UCU Update

Dear Colleagues, You will have all received a letter from Trevor Clay outlining the final offer made to the trade union side yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. The offer marks a significant move from the previous position and UCU members will need to have an opportunity to consider and decide our response. We will therefore be calling a full UCU branch meeting at the next suitable opportunity. Given the busy schedule on Monday and Tuesday of next week, Wednesday midday looks the mist likely option. We will let members know the confirmed date, time and venue as soon as we have it.

UCU Members Update: Monday 18th June 2012

Chesterfield College Branch

No To Pay Cuts at Chesterfield College:

  

UCU Members Update: Monday 18^th June 2012.

There will be a UCU branch meeting today (Monday 18^th)

at 4pm in Room S613, Infirmary Road - UCU Members Only

The meeting is to discuss the latest position put forward by Chesterfield College and to decide on UCU’s attitude and further steps in our campaign. The basic outlines of the current position as we understand it are shown below, and a more detailed presentation will be made at the UCU branch meeting.

As of today we understand that the college’s current proposals are:

1.     To introduce an across the board 1 % pay cut for all staff above point 18 on the salary scale.

2.     To announce a 1 year pay freeze.

3.     To introduce pay cuts of up to approximately 11% on hourly paid staff phased over two years.

4.     To restrict progress up the pay scale at point 22 for all new unqualified teachers.

5.     We understand that the management have shelved plans to introduce a bar at point 32 of the salary scale dependent on achieving grade 1 or 2 in a lesson observation, and will now carry out a review of the Internal Review process. They have also withdrawn proposals to make progression beyond point 32 dependent on taking up a “ junior management “ role.

6.     To allow one additional direct day of annual leave per year.

7.     There is a further proposal which will impact on staff who are not on the salary scale and which does not direct impact on staff represented by UCU.

The current management proposals do represent some improvement on the position we faced before the strike action on May 29^th, however the college’s continued insistence on including a pay cut for all staff, and the scale and scope of cuts proposed for hourly paid staff remain key issues which prevent UCU from agreeing a negotiated settlement.

It is also significant that the other recognised union representing teaching staff at the college, NASUWT, have now formally announced a dispute with the college over their pay cut proposals and have served formal notice to the college of their intention to ballot their members for potential industrial action. Your UCU branch representatives are in close contact with NASUWT officials to co-ordinate our approach.

  

Report from UCU Congress:

The dispute at Chesterfield College was high on the agenda at the Manchester Central Conference Centre last week as over 600 UCU delegates from colleges and universities around the country met. Your branch reps at the congress were able to meet with national and regional officials of the union, and UCU delegates from around the country expressed their support and solidarity and also their shock at the measures that Chesterfield College are taking.

Our dispute at Chesterfield has been designated by UCU as a “Local Dispute of National Significance”. Only 2 FE Colleges in the country, Chesterfield and Sunderland ( who also face threats to pay) are currently classified  as such. UCU national officials report that Chesterfield is the only college in the country planning to make an across the board %age pay cut.

Chesterfield College remains one of the most financially healthy FE colleges in the country with significant cash reserves built up over many years. In last week’s Derbyshire Times there was a further announcement of college spending with further £2.5 million to be spent on a joint project with Chesterfield Borough Council. This is on top of the £ 3 million earmarked for the new Infirmary road entrance. UCU has no objection to money being spent on improving and upgrading facilities at Chesterfield College however it sends a very negative message to staff about our value if large scale spending projects are accompanied by pay cuts.

An injury to one is an injury to all.

Dear all Please sign and circulate this petition today: https://www.ucu.org.uk/supportchristinevie Christine has been a member of UCU’s National Executive Committee for the last 4 years and a strong and key branch officer at Manchester Metropolitan University for over 10 years.  As her department is reorganised, Christine is the only member of the team who has not been offered a suitable redeployment opportunity. She is now facing compulsory redundancy.  This is clear victimisation of a trade unionist and a very serious attack on our branch. We need all the support we can get. We need to show management that the Branch and UCU more widely will not be disarmed by these vicious underhand tactics and will continue to fight for all our members’ rights, including Christine’s, in the face of attempts to mould education to business demands. An injury to one is an injury to all. Pura Ariza UCU MMU Branch Secretary p.ariza@mmu.ac.uk 0161 247 2370 Join the fight for education, join UCU: http://www.ucu.org.uk/join

St Helens College

I would just like to show my support for your cause and assure you that your colleagues nationally are behind you during this difficult period. Regards > K e i t h   w   R o b e r t s Programme Leader B.A. [hons] Photography St Helens College

UCU North West Region Retired members' Branch

Congratulations on your action - again! Dave Harker Secretary UCU North West Region Retired members' Branch