the new structure any staff who survived the cull were to be brought on changed
job titles, new terms and conditions with reduced holidays and more teaching
hours (for some up to 864 hours but for others up to 1100 hours), for some new
places of work and fixed point salaries (potentially less pay and no future
incremental progression).
The Grimsby branch declared a dispute and in early June
balloted for industrial action with 94% of the membership who voted agreeing to
strike action.
On 3rd June the college notified the regional
office of further redundancies at Grimsby (33.28FTE’s) in 6 FE departments
again any staff that survive the cull will be brought back on changed contracts
and fixed point salaries.
On 17th June the college notified the regional
office of further redundancies at Scarborough (12 lecturers) in 6 FE
departments again any staff that survive the cull will be brought back on
changed contracts and fixed point salaries.
I am afraid the writing is on the wall for remaining
unrestructured FE departments as to what the future holds in store for current
terms and conditions.
Cynically the college has said they will not touch HE
delivery staff until they have obtained FDAP status.
The Scarborough branch is in dispute but due to the late
issuing of the redundancy notice affecting their members there is insufficient
time to ballot and have any action before the summer holidays.
Management are proposing dismissing staff during the summer
holiday period.
Yesterday we were informed that colleagues in LLDD had gone
through selection processes and that while 7 staff had secured roles in the new
structure 5 had been unsuccessful. Which means that as a consequence the
department now has 7 vacant posts. The 5 unsuccessful candidates, all of whom
are long serving members of staff with masses of experience and qualifications
enabling them to teach students with special educational needs, will not be
offered any of the vacant posts because they have failed to meet the benchmark
required to be a teacher in the department. Very sadly I need to report that
one of the potentially sacked teachers is the UCU departmental rep in the area.
During this process a poor general VR scheme was opened and
while some staff came forward the college did not agree to release everyone who
applied – even if they work in the departments where staff have been placed at
risk. These staff are now been asked to apply for jobs they do not want.
The college has pulled back from reducing annual holiday
entitlement but beyond this little progress has been made. There has been no
major shifts in the job reductions needed and no movement from the employer
regarding changes to pay, terms and conditions.
On the announcement of industrial action the employer is
using unpleasant tactics to try and dissuade members from taking part on
Tuesdays strike.
What Can You do?
Please support both branches by :
1.
sending messages of support to :
2.
If possible bring your banners to either the
main Grimsby campus, Nuns Corner picket from 7.45am onwards on Tuesday 2nd
July or support the Yorkshire Coast College Branch at their lunch time protest
outside the Scarborough campus on Lady Edith’s Drive
3.
Send messages to the Principal Sue
Middlehurst expressing your outrage at her proposals.
In solidarity
Julie Kelley
UCU Regional Official
Please see below the press release issued below
UNIVERSITY
AND COLLEGE UNION (UCU)
date:
Friday 28 June 2013
for
immediate release
Strike
action on at Grimsby Institute
Members
of the University and College Union (UCU) at Grimsby Institute will be striking
on Tuesday (2 July) in an ongoing row over job losses and cuts to staff pay and
conditions.
In
the recent ballot, 96% of members who voted backed strike action. Staff are
furious that the college is using national funding cuts as an excuse to axe one
in five teaching staff, despite spending less on staff than the national
average. As well as the job losses the union says the college is seeking to rip
up workload agreements, slash staff pay and ride roughshod over employment
rights.
There will be pickets outside the main Grimsby campus at Nuns
Corner from 7.45 am. The president-elect of the national UCU union, John
McCormack will be on the picket line and speaking to the striking workers.
The union is particularly cross that the college is sacking staff
over the summer holidays and fears for students’ education, particularly in the
department that teaches students with special educational needs.
UCU said many of those students spend time building up a trusting
relationship with staff and will be devastated on their return in September to
discover some of their lecturers have been sacked. The union said the college
has rewritten some people’s job specifications to a level to ensure they cannot
meet the requirements.
Grimsby
Institute’s problems do not end in Grimsby. Members of UCU at the Yorkshire
Coast site of Grimsby Institute in Scarborough will be holding a lunchtime
protest on Tuesday to show their solidarity with their colleagues and to
protest at planned job cuts there as well.
UCU regional official, Julie Kelley, said: “Strike action is
always a last resort, but UCU members at Grimsby Institute have had enough of
the way the college has treated them. Sacking staff or seeking to force them
out so they can hire new staff on cheaper pay is no way to improve the standard
of education in Grimsby.”
UCU
president-elect, John McCormack, said: “UCU members at Grimsby Institute have
the full support of the national union in their action. Axing staff and
slashing pay is no way to reward for hard-working staff.”
According
to the latest accounts (up to 31 July 2012), Grimsby Institute spent 52.1% of
its income on staff costs in 2011-12, against a sector average for comparable
further education colleges of 61.5%. In that financial year it made a surplus
of £3.7m and (as of 31 July 2012) held reserves of £19.6m.
The college argues that its reserves have been allocated to
various building and capital projects across its campuses. However it is the
union’s view that stylish buildings are no replacement for staff who have
confidence that their job is secure and are valued by the institution.
During
2012, the college made a significant number of staff redundant at both Grimsby
and its Scarborough campuses, which included shutting A-level courses at
Grimsby. UCU is worried that the quality of education at the college will be
affected by job losses, inevitable bigger classes, and increased workloads for
the staff that remain.
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