Message from General Secretary, Sally Hunt:

“Dear colleague

The union’s higher education committee (HEC) met today to discuss the USS pension dispute including the agreement to a programme of negotiations between now and 15 January 2015. HEC also considered the following statement on pay docking arising from last week’s negotiations:

“The University and College Union (UCU) and Universities UK (UUK) have confirmed, following discussions yesterday (Wednesday), an agreement to suspend the industrial action in relation to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) pensions dispute from today (Thursday 20 November) until after the joint negotiating committee (JNC) meeting scheduled for Thursday 15 January 2015.

UCU and UUK have agreed to a series of negotiating meetings between now and the scheduled January JNC. It is hoped that this period can be used to close the differences between the negotiating positions, with a view to reaching agreement on reforms to the USS scheme.

Both parties are committed to seeking a joint proposal for reform that offers an affordable, sustainable and attractive pension scheme, for both current and future members. Both parties are pleased that the agreement to suspend industrial action at this early stage will mean that students will not have been adversely affected and members of staff will not have had pay deducted.”

HEC agreed on the above basis that the current boycott of assessment and any planned  strike action related to punitive pay docking should be suspended with immediate effect until 16 January 2015. HEC also agreed that should any subsequent action by UCU next year attract punitive pay docking then national strike action would follow.

On behalf of HEC I would like to thank you for your continuing support of UCU in this dispute. The modest progress achieved so far has been as a result of your action in support of our negotiating strategy. The employers should be in no doubt that if agreement is not possible, UCU will call upon you to resume the action again in January.

Best wishes

Sally Hunt
UCU general secretary “

YORK UCU

PENSIONS DISPUTE

Bulletin no 2

12 November 2014

We thought that members would appreciate an update on various developments since the last bulletin.  Things keep moving on both the local and national fronts and we want everyone to be informed and aware.

 Exchanges with our VC

As you know the VC responded to the open letter signed by over 500 York academics by [1] saying that management would “reconsider” the threat to deduct 100% of our pay for part performance; [2] suggesting that UCU might engage in discussion with management to explore whether both parties might agree on some shared approach to the reform of USS.

The branch executive responded by welcoming such a discussion, but that two conditions would need to be met in order for it to proceed in good faith.  The first of these was the withdrawal of the threat of 100% pay deductions, and the second was the withdrawal of the factually incorrect allegation that the industrial action was “premature” because negotiations had only just begun (the record shows that negotiation over the reform of USS goes back many months).

We asked for a response by the end of Monday so that we could report to the branch meeting being held on Tuesday.  On Tuesday morning we received a response stating that the 100% threat would be considered in the (unspecified) near future and refusing to withdraw the allegation about “premature” action.  So the hard line is being maintained.

In parallel with that letter to the VC, the branch executive posed a number of specific questions to the VC, the Registrar, and the Director of HR concerning the threatening letter of 29 October.   Members should note that HR has offered a response which merely reaffirms but does not clarify the original threat of 100% deductions.

 Branch  meeting 11 November 2014

Over 60 members came to hear our national Head of Bargaining and Negotiations, Michael MacNeil, lay out the context of the dispute and update us on developments.  Members asked questions and the meeting then carried the following motions:
 

[1] requesting the national officers of UCU to initiate a campaign of censure and academic boycott of the University of York in the light of York management choosing to be one of only 8 or 9 institutions in the UK who have threatened to deduct 100% of the pay of those participating in our boycott;

[2] supporting the principle that all UCU members at York should show their solidarity with the boycott by a 100% withdrawal of our labour; the motion tasked the branch executive with exploring both the feasibility and the  possible forms of this action, in order to ensure maximum impact and effectiveness; the motion sought national support for such action; it also stressed the importance of explaining to our students that the 100% withdrawal of our labour has been caused by management intransigence.

 
Following up on these decisions, the branch executive today sent off our request for the academic censure and boycott campaign.  We also decided to survey members to find out the form of 100% withdrawal of labour which they think will be the most effective demonstration of solidarity with the boycott, which by its nature works in a fragmented and isolating way.
 
