EGM slides now online from meeting Wed 3 Oct

Our first Extraordinary General Meeting of the autumn term was held on Wednesday 3 October from 1-2pm in Cruciform LT2.  

Download the powerpoint slides here.

The agenda included:

• The USS Joint Evaluation Panel report - and what next for the USS campaign? 
• The Pay and Equality Campaign - why colleagues should vote YES to both questions, and organising to get the maximum vote 
• Forthcoming special sector conferences on Pay and Pensions, deciding on delegates and motions. See Appendix below.

Colleagues are reminded to vote in the current industrial action ballot for our national claim on Pay and Equality. UCU members in 147 universities are being balloted for strike action over pay and equality.

Ballot papers are sent out by ERS Ltd., and must be returned in the post. Most ballot papers are sent to home addresses. If you cannot find your ballot paper you still have time to ask for a replacement (ERS will cancel your previous paper). The ballot closes on Friday 19 October.

It is extremely important that as many members as possible vote. The government's recent Trade Union Act requires us to achieve a turnout of more than 50%, or the vote will not count. Irrespective of whether you wish to vote NO or YES to either question, please vote and ensure your voice is counted.

You are strongly encouraged to vote YES to both questions:

• Against national inflation measures, RPI and CPI, our pay has fallen in excess of 13% in real terms since 2008. The employers offer of 2% is made when CPI in August was 2.4% and RPI 3.4%;
• The ONS estimates Londoners face inflation ~1% above national inflation;
• Meanwhile the average total pay and benefits package for Vice Chancellors has tended to increase at a rate 2% or 3% above pay offers to staff. In 2016/17, the last year data is available, the average increase was 3.3% while our pay offer was 1.1%.
• Employers have taken no real action to address gender inequality or to combat casualisation, and their current 'offer' changes nothing. 

Year-on-year cuts in pay have a compound effect, and cuts in pay translate into cuts in accrued pensions. 

A key lesson of the USS dispute is that if we do not stand up for ourselves, whether over pay or pensions, the employers will squeeze staff pay while remunerating themselves generously.

Appendix: UCU HE Special Conferences on Pay and Pensions

There will be two Special UCU Higher Education Sector Conferences in Manchester, on Wednesday 7 November 2018. 

UCL UCU is entitled to send up to two motions to both these conferences. If you wish to propose a motion to the branch, please email it to ucu@ucl.ac.uk before 5pm on Monday 1 October, to permit us to circulate motions to all members in advance.

UCL UCU is entitled to five voting delegates for national conferences. If you are interested in standing for election, do contact ucu@ucl.ac.uk for more information about what is involved.