UCL-UCU: Extraordinary General Meeting, Thu 10 Jun, 13:00-14:00

Agenda

1. Liverpool Health and Life Sciences (HLS) Redundancies (on strike, with speaker)
2. Redundancies in Information Services Division (ISD)
3. IOE ITE staff TUPE transfers to Bath Spa University
4. Campaigning to defend USS

1. University of Liverpool HLS Redundancies

UCU members at the University of Liverpool are in their third week of strikes over redundancies in Health and Life Sciences. The university management’s rationale is a project called ‘SHAPE’, identifying 47 research-active staff for redundancy to recruit new staff. The university claimed this was justified by the need to meet current health challenges in Liverpool. Notably, local Liverpool MPs have condemned this proposal.

Colleagues will hear from one of the Liverpool University strikers and we will take the Motion below pledging our support for their campaign (see Appendix). Click here for more information about the Liverpool UCU campaign.

2. ISD redundancies

There are still 11 colleagues at risk of redundancy. Representatives from campus trade unions will be meeting UCL today to press for a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies. We are especially concerned that UCL is proposing to downgrade staff, mirroring the ‘fire and rehire’ approach increasingly used in the private sector.

We will provide an update at our meeting on Thursday.

3. IOE ITE TUPE transfers

There are 37 ITE staff in IOE, including 11 lecturers, who are still facing forced transfer to Bath Spa University. UCL managers failed to keep them at IOE despite the huge overwork issues that staff are experiencing in IOE. UCU reps continue to press UCL management to retain those staff and make clear and fair any processes that are being used to select staff into the transfer pool.

4. USS

Our USS pensions have been placed at risk due to a valuation conducted in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic using pessimistic assumptions about the long-term stability of the university sector. UCL and other members of Universities UK (the employers’ organisation) conducted a ‘consultation’ process among staff on the implementation of this valuation, even though such an implementation would lead to net negative pension outcomes (benefits lower than contributions).

We believe the solution to this crisis must involve a new valuation, for which there is a precedent. In 2017-18, because of our industrial action, the November 2017 valuation was set aside in favour of a more favourable one in 2018.

We are awaiting announcements of next steps in our campaign: we hope to be able to update members at tomorrow's meeting.

UCL UCU Executive Committee

@ucl_ucu

UCL UCU

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Appendix: Motion - Support the University of Liverpool UCU industrial action

UCL UCU notes:

1. The disgraceful decision by the University of Liverpool to make Health and Life Science teachers and researchers redundant
2. The detrimental effect this will have on student learning
3. The devastating impact on staff of losing their jobs during the pandemic
4. The determination of UCU Liverpool members to fight for their members

UCL UCU further notes:

1. Managers at other universities want to exploit the pandemic to make cuts
2. This makes the battle for jobs at Liverpool a dispute of national importance
3. It is in the interests of all workers, including us, that UCU Liverpool wins its dispute

UCL UCU resolves:

1. To send a message of solidarity to UCU University of Liverpool
2. To donate £1,000 to their strike fund, and to call on members to make donations or pledge a regular amount
3. To actively support and publicise their strike days and events