Thread by @zenscara

UCU HE members voted to:
*REJECT interim proposals from in ACAS talks for #FourFights
*NOTE UUK/UCU joint statement on collaboration toward USS benefit restoration
*A Marking & Assessment Boycott (MAB) begins 20 April in all branches involved in 4F dispute
ucu.org.uk/12873

❓What next?

Special HE Sector Conference (sHESC) this Wed 19 April. This is a democratic *policy-making* space, so will direct next steps in pursuit of each #ucuRISING dispute.

[See motions: ucu.org.uk/circ/html/ucu2…]

How do we get what we need? What would progress look like?

Some thoughts on #FourFights (where a pay 'award' has been imposed), not intended to be comprehensive ⬇️

(On #USS several processes are already in motion - @cupofassam and others have highlighted potential bumps in the road we'll need to be vigilant over - more on this soon)

Pay intersects with all other pillars of our 4F claim. A *proper* offer is vital.

We also need a robust framework to establish & monitor implementation of agreed minimum standards across the pay related pillars of our claim: casualisation, (in)equality pay gaps, and workload.

Read about the paucity of the latest imposed pay 'award' here: medium.com/@ucunegotiator…

Pay erosion so dire since 2009, it outstrips incremental progression: deep real terms pay cuts by any measure (including employer preferred CPI)

Occasional wellness emails don't pay our bills

There is a UCEA-reported surplus in the HE sector. HESA data indicate income exceeding expenditure in the sector in the 7 years leading to 2021, with a decreasing proportional spend on staff - us! - who keep universities running.
We have yet to see our employers open their books.

UCU has formally rejected the pay component of 4F (the 'offer' made on 6 Feb). HEC formalised this rejection at our most recent meeting (members already voted to reject it by e-poll). All HE unions reserve the right to ballot for / take industrial action: ucu.org.uk/media/13668/JN…

Good company: in England, 4 teachers' unions, @theRCN, @BMA_JuniorDocs recently rejected inadequate pay offers in England. @NEUnion members are set to strike end of April, as are 5 education unions in Northern Ireland. RCN & BMA have taken recent action. Pay matters enormously.

We need concrete proposals to deal with inequality, precarity & workload. sHESC motion HE9 proposes using the 2020 UCEA offer as a template to build upon here. Members rejected the offer in May 2020, but perhaps helpful to look at progress then & our earlier counter proposals.

Significant progress in 2019/20 negotiations stalled when UCEA began stonewalling as in-person negotiations were abruptly cut short by the deepening Covid-19 crisis.

See UCU counterproposal documents, included alongside the detail of the offer, here: ucu.org.uk/media/10912/JN…

We need a "no detriment" pay spine review
Any revised spine must reinforce positive measures to address inequality, workload, grade drift, not deepen existing problems

Return to evenly spaced ('decompressed') spine points must not make anyone worse off at the point of transition

We must ensure:
- No baking in of grade drift, ie no manipulation of grade boundaries to squeeze staff further to do more for less pay
- No regrading / red-circling leading to demotions
Branch officers will need UK level support & training to monitor & negotiate implementation

We also need very specific reassurance that work on the pay spine *will* cover pre-92 and ARPS staff, who are not covered by "Annex A" referred to in the ACAS-produced terms of reference (I covered this in my blog post last month: vickyblakeucu.uk/2023/03/20/wha…).

We need:
Proper contracts for *all*
No quibble end to zero hour contracts, no replacement with low "minimum hour" contracts
Workforce management approaches to *maximise* job security
Move hourly paid staff onto non-deleterious fractional contracts (no loss of pay/unpaid work)

Significant shifts are possible:
@UCUHallam recently won important commitments to reducing casualisation & creating new routes to permanent positions for a significant number of Associate Lecturers on ZHCs, via fractional fixed term contracts.
ucu.org.uk/article/12828/…

The significant decasualisation agreement achieved by @RcaUcu in 2021 set a marker down with an employer that had ranked among the very worst for exploiting staff on insecure contracts. Agreements we've been asked to believe impossible have been won
ucu.org.uk/article/12281/…

Not forgetting the recent huge @oubucu de-casualisation win: ucu.org.uk/article/12457/…

Though local wins, they were supported by local & UK level campaigns, illustrating progress *can* & should be made to increase job security in the HE workforce, which is better for students too!

Anti-casualisation & (in)equality pay gaps intersect with overwork. Commitments to address underpinning issues *must* be accompanied by commitment to resources at UK & local level for implementation & monitoring. Incl facility time for branch officers & UK ratification processes.

Overwork, discrimination, reliance on nonsensical workload models, lack of investment in development & progression are problems for staff in all job types in the sector, exemplified by the serious erosion of the post-92 contract & continued absence of a pre-92 equivalent

Our elected negotiators have highlighted occupational segregation in HE, where teaching- or research-only tracks are typically not afforded parity of esteem / progression opportunities. Chronic grade drift & lack of progression for ARPS & support staff must similarly be addressed

To escape cul-de-sac style working groups that fail to deliver we need concrete actions based on granular analyses, with robust reporting & monitoring. No repeat of 2011 when HEIs evaded responsibility, claiming the majority of equality pay gaps to be 'objectively justified'

Internally: we need our decision-making to be informed by good local and UK communication strategies, and plenty of support for branch officers. Deliberative space is vital to our democratic functioning, and to exploring and testing ideas, concerns and the strategies we pursue.

We re-balloted successfully to keep both disputes live - that's why 'accept' wasn't an option at this stage for either dispute.

We must work together to keep the pressure on - mutual support & grassroots organising matters more than ever as we enter the MAB on #FourFights

https://twitter.com/902949236916060160/status/1643688948521213960

And we absolutely need to be ready to respond in the event of another substandard offer on #FourFights or if the wheels start to wobble on #USS.

We *all* deserve a fair deal!

#ucuRISING

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