UCL, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and The Royal Veterinary College

The main constituent elements of the offer are as follows:

 Common Pay Settlement Date of August 1st University College London  No increase in London Weighting Branch for Old Universities (but have agreed to talk) [email protected]  Pay offer split into different payments  New Industrial Relations Machinery N E W S L E T T E R

July 2001 Pay Settlement ======In order to harmonise the settlement Pay Offer Agreed by the date for all staff (except clinical Unions/No Increase in academics) at 1 August from 2002 onwards, and in preparation for the London Weighting operation of a single pay spine from that date the agreement is as follows: The 2001 pay offer has been agreed by all the constituent unions, including  a 16-month settlement for those UNISON. (except clinical academics) with a current settlement date UNISON underwent a consultation of 1 April 2001 (ie Manual, with branches with 55% response and Academic & Academic a 79% YES vote. UCL Branch result Related) was evenly split with 58 YES & 58 NO (116 votes cast out of a possible @1/4/01 3% total of 579). At a well attended @1/9/01 1% Branch Meeting however, there was a @1/3/02 1% unanimous vote to reject the pay offer on the basis that the employers made Cumulative increase = 5.1% or no guarantees with respect to an £560 (which ever is the larger) increase in London Weighting.  a 13-month settlement for those UCL UNISON Branch Committee also with a current settlement date voted unanimously to reject the pay of 1 July 2001 (ie Clerical offer on the basis it does nothing to Related) address the very real issue of low pay. @1/7/01 3% UCL UNISON are continuing to @1/1/02 1.25% discuss with UCL the implications of no increase in London Weighting. Cumulative increase = 4.3% or £470 (which ever is the larger)

1 [email protected] July 2001 UCL, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and The Royal Veterinary College

Muslim Prayer Room Complaint against Human Resources on UCL UNISON has been pursuing a Response Times. Prayer Room facility for Muslim Members through our delegates on the Equal Opportunities Committee UCL UNISON have lodged a (EOC). complaint with Human Resources on the slow response times to issues that We thought that we had succeeded we have raised. Examples include the after this was agreed by the EOC, to following: the point where a room was allocated (Hut 34). This initiative was however  Investigation into Institutional scuppered by senior academic staff and Racism in the Security an e-mail campaign against the idea. Department- promised response E-mail campaigns are undemocratic. before Easter still- No Response. EOC members also objected after the event (having taken no part in  Claim submitted in April on: discussions prior to decision)We have 1.Increase in London Weighting raised this issue with these delegates as 2.35 Hour week across the board they did not raise this matter with in 3.30 days holiday for all staff the confines of the EOC when it was 4.No Privatisations discussed. 5.Minimum Wage of £5 per hour for all staff As trade unions it is always important - No Response to follow due processes, this means raising your concerns within the  Library Claim, UNISON put in appropriate bodies. claim for Library Staff to be upgraded- promised response by beginning of June- Have not seen We hope that the other EOC delegates details of response as we go to will follow UNISON’s example in this press respect in the future.

 Issues relating to New Members & Change to Furnishings Academic Related Staff- No Response An e-mail was recently sent out from Procurement Services advising Facility Time Agreement departments that the way you order furnishings will be changing. Rather than do this through Procurement (as UCL have agreed a new facility time had been done in the past) the burden agreement with UCL UNISON. This is being passed to departments. frees up some time for Officers to deal UNISON have received some with case work. If there are any issues representations about this issue. We which arise in your workplace do not intend to make a representation to hesitate to contact the Branch management so if there are any other Secretary (Tom Silverlock ext 5188)or member who would like to raise their Chair (Angela Small ext 2089) concerns please e-mail the Branch Secretary [email protected].

