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Extraordinary Meeting Monday 25th March

This meeting has been convened to facilitate a discussion on Lecturecast following concerns raised by members that they were being placed under pressure to record lectures inappropriately.

Members were also invited to submit motions for debate on any other topic.  Four motions have been received and are included in Appendix 1. They include two motions in solidarity with Goldsmiths and RSA staff, and a formal motion to merge the IOE UCU branch funds with UCL UCU. We also expect to hear from a speaker from Goldsmiths, where 200 academic staff were this week told they were at risk of redundancy.  Two amendments have also been submitted which are included in Appendix 2.

  1. Chair’s business
  2. Minutes of previous meeting
  3. Invited speaker: Joe Newman, Goldsmiths  
  4. Motions and amendments 
    4.1 - Motion 1: Solidarity with Goldsmiths UCU
    4.1.1 - Amendment 1: to Motion 1
    4.2 - Motion 2: Solidarity with Royal Society of Arts IWGB branch
    4.3 - Motion 3: Lecturecast
    4.4 - Motion 4: ‘Transfer of historic IOE UCU Membership funds to UCL UCU’ 
    4.4.1 - Amendment 2: to Motion 4.

Appendix 1 - Motions

Motion 1: Solidarity with Goldsmiths UCU

UCL UCU notes that Goldsmiths College, University of London are attempting to make the equivalent of 130 full-time posts redundant, that is, between one third and one quarter of all staff, by the end of May. Staff targeted are in 11 departments across the whole of Goldsmiths; 50% at Professorial level. On Wednesday 21 March, Goldsmiths management sent ‘at-risk’ letters to 200 staff. 

This is the biggest attack on a London university staff group and UCU branch since the attack on London Metropolitan University in 2006-2009.

UCL UCU resolves to:

  • Send a message of solidarity to Goldsmiths UCU branch.
  • Pledge £5000 to the Goldsmiths UCU hardship fund, to be payable in the event the branch takes strike action or action short of a strike incurring pay docking.

Motion 2: Solidarity with Royal Society of Arts IWGB branch

Charity workers are overworked, underpaid and exploited. And though not-for-profits often talk of justice, it rarely extends to their own employees.

In 2022 staff at the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) had to fight for their union recognition after voluntary recognition was denied 3 times by senior management. Since then, staff members across all teams and levels of the RSA have been campaigning for a fair pay rise reflective of the current cost-of-living pressures.

They have asked for a flat rate of pay that gives the lowest paid members of staff a 10% pay increase to offset a 14% real-terms pay cut in the last 4 years, and also for a 8% pension contribution as staff pensions were slashed to 5.5% during the pandemic.

The RSA has offered a pay rise equivalent to just 2.3% for some of members, and no return to higher pension contributions. The RSA union estimates their pay claim would cost the RSA about £300k, or less than 1% of the charity's total reserves. In the midst of negotiations, RSA management changed the charity’s reserves policy to make it much harder to use reserves to support staff.

Regrettably, the RSA management’s response so far has been completely at odds with its values, its public-facing image, and many of the principles that draw support to the RSA. As a result, union members went out on the first strike in the organisation’s 270-year history! 

Union members at the RSA need solidarity. Management are refusing to negotiate and we need to ramp up the campaign to respond to the aggressive anti-union approach of their boss. These workers on strike rely on support from the labour movement to keep their fight going.

UCL UCU resolves:

  1. To call on members to boycott any activities at the RSA until the union's demands are met, as set out by the 2023 pay claim*, and the dispute is resolved
  2. To write to the college/university leadership and urge they boycott the RSA and write to Andy Haldane, RSA CEO to resolve the dispute with the workers
  3. To promote the upcoming picket dates for the RSA strike to its members and to bring the branch banner to a picket
  4. To send a message of solidarity to the RSA pickets 
  5. To make a donation to the RSA strike solidarity fund of £1000: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/support-the-rsa-strikers/
  6. To write to Andy Haldane, RSA CEO and condemn his treatment of workers
  7. To promote and publicise the boycott of RSA activities on social media

*A flat £2800 salary increase. An increase from 5.5% to 8% pension contributions. A £400 allowance for staff who don’t benefit from hybrid working.

