UCU Chesterfield Branch Newsletter

 Support the UCU national strike action over pay Tuesday December 3^rd.

UCU members in FE colleges & universities across the UK will be taking strike action over pay on Tuesday December 3^rd. In FE 70.9% of members voting, voted for strike action. All UCU members working in FE & HE institutions are therefore called out on strike and instructed not to work on that day.

Pay: The Key Facts:

·      Real pay for lecturers in FE colleges continues to fall.

·      The gap between our pay and that of schoolteachers, is still widening.

·      Since 2009 FE lecturers pay has fallen by 15% in real terms.

·      If our pay had kept pace with inflation over the last ten years, the top of the lecturers pay scale would now be £37,630*.

(* Figures from Teachers Pension Agency)

The Race to The Bottom at Chesterfield College.

Here at Chesterfield the situation is even worse. Since management broke from nationally negotiated terms & conditions, they have imposed a zero % increase for the past two years.  The hourly rate of pay for lecturers on Zero Hours contracts has been cut.

At our last formal meeting with the college management UCU formally submitted a demand that we are put back on to nationally negotiated pay rates.

It is vital that UCU members at the college show solid support for the December 3^rd strike action. Firmly supported action will back up our demand to be put back on national pay scales. If we don’t support national action now, it will be a green light to the management to continue to give 0% pay increases year on year. It was only two years ago when they tried to stop progression up the pay scale here at the college and introduce a form of performance related pay. Only our members’ resolve put a halt to that threat.

The Fallout from Last Year’s Redundancies.

All of the warnings about last year’s redundancies given by UCU and the other unions have been shown to be true.                             

We said that the “Curriculum Purchase” exercise was inaccurate and over-estimated “overstaffing”. We were right.

We said that classes taught by those made redundant would end up being taught by Zero Hours hourly paid staff on bargain basement pay levels – we were right.

We said that getting rid of experienced staff would impact on quality. We were right. In one area the start of term had to be delayed for two weeks because there were no staff to teach the students.

Victimisation of UCU Officer

However we did not expect the shocking way in which college management has used the cover of the redundancy exercise to carry out the vindictive victimisation of one of UCU’s elected branch officers- Sam Parker. The detailed case outlining Sam’s victimisation is contained in a further UCU document that has been circulated to all of our members.

Details of Strike Action on December 3^rd.

UCU will mount picket lines at main College sites, please come along and support your colleagues.

We will produce material to hand out to students explaining our case for taking action.

The National Union of Students national executive has voted to support UCU’s  action on Dec. 3rd.

UCU is holding strike rallies in major cities, e.g. Sheffield & Nottingham. Further details will be forwarded.

The UCU branch is in a position to operate a limited strike hardship fund for UCU members in dire financial straits. Priority will be given to Hourly Paid or low fractional members who may lose a disproportional amount of pay due to the strike being held on Tuesday Dec 3^rd.

Not Yet a Member of UCU?

If you are not yet a UCU member you can sign up now.

Go to http://www.ucu.org.uk/join

Or contact one of the UCU branch officers- Paula Alsop, Sam Parker, James Eaden, Allister Mactaggart

Taking industrial action- know your rights!

The strike action being taken by UCU on Tuesday December 3^rd is fully legal and complies with all of the stringent trade union laws that apply in the UK. As a union member taking legal action you are fully protected by the law.

·       You are under no obligation to inform your line manager (or anybody else for that matter) that you are (or are not) taking action.

·       You are also not under any obligation to make provision (set work etc) for student groups that will be affected by the action. Any decision to do so is yours alone.

·       Joining picket lines outside of your place of work to show your support for the action is fully lawful.

·       You will not be discriminated against for supporting your union and taking part in strike action.

Vote Yes to strike action.

Yesterday , the same day that our HE colleagues are taking strike action, UCU will begin balloting members in FE in England for strike action. Ballot papers will be arriving from Monday 4th November. http://www.ucu.org.uk/media/pdf/6/m/FE_VoteYes_flyer.pdf http://www.ucu.org.uk/media/pdf/6/a/FE_VoteYes_poster.pdf UCU members in FE have seen their pay fall 15% in four years while workloads and stress levels continue to rise. Instead of addressing the unions’ claim for a modest rise to begin to reverse this fall in salaries, the employers have offered another pay cut with the condition of more local bargaining. This would usher in a new attack on working conditions for our members in FE. A strong vote for strike action is now the best way to stop this race to the bottom in FE. Vote Yes to strike action.