WEST MIDLANDS REGION NEWSLETTER Feb- April 2017 NATIONAL RECRUITMENT WEEK SUCCESSES! National Recruitment Week (NRW) this year was split Warwick University have been leafletting members and into separate weeks for HE and FE. There were gains holding meetings about removal of Statute 24 and its re- across the board particularly in HE branches, including placement with a suite of HR policies. Their numbers Harper Adams featured above. The branch, including have increased, which is a reflection of the effective job reps Lucy Crockford and Richard Langley, did a range of the branch are doing. activities including an “Intro to UCU”, cake bake sale and Gloucestershire College gained 6 members and Here- “walking signposts” session complete with UCU T Shirts. ward, Henley College Coventry, Herefordshire & Ludlow Elsewhere, Shrewsbury College gained six members in and Kidderminster all had small one day. The chance to sign a Stress/Workload survey gains. being run jointly by branch and regional office was used The University of Wolverhamp- to sign members up. Sarah Preece, branch secretary has ton held a members’ meeting also secured promises to join from around the college, as that was addressed by Liz Law- well as a member expressing an interest to join her as a rence, immediate past president rep. of UCU over issues such as gen- UCU Sandwell Branch held a tea and coffee session for der pay gap and casualization. existing UCU and prospective members. Members were Membership has increased encouraged to bring a prospective member to the Union there also, since the last NRW in November 2016. Office. The branch also did door knocking, promoting the work of the branch and how they can get involved and participate too. !!!!!!CONGRESS REGISTRATION OPEN!!!!!! Birmingham City University ran several drop in sessions Registration for Congress 2017 is now open. The dead- around their different sites and all site reps leafletted line for registration is Wednesday 26 April 2017. Online reg- their schools and have gained 8 members as a result. istration is available and delegates are encouraged to use it As well as various activities, Aston, BCU and Sandwell celebrated International Women’s Day. Their activities where possible. Delegates can register online here. gained 5 new members since the last NRW. Please nominate a delegate from your branch! FE Round Up SHREWSBURY COLLEGES GROUP BIRMINGHAM METROPOLITAN COLLEGE Newly merged with Shrewsbury Sixth form, UCU mem- Following the adoption of a new contract last year BMetC bers at (what was) ‘SCAT’ have contrasted their workload colleagues have worked with management to initiate a with colleagues at the sixth form and decided to be pro- ‘Lean project’ the focus of which is to review lecturer active about workload, class sizes and reducing guided duties. Already, there is work to eliminate task duplica- learning hours. A Stress and Workload survey was con- tion; broaden the definition of teaching contact time and ducted. There has already been one meeting with the increase remission for specific responsibilities and the College Vice Principal on findings; the college is broaden- work is ongoing. This is welcomed by BMetC colleagues ing the UCU survey to include a wider field of staff by but workload stress remains an issue. To identify particu- running a college-wide questionnaire incorporating UCU lar stress triggers BMetC members have undergone a questions. The UCU survey has elicited data from part- Workload survey and the analysis is now with Branch time colleagues highlighting issues regarding variable officers to lead on actions post survey. In the first in- working which would not have been revealed if it was stance a meeting will be convened with BMetC SMT to not for the proactive approach from Branch Rep Sarah discuss the findings and turn actions into outcomes. Preece. There is currently discussion on terms and condi- tions of SCAT members post-merger. The merger may bring improved an pay scale for UCU members; this is NORTH WARWICKSHIRE AND SOUTH LEICESTER- currently under consideration. SHIRE COLLEGE Newly merged, the branches are fighting to keep existing ADULT EDUCATION WOLVERHAMPTON rights and facilities. Members of these branches are cur- rently battling over recognition and facility time and A restructure at Adult Education Wolverhampton proved mostly winning the arguments. Again, sterling work hap- to be a cohesive process as members were actively in- pening here with a newly convened working party analys- volved in all levels of consultation. Through consultation, ing lecturer duties; the branches have already won a lec- members of the Branch re-shaped the proposed structure turer place on a mostly management working party im- so it was framed around changing provision which incor- plementing and maintaining IT systems. As with all col- porated changes to apprenticeship provision and the new leges lecturers now tasked with using tracking systems, combined authority. A new layer of curriculum leader Moodle and ‘The