Motion 3: Lecturecast

This Branch Notes

  1. That UCL does not “waive copyright” (in the way it does with publications and original ideas used in teaching) for “g) sound recordings, films and broadcasts created for the purpose of teaching, where UCL has made the necessary arrangements for the making of the sound recording, film or broadcast (as the case may be).”
  2. That UCL believes: “2.6 Performers' rights. To the extent that a UCL staff member benefits from performers' rights in any performance in connection with their duties, such rights are (i) assigned to UCL, in respect of proprietary rights; and (ii) unconditionally and irrevocably waived in favour of UCL, its licensees and assignees, in respect of other rights.” No consent has or is being sought in relation to these assignment of these rights.
  3. That the UCL Lecturecast policy states that “Lecturecast is, by default, an opt-in service with the onus on individual lecturers or teaching leads in departments/divisions to choose to use the system.” But adds “Where departments/divisions wish to depart from the standard opt-in policy and set an explicit opt-out policy, this must be in consultation with staff affected. Clear guidance must be given to all staff on this policy; for instance it must be made clear to staff whom they should contact to opt-out”
  4. That the Lecturecast, Lecture Capture, and Copyright published policy states that “In the case of UCL staff, UCL has "deemed consent" to record lectures. Although UCL waives its rights to Copyright in teaching materials created by employees, it does benefit from a broad licence to re-use them.” 
  5. A number of departments have issued instructions to teaching staff that their classes are to be recorded (without explaining that this is opt-in only, or providing a route by which opting out may take place).

This Branch Believes

  1. That “deeming” consent is unacceptable, and incompatible with an opt-in only policy
  2. That only a fully consensual opt-in policy preserves the rights of teaching staff

This Branch Reaffirms 

  1. Our Branch Policy that any recording of classes by the university 

a. must be explicitly consensual (through an ‘opt-in’ mechanism only)

b.must be fully informed to the staff who may be asked if they consent

c. do not imply relinquishing the performance rights of the member of staff (by deeming or any other mechanism except explicit ‘opt in’ consent) 

  1. That we do not agree, and have not agreed to the transference of any of our members rights or to consent being “deemed” in relation to the recording of classes or control of the recordings, without the explicit and informed consent of our members.
  2. That the matter of property rights over teaching performances has not been agreed with UCL by this Branch and we will continue to assert our members’ control and ownership of intellectual property where no explicit transference has occurred by consent.

This Branch Resolves
 

  1. To communicate the above position to UCL and demand that they remove the reference to staff having been “deemed to consent” to have classes recorded, from their published policies.
  2. To request that UCL inform its heads of department that UCL does not and cannot require class recordings from teaching staff, in a blanket policy, but must fully inform staff that class recording is entirely voluntary and opt-in only. 

Motion 4: ‘Transfer of historic IOE UCU Membership funds to UCL UCU’ 

Notes 

  • That money arising from local membership fees of IOE UCU members remains in an IOE UCU  Bank account.
  • IOE UCU no longer exists as a UCU Branch and therefore these funds cannot be used by UCU.
  • IOE UCU Merged with UCL UCU and UCU members in IOE are now members of UCL UCU branch 
  • That IOE UCU members wish to retain the use of these historic funds to support UCU members in IOE. 

UCL UCU IOE members section resolves 

  1. That a 2nd /sub-branch bank account of UCL UCU  be established to enable the transfer and holding of the funds of the former IOE UCU Branch. These are funds that accrued from IOE UCU members local membership fees before the merger of the 2 branches in 2019.
  2. That expenditure from the account (within the framework of UCU National and Branch rules) should be decided by members from UCL IOE UCU subsection by means of formal proposals and agreement at UCL IOE UCU section members meetings. 
  3. That Funds in the IOE sub-branch account* may be used by UCL UCU Members in the UCL IOE section for the purposes of 
  4. Members meetings expenses inc. refreshments
  5. Local Campaign materials 
  6. Tokens of recognition and appreciation for services to IOE UCU members 

*Payments from this sub-branch account need to be approved the UCL UCU Branch officers who are current signatories on the main UCL UCU bank account 

 

Appendix 2

Amendment 1 to Motion 1:

DELETE the second and third sentences, and second half of the first sentence, of the
notes, following the opening phrase: "UCL UCU notes that Goldsmiths College, University
of London,"
i.e. delete: [are attempting to make the equivalent of 130 full-time posts redundant,
that is, between one third and one quarter of all staff, by the end of May. Staff
targeted are in 11 departments across the whole of Goldsmiths; 50% at Professorial
level. On Wednesday 21 March, Goldsmiths management sent ‘at-risk’ letters to 200
staff.]

REPLACE DELETED TEXT WITH:
is seeking to cut up to 35% of academic staffing by FTE (full time equivalent) in 11 departments. 361 staff are in scope, and a 50% reduction in FTE Professors in these departments.

Amendment 2 to Motion 4:

Add new notes point '2', renumbering remaining points:

2. At the date of merger total IOE UCU funds were circa £21,000 - a small amount of
which (<£1000) being residual local hardship fund from the 2018 strikes/action.

The new 'notes' section would therefore read:
Notes:
1. That money arising from local membership fees of IOE UCU members remains in an IOE UCU Bank account.
2. At the date of merger total IOE UCU funds were circa £21,000 - a small amount of which (<£1000) being residual local hardship fund from the 2018 strikes/action.
3. IOE UCU no longer exists as a UCU Branch and therefore these funds cannot be used by UCU.
4. IOE UCU Merged with UCL UCU and UCU members in IOE are now members of UCL UCU branch
5. That IOE UCU members wish to retain the use of these historic funds to support UCU members in IOE.