Welcome to UCL UCU
UCU is the trade union and professional association representing
university staff across the sector, formed in June 2006 by the amalgamation
of AUT and Natfhe.
UCU is UCL’s recognised trade union for lecturing staff,
research staff, administrators, computer staff, librarians, and
related staff grades. PhD students who carry out teaching duties
can join on a special rate.
UCL UCU is a large trade union branch with over 1,500 members.
Some of our members have permanent ‘core funded’ positions,
while others - mainly research staff - are on what UCL
refers to as “open-ended contracts on fixed funding”.
In short, if you are employed at UCL, teach, research or support,
but are not currently a member of UCU, we would encourage you to
join.
Staff
on clerical and manual grades should join UNISON,
those on technical and scientific support roles, UNITE.
We support our colleagues in the other UCL trade union branches,
and encourage all college workers to join their appropriate trade
union.
DEFEND JOBS AT UCL - VOTE YES
UCU members are being asked to vote to support industrial action
in defence of jobs at UCL. This follows a series of attempts
by the union to resolve the issues at dispute, both college-wide
and at a departmental level. With regret, the UCL UCU Executive
Committee, your branch president and the UCU general secretary all
recommend that you vote YES to support industrial action
in defence of jobs.
The ballot paper asks two questions:
1. |
Are you willing to take strike action in defence
of jobs? |
|
YES |
|
NO |
|
2. |
Are you willing to take action short of a strike
in defence of jobs? |
YES
|
| NO
| |
|
 |
 |
 |
We urge you to vote YES to both these questions.
The ballot runs from Tuesday 23 March to Wednesday 21 April
at Noon. If you do not receive your ballot paper by Friday 26 March
please contact Esmilda Yates (eyates@ucu.org.uk)
at UCU HQ.
We have taken every step to avoid a dispute with UCL. We
have met with UCL senior management on numerous occasions and our
door remains open to further talks. However, management have not
consulted meaningfully with the unions at a college-wide level.
Their default position is that redundancies are unavoidable and
that managers should have a right to restructure and dismiss staff
as they see fit. The only way to challenge this approach, for 2009-10
and into the future, is for staff to stand up to defend jobs and
vote YES in this ballot.
See also: Frequently
Asked Questions
STOP
PRESS
HEFCE awards 1.7% INCREASE in
funding to UCL for 2010-11 - UCL was planning for a
3% CUT |
On 18 March HEFCE publicly announced its budget
allocation for 2010-11 for UK Universities. The
national picture is grim. Our colleagues in other
UK Universities are facing major cuts. The University
of Reading faces a massive 8% cut. » HEFCE
data
This is not the case for UCL.
Last year UCL was awarded £176.6M
(up 1.2% on the previous year). For 2010-11 UCL was
awarded £178.8M. This represents a rise
of 1.7%.
Management’s “business case” for
making UCL’s cuts is premised on the assumption
that UCL’s operating budget would be reduced by
3%. Before Christmas UCL told HEFCE that they could
manage on 3% less in 2010-11.
This announcement further undermines UCL’s
financial justification for cuts. For the detail
of the implications see UCU
analysis of the impact of this announcement.
|
|
 |
LOBBY
UCL COUNCIL |
Defend jobs * Defend education &
research CEASE
FIRE! |
STOP
THE CUTS |
Thursday 25 March 3.30pm
UCL Quadrangle, Gower St
Tell UCL Council:
- Disband the Life Sciences Redundancy Committee
- Approve College-wide redundancy avoidance consultation
|
STUDENTS
AND STAFF UNITE |
| Poster
(PDF) |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
News |
 |
External links |
 |
|