Thursday 13 October 2016

VOTE YES on Monday 17 October

See our flyer here

All members of UoL staff will be asked whether they wish to accept the proposals that the University is proposing following negotiations with the employer around information and consultation (ICE) arrangement for all employees of the University. Your ICE reps worked hard to pull together proposals and put forward arguments that meant we got the best deal for all UoL staff. UCU and UNISON recommends that you support the proposal by voting YES.

We will be able to act as a conduit for all members of staff who wish to be a part of the information and consultation process. Would you like to know more about the University’s financial situation? Would you like to see changes to the flexible working policy? There will be regular open meetings as well as and an online forum where all staff can submit questions and receive a response. We are looking forward to our new role as an opportunity to continue to hold the University to account and ensure that everyone can be involved in the process.

UCU and UNISON welcome the opportunity to enhance our ability to represent all staff and are delighted that the University has agreed to our proposals to set up an online forum and hold regular open meetings with all staff.

If you are a union member it obviously makes sense to vote YES, but if you are not, here’s what UCU and UNSION has already done for you on your behalf recently.

1. Increasing in London Weighting, which will be fully implemented by 2018 at £3,500
2. Increasing in leave for L01-L06 from 25 and 27 days, with a further push to make it equal for all staff in the future.
3. Locally representing staff on the following general issues
  a. Health and Safety
  b. Information and Consultation, which we already undertake
  c. Restructuring and redundancy
  d. Staff policies (e.g. compassionate leave policy, leave carry over policy)
4. Negotiating nationally on pay and pension issues. This is a purely national issue. We do not negotiate the annual uplift locally
5. Supporting HEE employees on UoL contracts during a major department restructure, negotiating successfully with senior managers to avoid compulsory redundancies

Our work on the above issues have benefitted you, whether or not you are a member of the union. It is true that members of the union do get more enhanced support from the unions in the form of trained representatives, such as Angela, Sam and myself - and get a say of the decision making process within the unions locally, regionally and nationally.

However that does not detract from the fact that we treat all members of staff equally when discussing collective matters with the University. The new arrangements simply formalise and facilitate our existing role.

So, we ask you to support us and vote YES on Monday 17th.


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