To all UCL Research Staff: join the UCL UCU Research Staff Network

Hopefully you will have seen the very welcome announcement from UCL yesterday regarding additional funding to extend the posts of research staff at risk of losing their jobs over the summer period. 

This will be good news for many. It is a major step forward. But there are inevitably gaps and we are all concerned about the longer term. In developing their plans for this safety net, the university consulted representatives of UCU, the recognised trade union for research staff. We have been pressing for support for research staff since the start of the lockdown.

Last week UCU members voted to set up a Research Staff Network open to all UCL researchers. 

If you are a member of research staff (you have "research" in your title) and / or are employed on a research grant please join this network. 

As research colleagues may wish to be free to ask questions relating to their own position, we would ask PIs and managers of research staff to not apply to join this network themselves, but to encourage research staff colleagues to join. (If you are a senior researcher with supervisory responsibility you are very welcome to join, but please respect the fact that some staff will be in low-graded posts, and must be safe to express themselves.)You do not need to be a member of UCU to join this network (hence this message), although of course colleagues are more than welcome to join the union.

Registration

Please use this form to register for the UCU Research Staff Network.

The network will function online, through a moderated email list and on-line meetings as required.

A second set of optional questions are relevant to current campaigns and negotiation with UCL, so please take the time to complete them if you can.

Help us build the network 

Please pass this email on to colleagues in your research group or team. 

We can only write directly to UCU members but we are negotiating on behalf of all affected staff. So please do encourage your colleagues to join this network (and UCU as well of course).

UCL UCU Executive Committe