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 They have also withdrawn proposals to make progression beyond point 32 dependent on taking up a “ junior management “ role.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

CAMPAIGN TO STOP PAY CUTS @ CHESTERFIELD COLLEGE

CAMPAIGN TO STOP PAY CUTS @ CHESTERFIELD COLLEGE

Dear colleagues ,

You will have received a letter this morning from the Principal outlining some proposals that were revealed to the joint unions at Chesterfield College at yesterday’s meeting of the Common Interest Group.

These new proposals mark some movement away from the original draconian measures that were rejected overwhelmingly by UCU members and are therefore to be welcomed.  

However, the College is still committed to cutting pay, including a 1% for all staff earning more than £18,000 and to a pay freeze for the academic year 2012/13. In response to this UCU’s negotiators, acting on the unequivocal mandate of our members in the recent ballot made it clear that we remain opposed to any pay cut in line with both the explicit views of our members and the national policy of the union.

UCU is a democratic organisation so no change to that position can occur without the endorsement of the branch. Accordingly, we will be convening a full union branch meeting shortly after the half term break to consider and discuss the college’s latest proposals. At that meeting it will be up to all our union members to determine the branch’s response to these new proposals and vote on the course of action they wish the branch to pursue. 

In his letter the Principal claims that he is “very heartened that two unions (representing over half of our staff) have recognised that this represented a fair and reasonable measure to reduce our pay costs significantly with a minimal effect upon staff.”  

There are however 5 recognised unions at Chesterfield College. Only two of these namely, AMiE representing managers, and UNISON representing some non teaching staff (many of whom are on salaries below the £18000 threshold) have given their support for the proposed 1% pay cut. We have yet to hear the views of UNITE representing non teaching staff and NASUWT representing lecturing staff. UCU, with over 220 lecturing staff in membership, represents the overwhelming majority of lecturing staff at the college and has made it clear that we are committed to defending nationally negotiated pay scales. A 1% pay cut represents a move away from those pay agreements and would be a dangerous precedent to set.

Once we have convened the branch meeting and established the views of our members we will return to talks with the management on this issue. We believe we have made substantial progress since the initial proposals were made and we remain hopeful that a negotiated solution to these issues can be found.

Also attached for your information is the Derbyshire Times report of Tuesday’s strike action at the college.

UCU Nottingham University

Just to pass on, on behalf of the members and branch committee of UCU Nottingham University, our best wishes for a successful action . 

Keep up the fight. You are defending all our jobs and conditions, but even more important the quality and serious education we give to our students.

In solidarity,

Nicolas Van Labeke

Vice-President, UCU Nottingham University

Ruskin College

Solidarity greetings and the best of luck in Tuesday's strike

against Chesterfield College management's attempt to impose a two-year

wage freeze and slash the pay of hourly-paid staff by 20%. We need to

stand up against this sort of thing,

 Dr John G Walker

 Chair, Ruskin UCU

, Walton St, Oxford OX1 2HE

Lewisham College

Just wanted to wish you solidarity and support in your dispute at Chesterfield College.

All the best

Pete Bicknell

UCU Branch Sec - Lewisham College, Lewisham Way 

UCU

I just received, through the union, the details of your current situation and conflict with the management of your college. I just wanted to take a moment to send a message wishing you all the best with the dispute, the assault on terms and conditions as well as pay you're facing (and the sector as a whole continues to face) is such a horrendous and backwards step.

I'm glad that people like yourself and your members are standing up for the profession. Anyway, not a really useful message but I just wanted to send a message of solidarity - don't let them grind you down.

Jack

Liverpool

Every attack that blames teachers for the failings of management and government needs to be fought - congratulations on this campaign.

Hope you have a successful day - very best wishes from Liverpool

Maire

Leeds Met University

Here is wishing all he best in your struggle with a vicious managemnet atatck on pay and conditions.