2 [email protected] July 2001 UCL, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and The Royal Veterinary College

UCL’s Financial support of our sister branch at MIDDX last week. Situation We also do not take on face value what is being said to us. We know there is As most staff are aware UCL is wastage in College but this is not in allegedly facing a serious financial areas where our members work, who crisis with a budget deficit of £10 have been cut down to the bone. And million. UCL UNISON have been savings programmes always seems to called into a couple of meetings by target those areas which need them UCL to inform them of this. least. This is the reason why UCL is looking more and more at possible We have been advised that this privatisation or facility management situation has arisen for the following alternatives which have a detrimental reasons: effect both on our members and the services provided.  Last savings programme failed to reach targets UCL UNISON initiated joint union  Academic Staffing levels are at an meetings on this issue with the all time high Association of University Teachers  Funds required for Capital Projects (AUT) & Manufacturing, Science & Finance Union (MSF). We agreed a One way the College have proposed to joint response, the main points of deal with this situation is a voluntary which are below: severance and early retirement package. This will really only apply to Academic or Academic-Related staff 1.The three campus trade unions as this will be where the savings will welcome the fact that the College be made. UCL UNISON have not been held a meeting with them about the consulted on these packages and do not statement concerning the College's know the formula being applied. financial position before sent out to staff. The effects on staff will be many but for our members who are mainly in 2. We look forward to a continuation support areas, UCL did recognise that of this transparency and fairness. many of these areas were as lean as they could get. This however does not 3. We urge that the College gives full mean that the above will not have an and frank explanation of how the effect. Re-organisation where staff take difficult situation. early retirement or voluntary severance will have an effect so will cutbacks on 4. We request that the trade unions recruitment. are fully involved in any voluntary severance or early retirement At the moment UCL is not proposing negotiations which affect their compulsory redundancies but members members, and will of course support should be aware that other institutions and advise our members in such are. An example is MIDDX University negotiations. who are making 90 redundancies. UCL UNISON Branch attended a lobby in 5. We are opposed to compulsory redundancies

3 [email protected] July 2001 UCL, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and The Royal Veterinary College

Why it’s important to join Health & Safety the union- for Health & Safety Reasons: Eye Tests We recently had a member (they shall Employers have an obligation to be anonymous) who had an injury to provide free eye tests. their back (this is a manual worker) in 1996. Over time this injury got worse. If you think your eye sight is being They joined the union approx 18 affected by use of VDU or other months ago. equipment at work, you need to contact Occupational Health who will perform This person is now off long-term sick an initial eye test. They may then refer because of the injury and is unlikely you to either SpecSavers or Universal to return to work. The member Vision with a voucher to get a further approached UNISON just before assessment. If it is deemed that you XMAS and we filled out a our legal need spectacles for VDU use, UCL claim form for them which was sent to issue a voucher for £50 which goes the UNISON solicitors. The UNISON towards subsidising a new pair of solicitors have however ruled that they spectacles. are unlikely to win their case for the following reasons: Occupational Health are available on ext 2802. 1/ At the time of the initial injury they did not fill out an accident report form European Health & Safety Week so there is no written record of the accident. This will be from October 15th-22nd and is concentrating on Accident 2/ They were not in the union at the Prevention. UNISON Nationally is time and so did not receive good organising an inspection day as part of advice with respect to 1/ the week on Wednesday October 17th. Because of the size of UCL , the 3/ They then waited until the end of intention would be to do inspections all last year to approach the union. There that week. UNISON safety reps have is a 3 year limit for claims of this sort statutory rights in this respect and have and of course the solicitor has ruled the ability to do worklace inspections that their claim falls outside this time in any part of UCL after giving the limit. employer due notice of their intentions. If for whatever reason you think that As an aside they are also not on the your workplace would benefit from a occupational pension scheme because Health & Safety Workplace Inspection, they did not know about it! please contact the UCL UNISON Health & Safety Officer Mr Bill Lehm As you can see there are several on ext 7095. lessons to be learned here. Belong to a trade union, seek advice, always fill The Safety Committee in partnership out accident report forms (even if you with the other unions will also be are not injured at the time and classify participating in activities for this week. it as an incident)- available from Departmental Safety Officers-DSO’s

4 [email protected] July 2001 UCL, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and The Royal Veterinary College

National UNISON Conference Report UNISON, critical of the UNISON leadership and their recent role in last years pay dispute. This year UCL UNISON sent delegates to the Higher Education & National UNISON Conference. Vote for Sam Birnie!

