Garden Halls Update

With 30th June moving ever closer, we wanted to update our members on the current situation with the Garden Halls redundancies. The university is demolishing the buildings in order to build newer, modern halls of residence for their students and unfortunately 80 jobs will no longer exist, Cofely will not be funded by the University of London for these jobs.

Cofely are continuing to consult with staff and with UNISON. The staff forum reps have been briefed and will take collective issues or questions directly to Cofely on behalf of their staff members. If any Cofely staff are unsure who their reps are, don’t hesitate to ask. Alternatively, UNISON members can bring their concerns to our UNISON reps or UNISON regional officers who can answer questions or pass them along. UNISON held a meeting with members at the Garden Halls recently and have passed along such questions to Cofely, members will then be informed of the answers ASAP.

One to one meetings are another opportunity for staff to raise their concerns directly with Cofely managers, a chance to discuss individual circumstances and ask questions that they may not want to discuss in a group setting, such as individual redundancy pay. These are valuable opportunities and staff should already be expressing their interest with one to one meetings scheduled over the coming week. If members are concerned they haven’t yet been given an appointed they should contact their UNISON reps. Reps can be taken into these meetings in order to help ensure that the members ask the questions that they want to ask, help clarify answers and can help take notes or discuss the meeting afterwards with members.

Cofely also have a duty to try and mitigate the number of redundancies. They have decided not to offer voluntary redundancies but have advertised jobs across Cofely as well as in other contracts. If staff decide to take up these opportunities then they will retain their current terms and conditions of employment (holiday, sick pay and pensions) which will be a great relief to many. There will also be vacancies at the University of London advertised with the intention to redeploy as many staff as possible. Staff that are interested should apply for these jobs ASAP, the selection and interview process will be as fair and transparent as possible (with a selection matrix to be used). The interview will be conducted as any other job interview would be.

Cofely have also offered to support staff through a reasonable level of training should it be needed to take up new employment within Cofely. UNISON and Cofely would like to put on ESOL classes, however only a few members of staff have expressed interest. An ESOL qualification would help with finding future employment as well as helping staff develop personally. If staff would like classes and can guarantee the attendance of at least 12 people, UNISON will help facilitate this. Private classes can cost over £1000, UNISON, in conjunction with Cofely, will offer them for free.

Please don’t hesitate to contact our local reps, Jill Coldrick-Chappell (jillchappell@hotmail.co.uk, 07900598817) and Marta Gryc (075 16 861255) with any questions. Jo Galloway (07961044951) and Dario Lopez (07904342453) are also on hand to offer support and advice.

Garden Halls Closure: What next for our members?

On 11th April the University of London finally announced the closure of the garden halls as 30th June 2014 . Both Senate House UNISON branch members and Cofely managers have expected this announcement since Summer 2013 and has been a topic of discussion at both JNC meetings between UNISON and the University and at the monthly UNISON and Cofely forums. Despite the University dragging its heels, UNISON has been proactive in the run up to the announcement.

Already UNISON has been discussing with Cofely how to mitigate the negative consequences for staff that the hall closures will cause. UNISON and Cofely have begun to engage in a series of meetings in addition to the monthly forum to discuss a fair redundancy procedure that will include offering voluntary redundancy packages to other Cofely employees which may hopefully open up other spaces in the University of London contract for garden halls staff. Meanwhile, Cofely managers are ensuring that jobs opening up in other halls are being offered first to current Cofely staff and vacancies in other Cofely contracts are being advertised. Please speak to your supervisor or your union rep for more information.

For the hopefully reduced number facing redundancies, Cofely and UNISON will be holding meetings to explain the law on redundancy and the redundancy policy that Cofely is following. UNISON branch representatives have attended a recent training course on redundancies and will be fully involved in the procedure. UNISON regional officials have been advising the branch and Cofely, using their experience handling other redundancy situations in universities, to ensure that not only does the Cofely policy follow the law but that it is also as fair as possible and all Cofely staff receive equal treatment. Jill Coldrick-Chappell a security guard at Canterbury Hall and a UNISON steward commented that “I have already met with UNISON regional officials and other security guards in the garden halls to talk about what redundancy might mean for us and what our options may be. Although this is an uncertain time for Cofely staff at the garden halls, UNISON has been so supportive this far and I know that they will make sure my voice is heard and those of the staff I represent as a steward.”

UNISON members should contact Jill Coldrick-Chappell, Sharon Bracey or Jo Galloway if they have any concerns or questions. UNISON will be holding a meeting at the Garden Halls shortly.

