The report from Senate on 8 July mentioned the University’s plans to introduce a new education-only contract for academic staff, i.e. for those not engaged in research.
It also reported that the University was working with the unions on this. In fact, the previous week the UCU branch had been invited to a confidential discussion with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor about the plan to have a new education-only contract available (for new starters only) from September.
We voiced our opposition to any plan which permanently blocks off the option of research from any academic and which has the potential to create a two-tier system in academic contracts. By the following day however we were already hearing reports from some schools about plans to move existing staff onto such contracts.
This matter, along with the fact that academic role profiles which have still not been discussed with the unions, will be pursued at the Joint Consultation and Negotiations Board (JCNB) which next meets in August.