Support Hourly-Paid Staff: Anti-casualisation day of action

In an incredibly busy time for the university and for the UCU, the union has called a day of action for anti-casualisation today to highlight the issues facing hourly-paid staff, fixed-term and casually-employed staff. Issues of job security and casualization are pertinent to all of us but affect hourly-paid and fixed-term staff particularly.

How are we marking the day of action?
At City we will be marking the day of action by holding a recruitment and information stall today, 12-30-1.30pm on the University walkway.

We are also holding a staff meeting for hourly-paid visiting lecturers on Tuesday 18th November 3-4pm in C322.

What can you do to help?
If you hourly-paid yourself, or want to support hourly-paid colleagues, you can help:

  • Send this blog post to interested colleagues such as hourly-paid VLs
  • Come and support the union committee at the recruitment and information stall today
  • Encourage hourly-paid colleagues to come and visit the stall and join UCU if they are not already members
  • Publicise the staff meeting on the 18th November to colleagues
  • Display one of the attached posters:
    Hourly-Paid Visiting Lecturers
    Part-time Staff
    Researchers Terms and Conditions

A number of regulations, policies and procedures protect hourly-paid, part-time and fixed term staff. These are linked to at the end of this post.

At this busy time for UCU, please show your support for colleagues. We will shortly be organising more events to highlight the issues facing other groups such as fixed-term researchers.

City University Policies and Procedures

Visiting Lecturer Policy
https://intranet.city.ac.uk/staff/hr/visiting-staff/visiting-lecturers.html

Equitable Treatment of Fixed Term Staff
https://intranet.city.ac.uk/staff/hr/policies/equality-diversity/fixed-term-staff.html

Research Staff Terms and Conditions (2012)
https://intranet.city.ac.uk/staff/hr/terms-conditions/research.html

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
https://intranet.city.ac.uk/staff/hr/policies/equality-diversity/equality-and-diversity.

Capability, Discipline, Dismissal Grievance, Probation, Redundancy (for all staff)
https://intranet.city.ac.uk/staff/hr/policies/Procedures%20July%202011.html

Employment Regulations

Fixed-term employment contracts
The Fixed-term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/2034/contents/made

ACAS recommendations
http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=4587

Government website
https://www.gov.uk/fixed-term-contracts/what-counts-as-a-fixedterm-contract

Part time Contracts
The Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2000/1551/contents/made

ACAS recommendations
http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1576

Government website
https://www.gov.uk/part-time-worker-rights

USS Marking Boycott Actions at City

Following the ballot result, UCU has called a marking boycott starting on Thursday.

Some guidance has been published on the UCU website at http://defenduss.web.ucu.org.uk/ – particularly under the “Resources” and “Assessment boycott FAQs” sections.

The boycott has been called because talks between the representatives of the UCU and of the employers have failed to result in a guarantee to protect the USS adequately. This email is to inform you of some of what we are doing at City to help you effectively participate in the boycott, support colleagues who are participating, or just to understand the boycott and the issues causing it.

What are we doing at City?

Branch meeting
We invite you to a branch meeting on Monday 10th November at 1pm in A130. We are seeking a member of UCU National Executive Committee to speak about the boycott at this meeting and to give you a chance to ask questions about how it will work in practice. Please attend if you can; if not, we will circulate FAQs after the meeting.

Drop-in sessions
In addition to the normal Monday afternoon drop-in sessions, we will be holding extra drop-in sessions for you to come and ask questions about the boycott. Committee members will be available to discuss with you questions about the boycott. We may not be able to answer your question straightaway but if so we will seek clarification and get back to you. The drop-ins will take place in the union office C140 at 1-2pm on the following dates:

Tuesday 11th November
Wednesday 12th November
Thursday 13th November
Monday 17th November
Tuesday 18th November
Wednesday 19th November
Thursday 20th November
Friday 21st November

If you have questions about the boycott please come to the branch meeting, or to one of the drop-in sessions.