Box’ (similar to Pro Monitor). If not secondment posts was welcomed by the branch as checked these systems cause task duplication for lectur- a promotion opportunity especially as members were ers. The aim is to eliminate all duplication. able to influence the composition of the job descriptions. Members of the Branch demonstrated they were a force NORTH SHROPSHIRE COLLEGE to be reckoned with, actively involved in consultation and Major attacks on terms and conditions are being fought/ confident about expressing their views. This bodes well as resisted at this branch. There is currently a consultative there is a future consultation to ‘update’ contract and ballot on an improved set of proposals. Branch officers terms and conditions later this year! Sally Jones and Mike Smith have worked inordinately hard in a very difficult negotiating forum as the College is WALSALL ADULT AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE currently in very difficult financial circumstances. Mem- WACC members had their fill of workload stressors and bers of the Branch too have supported the officers by called in Regional Office to acquire advice on what they conducting extensive research and offering interesting could do to help themselves. A workplace stress survey insights and perspectives. was designed which was branch specific. Branch contacts advised extensively on what should be the format. The STRATFORD-UPON-AVON COLLEGE survey was well and truly owned and supported by mem- bers. There was a good turnout and tangible survey out- Branch officers Alex Dengate and Ian Whitehead are- comes from the analysis conducted. Results of the survey working exceptionally hard at Stratford as the college have now been taken to management who has committed is in difficult financial circumstances and looking to to work closely with UCU on establishing and identifying merge. Officers have secured input with the SFA on the issues from the UCU survey and broader. Management future of the college as members were concerned has already embarked on conducting a broader survey of about the direction of travel. Hopefully, members can all staff, and has committed to using the next term to ad- influence what happens to their college instead of dress all issues. ‘being done to’. 2 “GROWTH IS OK BUT WHAT ABOUT QUALITY?” COV UNI EGM Coventry University have published a ing Enterprise or money making roles. The institu- pamphlet, “Growth is OK but… what tion is legally a charity, i.e. not a profit making organ- about quality?” which they distributed isation. These potentially will result in grade slip- to a packed meeting of around 100 page – more work with no pay increase and members on 5 April. The meeting was “teaching only” contracts and outsourcing. a huge success and featured excellent, informative speeches from Douglas UCU Coventry branch want the management to ne- Chalmers, UCU President Scotland and gotiate with them – staff have to be recognised as UCU President Elect and Jane Nellist, they do the work that keeps the university going. President of Coventry TUC. The Uni has accused the branch of acting in bad faith Doug Chalmers – yet as illustrated in the recent prolonged battle for This pamphlet sets out serious con- Trade Union Recognition at CU services – manage- cerns about the direction that the University is taking and the ment acted in bad faith after recognition was won by meeting discussed management’s failure to engage in negotia- sacking the staff at CU Services and re-engaging tions over changes being implemented in staff working condi- them on thefutureworks contracts. They agreed to tions and also the intention to expand student numbers across reinstated them on CU Services contracts but offered their University group to 80,000 mooted in their 2020 Corpo- an inducement of £2K to stay on thefutureworks rate Plan. contracts. It was revealed at the meeting how PhD students are badly The strong attendance at this meeting has showed treated by Coventry University . They used to be paid by fac- that the branch are the voice for academic and pro- ulties at a full rate of £30 per hour. Now they are hired in via fessional staff at the University and that they have thefutureworks an employment agency wholly owned by Cov- the backing of their membership. The branch con- entry University at a measly rate of £13 per hour. thefuture- tinue to grow, - also recruiting members in the sub- works gets the rest. The University recoups the money they sidiary companies CU Services and CU College – they pay their “subsidiaries” in administration fees as it is have gained 31 members since the last recruitment gift=aided back to the University!! This outsourcing has also week, which says it all. been extended to Linguae Mundi language teachers who are also being paid a disgraceful rate of £13 per hour! Stephen Cowden and David Ridley, Branch Chair and Secre- tary, outlined how management is trying to justify the unsus- tainable growth of the university whilst ignoring the impact on staff and students.