UCL Motion Passed Different Rights for Staff on Fixed Term Contracts: For the first time UCL UNISON had a motion passed at the HE National Conference. This It has come to attention of UCL UNISON that motion was critical of the UNISON staff who are on fixed term contracts at UCL leaderships role in the last years pay dispute have different rights with regards to and the support branches get from their union redundancy payments. UCL has been both nationally & regionally. All 4 delegates operating redundancy payments for permanent from the UCL Branch got up to speak to the staff (& severance) as a minimum, 2 weeks for motion and it was passed overwhelmingly by every year employed on you actual level of the Conference. earnings if you're under 41 and 3 weeks if you 41 or over. Staff on fixed term contracts are National UNISON Conference being paid the statutory minimum (1 week for under 41, 1 1/2 weeks for over 41) with This conference received a lot of press ceiling of £240. coverage. This was because of motion 131 which was passed and reviews the way An example of how this affects staff is as UNISON allocates its political fund to the follows. Labour Party. This motion was supported by UCL UNISON Branch. If there is a member of staff who has a permanent contract and has worked for UCL There were many other important motions, for 10 years and earns £300 per week and is including ones on Privatisation, GATS, under 41 should receive discrimination in the workplace & the Race Riots (see UNISON web site for more details = 10x(2x300) = £6000 www.unison.org.uk). If the same member of staff was on a fixed The UCL UNISON delegation spent much of term contract (which was for example renewed their time raising the issue of Paul Robinson annually) and worked and earned same as who is UCL UNISON member and had been above and is same age they would receive: in a Swedish prison following the demonstrations in Gothenburg against the EC = 10 x240 = £2400 Summit. We made other branches aware of what was happening and also tabled an The disparities can become even larger if you emergency motion. earn more per week.

UNISON agreed to support Paul. What can you do about this:

Support Sam Birnie/NEC General Seat The best way to deal with this is to question Vacancy why you are on a fixed term contract.

Members will shortly receive ballot forms for Sometimes there is no good reason but it is not election of the General National Executive until management are questioned about this Council Seat for the Higher Education Service will it become apparent. It is actually very Group. UCL UNISON Branch Committee July unfair that long-term members of staff have 12th 2001 agreed to support Sam Birnie and are different rights in this respect and UNISON urging members to do likewise. Sam is an can make representations to your management activist at Guildhall University and has always making the case that you should be placed on a supported workers who take action against permanent contract. The College have been privatisation, job cuts and redundancies. Sam saving huge amounts of money in this respect is a trade unionist and has been very but this is at the expense of our members. supportive of our campaign to release Paul Robinson and is also active in the anti- It's time something is done about globalisation protests. She is also, like UCL it...... dont you agree?

5 [email protected] July 2001 UCL, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and The Royal Veterinary College

UCL UNISON Time-off facility has been agreed Branch Meetings & Vacant Posts UCL UNISON

UCL UNISON Branch Committee Branch Meeting have agreed to hold monthly branch meetings, open to all members. The intention is to increase member participation in Wednesday the union. They will be held the first Wednesday of the month and the first one is on 08/08/2001. If August 1st you would like anything added to the agenda or motions submitted 2001 please ensure that these are given to the Branch Secretary Tom Silverlock prior to the meeting (ext 5188 or [email protected]). A quorum has been set of 5% (27 1-2pm members). If the quorum is not regularly met the Branch Room 305 Committee will review this decision. There a number of vacant Third Floor posts and elections will be held for these at the first meeting. If you wish to be nominated please sign Pearson the form attached and send to the Branch Secretary. You can Building alternatively be nominated and seconded at the branch meeting.

Vacant posts include the following: (send to Tom Silverlock c/o Procurement Services) Chairperson ……………………………………. Recruitment Officer (shared) Vice Chair (shared) Post applied for: Womens Officer Welfare Officer Name: Education Officer ……………………………… Lesbian & Gay Persons officer … Publicity Officer Delegate to Safety Committee Signed………………………… Youth Officer ……… Black Members Officer Nominated by: If you are unsure as to what the ………………………... posts entail, please contact the Branch Secretary.

6 [email protected] July 2001 UCL, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and The Royal Veterinary College

Signed………………………… ………

Seconded by: ………………………….

Signed……………………… ………

7 [email protected] July 2001