UNISON Sucursal Senate House

El pasado viernes 11 de abril, los jefes de Cofely anunciaron oficialmente el cierre de los halls de residencia ‘Gardens Halls’ a efectuarse el próximo 30 de Junio de este año 2014. Tanto los miembros de la sucursal de UNISON Senate House, al igual que los jefes de Cofely han estado en expectativa de este anuncio desde el pasado verano 2013 y ha sido el tema de discusión en las reuniones entre UNISON y la Universidad de Londres así como también los foros mensuales con representantes de Cofely.

A pesar de la posición renuente de la Universidad, UNISON ha actuado en forma proactiva en anticipación al anuncio oficial de la clausura y ha estado discutiendo con Cofely la mejor forma de mitigar las consecuencias negativas que implica esta clausura para sus empleados.

UNISON y Cofely han establecido una serie de reuniones aparte de los foros mensuales para explorar la forma de evitar despidos causados por el cierre y discutir un proceso justo para sus miembros en el caso de inevitablemente darse algún despido; parte de este proceso incluiría el ofrecimiento de remuneración por renuncia voluntaria a empleados de Cofely a través de todo el contrato que Cofely tiene en las instalaciones de la Universidad de Londres, para contemplar la apertura de plazas de trabajo para aquellos afectados por el cierre de ‘Garden Halls’ .

Mientras tanto los Jefes de Cofely han asegurado a UNISON de que cualquier plaza de trabajo que se encuentre disponible o se abra en las semanas o meses próximos en otros halls de residencia, serán ofrecidos primeramente a los empleados de Garden Halls; también vacantes en otros contratos que Cofely tiene fuera de las instalaciones de la Universidad serán anunciados y ofrecidos para aquellos empleados que les situé esto en forma conveniente. Si desea más información con respecto a estas vacantes hable con su supervisor os representante de UNISON.

En un caso reducido de despido forzado por falta de vacantes, UNISON y Cofely llevaran a cabo una serie de reuniones para explicar las leyes que amparan a los afectados y explicaran la póliza de despido que a la cual Cofely se adherirá. Los representantes de la sucursal Senate House de UNISON tienen la experiencia necesaria para enfrentar y mitigar los efectos en casos de despido y estarán totalmente envueltos en el proceso.

Los oficiales de la Oficina Regional de UNISON utilizaran todos los recursos y experiencia adquirida en la intervención para este tipo de procesos en otras Universidades y han estado y seguirán asistiendo y direccionando a la sucursal de Senate House para asegurarse no solo de que cualquier póliza utilizado por Cofely se apegue rígidamente a la ley laboral pero además de que el proceso sea justo y todos los empleados afectados sean tratados en forma equitativa.

Jill Coldrick-Chappell quien trabaja como oficial de seguridad en Canterbury Hall y también es representante de UNISON comento lo siguiente: “Me he reunido con oficiales de la oficina regional de UNISON y otros colegas en Garden Halls para reiterar lo que implicaría para nosotros el súbito despido y que opciones hay disponibles. Aunque son momentos de incertidumbre para los empleados de Garden Halls, UNISON ha sido de gran apoyo hasta ahora y sé que mi opinión y la de los miembros que represento en escuchada a través de mi Unión”

Miembros de UNISON pueden contactarse con Jill Coldrick-Chappell (jillchappell@hotmail.co.uk); Sharon Bracey (sharon.bracey@cofely-gdfsuez.com); Marta Gryc (wiki00221@wp.pl) o Jo Galloway (j.galloway@unison.co.uk) si tienen cualquier inquietud o pregunta.

UNISON llevara a cabo una reunión en las instalaciones de Garden Halls muy pronto.

Senate House Branch: Our Reaction to the Closure of the Garden Halls

On 11th April the Cofely managers announced the closure of the garden halls as 30th June 2014 to staff affected. Both Senate House UNISON branch members and Cofely managers have expected this announcement since Summer 2013 and it has been a topic of discussion at both JNC meetings between UNISON and the University of London and at the monthly UNISON and Cofely forums. Despite the University dragging its heels, UNISON has been proactive in the run up to the announcement. Already UNISON has been discussing with Cofely how to mitigate the negative consequences for staff that the hall closures will cause. UNISON and Cofely have begun to engage in a series of meetings in addition to the monthly forum to discuss a fair redundancy procedure that will include offering voluntary redundancy packages to other Cofely employees with a view to hopefully open up other spaces in the University of London contract for garden halls staff who don’t wish to take redundancy. Meanwhile, Cofely managers are ensuring that jobs opening up in other halls are being offered first to current Cofely staff and that vacancies in other Cofely contracts are being advertised. Please speak to your supervisor or your union rep for more information.