Les Hamilton

Salford UCU

Best wishes to you all today and congratulations on taking a stand against your draconian management!  In solidarity,  Sarah davies,  ucu rep Salford uni

UCLan UCU branch committee

The University of Central Lancashire branch UCU wishes colleagues at Chesterfield College every success in taking strike action today against the brutal pay cuts proposed by College management, which will result in the further demoralisation of staff and which constitute an attack on the education and future prospects of young people.

In soldarity,

Michael McKrell,

Chair

On behalf of UCLan UCU branch committee

liverpool community college

Simply unfair.

You must take a firm stance in order to prevail. Good luck with your action.

John Tootle H&S rep liverpool community college

A big thank you !

Dear Colleagues ,

A big thank you to UCU members at the college for supporting yesterday’s strike action in such large numbers. Once again a particular thanks to those members who came along and did a stint on the picket lines. We had picket’s lines at Clowne Campus, Sheffield Rod and Infirmary Road and there were more UCU members on picket lines than at any time in the memory of anyone at the College.

Our picket lines on Sheffield Road report overwhelming support from passing traffic with a constant stream of car horns being tooted in support. Many thanks as well to those who brought solidarity greeting in person to our picket lines from UCU and other trade union branches.

We had visitors from the following UCU Branches: Barnsley College, Sheffield College, Nottingham Trent University, East Midlands Retired Members . We also received delegations from UNISON Derbyshire County, PCS Derbyshire, UNITE Chesterfield, GMB Chesterfield, & Chesterfield & District TUC.

We have also received over 50 messages of support from UCU branches and activists around the country which can be seen on the UCU blog and have set up an online petition which if you haven’t done so already, you could sign up to by following the link:

https://www.change.org/petitions/chesterfield-college-say-no-to-proposed-pay-cuts-at-chesterfield-college#

UCU Branch officers will be meeting today to plan the next step in our campaign, and in particular to build on the significant local community support that our stand against pay cuts is gathering. Over the half term week UCU’s national congress will be meeting in Manchester and the issue of attempted pay cuts at Chesterfield College will be a key agenda item.

We are a due to meet with the college management again today

(Wednesday 30^th May ) to try to negotiate a settlement to the current dispute and once again hope that we can make some progress in those talks.

NUT members at King James's School

Dear UCU Colleagues, NUT members at King James's School in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire would like to send you a message of support and solidarity. In the current economic climate it is wrong that hard working lecturers are being made to pay the price for the mistakes made by the banks and big business. It is wrong to freeze wages with inflation running at 3%, it is nothing less than cruel to further cut the wages of lecturers We wish you every success with your campaign and we look forward to hearing of your success in the not too distant future. Yours in solidarity Gary Kaye - NUT Representative and NUT North Yorkshire Committee Member Paul Grist - NUT NorthYorkshire Committee Member All NUT members at King James's School

National Union of Teachers,

Dear Chesterfield College strikers, Birmingham NUT applauds your action on 29th May against the ongoing attacks that Cameron, Gove and their Principal puppets are trying to impose in FE. Your campaign stands as an absolute inspiration to all who want to stand up for decent education for all rather then a marketised and de-regulated system run in the interests of the few. Your actions help foster a spirit that we can resist these attacks and stand up for decent pay. In Birmingham, despite setbacks, we are continuing to campaign over academies and are hoping to copy your example of industrial action which we plan to couple with parental campaigns to force Gove to back down. On 7th October we will be part of the TUC demonstration at the Tory party conference here in Birmingham. We look forward to welcoming you here, carrying, by then your victorious banners! Well done for Tuesday, and victory to the Chesterfield College strikers and state education. Yours, Doug Morgan Assistant Secretary of Birmingham Association of the National Union of Teachers,

University of Leeds UCU

Leeds University UCU send a message of solidarity on your strike day. We stand shoulder to shoulder with you against your employers’ brutal attacks on your jobs and conditions of service. Don’t hesitate to contact us for further support. In solidarity Malcolm Povey Immediate Past President, University of Leeds UCU

York College

I know it's not much, but just a word of support in your entirely justified action. There is no justification for these cuts as FE should be able to survive financially even in these demanding times  .. sounds like poor management and/or just another chapter in driving the profession down. Good luck, petition signed  .. Best wishes Mike