We are launching a Survey Monkey consultation running from noon on Friday 14^th November until noon the following Tuesday.   We are inviting members to express their preference between [a] a single one day strike; [b] an indefinite strike; [c] a rolling programme starting with a one day strike the first week, continuing with a two day strike the following week etc.   We urge ALL members to let us know their views which will be completely confidential.  We anticipate that we may wish to co-ordinate our action with that of the other institutions which are also facing a hawkish management.

Members’ queries

Your branch executive is responding as quickly as we can to individual queries.  We are happy to discuss difficult cases in order to support members while maintaining the boycott as we need to do.  Please feel free to contact us with your concerns.
 
As result of various queries we have been able to arrive at an improved version of the wording which we advise members to use when informing management about their involvement in the boycott.  This has already been sent out as a separate message and is repeated here:
 
I wish to declare that I am in principle supporting the current boycott of assessment and marking.  I shall notify you of the details of my active participation hereafter at the appropriate time.

 We recommend that you send this message to Paula Tunbridge, Deputy Head of HR, rather than using the online form which does not allow for any nuance.
 

We have the right to do this

 
Remember that our employers are divided, both locally and nationally.
 
Remember that our action is helping to ensure that views other than those of the ’official’ UUK position can be discussed.
 
Remember that our protest is evidence of our professional regard for the present and future quality of what we do.
 
Acting within the law, with dignity and with resolve, we are being professional.
 
Hold firm.  Stay involved and support one another
 
This is not Lambert’s Mill.   This is not the year 1814.    Unlike those mill-hands, we have the right to do this.

6^th November 2014

Day One

This is the first day of the national boycott of marking and assessment.

Things are moving quickly, and this will be the first of our regular local bulletins.

University level developments

The recent Open Letter to the VC was a superb example of the power of collective action.   Picked up in the national and the local press, signed by over 500 academic and support staff, including at least a dozen heads of department, that Open Letter has already persuaded university management to consider retreating from the ill-judged hawkish position that it adopted on 29^th October.

In his recent response to the Open Letter, the VC has announced that senior management will be asked to reconsider their initial position.   We welcome this development, though we note that neither the date nor the outcome of this exercise has yet been announced.

The VC has offered to open discussions with your local UCU representatives, ‘to work together on a joint communique to be sent to all the negotiators’ in the pensions dispute.   We have welcomed the invitation but have specified two conditions which will have to be met if we are to accept the invitation.

As a first condition, we have asked the VC to make a public statement withdrawing the letter sent out on October 29^th in the name of Paula Tunbridge.  Such a statement would help to repair some of the damage done to the important collegial ethos of our university.

As a second condition, we have asked the VC to withdraw the allegation that UCU, has ‘jumped the gun’ by starting industrial action now and so is negotiating in bad faith..   It is a matter of public record that these negotiations began at least eighteen months ago.

We have asked for the VC’s response by 1700 on Monday 10^th November.

Implementing the boycott

Returning to the details of the boycott, there are already many individual questions about the inevitably miscellaneous character of this powerful collective action.  We have therefore set up a Dispute Committee to respond to individual questions about the boycott.  Please send your queries and concerns to me, geoffrey.wall@york.ac.uk

We are calling a branch meeting to be held on Tuesday 11November in B/B/006 at 1300.   

 Our main speaker will be Michael MacNeil, our national Head of Bargaining and Negotiation who will offer an up-to-the-minute national perspective on the dispute and the negotiations, and on support for York.  Members will have the chance to ask questions, to take stock of the action so far, and to consider what lies ahead.  Among the actions we may want to consider are the organization of collective activities on campus to show and strengthen branch solidarity in an action much of which is being undertaken by individuals in isolation.  If our management remains as hawkish as it is at present, we may want to initiate a wider campaign of academic censure and boycott (a so-called ‘grey-listing’) of the University of York which would isolate the university from the wider academic community.  We want as many members as possible to take time to attend this meeting

In conclusion, we urge you to support the boycott, to talk it over with your students, to hold firm and to take pride in the everyday power of collective action.

Geoffrey Wall

President, UCU University of York