In light of the fact that there still may be staff facing redundancies, although this will hopefully be a reduced number, Cofely and UNISON will be holding meetings to explain the law on redundancy and the redundancy policy that Cofely and UNISON negotiate. UNISON branch representatives have attended a recent training course on redundancies and will be fully involved in the procedure. UNISON regional officials have been advising the branch and Cofely, using their experience handling other redundancy situations in universities, to ensure that not only does the Cofely policy follow the law but that it is also as fair as possible and all Cofely staff receive equal treatment. Jill Coldrick-Chappell a security guard at Canterbury Hall and a UNISON steward stated that “I have already met with UNISON regional officials and other security guards in the garden halls to talk about what redundancy might mean for us and what our options may be. Although this is an uncertain time for Cofely staff at the garden halls, UNISON has been so supportive this far and I know that they will make sure my voice is heard and those of the staff I represent as a steward.”

UNISON members should contact Jill Coldrick-Chappell (jillchappell@hotmail.co.uk), Sharon Bracey (sharon.bracey@cofely-gdfsuez.com), Marta Gryc (wiki00221@wp.pl) or Jo Galloway (j.galloway@unison.co.uk) if they have any concerns or questions. UNISON will be holding a meeting at the Garden Halls shortly.

We are stronger, together: Recruitment

Senate House UNISON branch is pleased to welcome two new members to our team. Jo Galloway and Dario Lopez are local organisers with the UNISON Greater London Region who will be working with the branch committee on a brand new recruitment campaign, aimed at increasing our membership and getting more members involved. The higher our density, the stronger our negotiating position.

Starting with stalls and leafleting, as well as updating our online presence, they are making their way around every workplace. Please contact them if you think a quick visit to your department would be helpful or if you have an idea for a recruitment event anything from a film screening to a stress busting lunch to an open forum on any issue. Dario and Jo will be contacting members soon to ask your ideas directly, they want to help you to recruit your friends and colleagues.

Terms and Conditions: Success at Last!

Negotiations took months of meetings. The campaign saw the combined efforts of Senate House UNISON activists and the support of UNISON members across the Greater London Region as well as interested students and other parties. Leaflets were sent, campaign funds were spent, protests were held. And the results are in.

The majority of Cofely employees have signed their new terms and conditions, with sickness absence now up to six months full pay (based on years of service), annual leave increased to up to 25 days a year, and all staff now have access to a pension, although confirmation of this has been understandably interrupted by the Cofely takeover of BBW, we hope UNISON will have details of the pension scheme soon.

There were a few hiccups with the new terms and conditions, with some members personal details were incorrect, but these were brought to the attention of Cofely immediately through the UNISON reps and dealt with swiftly with the return deadline extended accordingly. Everyone involved in bringing about the changes in the terms and conditions, especially the cleaners themselves, should be congratulated on all the hard work that went into the campaign at every level. These changes demonstrate what can be achieved when unions and employers work together for the benefit of employees.b>

Senate House Strikes: We are Worth More than 1%

On 6th February UNISON members took a third day of strike action in the ongoing pay dispute, joining UCU, Unite and EIS. Our members are not satisfied with the 1% pay rise forced on them and continue to ask for a pay settlement that reflects their value and hard work.

The 1% pay offer is fundamentally still inadequate in the face of a fifth year of pay cuts. Pay has fallen in real terms by over 13%, UNISON members and higher education staff across the country are fed up by the double standards and hypocrisy of senior management in universities. Staff are seeing their terms and conditions eroding and their sense of job insecurity increasing. Working conditions are failing to improve with a greater use of zero hours contracts and an increase in the gender pay gap, as well as a reduction in in-house services and an increase in outsourcing.

Universities insist that institutions can’t afford to spend money and need to keep a surplus to fund capital spending rather than investing in the welfare of their staff. Yet they hold huge cash reserves and university finances have been described by the Higher Education Funding Council as being “sound overall”.

University of London staff went on strike on 6th February to highlight this inequality and to continue to put pressure on negotiations. Despite the tube strike causing transport difficulties for many members, UNISON joined UCU at picket lines. The success of the strike overall remains similar to the first two days of strike action in 2013. Please continue to discuss the reasons for the pay dispute with your colleagues and support the efforts of UNISON in negotiating for higher pay. #fairpayinHE