UCL-UCU: Annual General Meeting - voting reminder, motions for debate & draft minutes of 2021 AGM

The Annual General Meeting of UCL UCU will be held on Wednesday 29 June from 13:00-14:00 (facilitated using Zoom ).

Voting for the contested post of Secretary is open until 17:00 Monday 27 June. If you have not voted you will shortly receive a reminder email from the Choice Voting platform - look out for a message from 'support@choicevoting.co.uk', subject 'you have been invited to vote in UCL UCU Executive Committee elections 2022-23'.) You can change your vote if you have already voted. If you have not received an invitation to vote please contact ucu@ucl.ac.uk.

This message includes motions submitted for debate (Appendix 1) and draft minutes of the 2021 AGM (Appendix 2).

Any late motions for debate or amendments should be submitted to ucu@ucl.ac.uk in time for pre-circulation.

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Appendix 1 - motions for debate

Rule change motions

Rule change motion 1: Co-option

In 7.3(c), change 2 to 4, and replace "by the annual general meeting or by the committee" with "by a majority vote at a quorate general meeting".

Rationale: if we are to increase the number of co-optees we should have a safeguard that formally co-opting members of the committee is something in the hands of members at a general meeting, not the committee acting alone.

In practical terms, potential co-optees could attend committee meetings as observers prior to ratification by a GM vote.

Rule 7.3(c) would then read:

• c) up to [4] members co-opted by a majority vote at a quorate general meeting who will serve to the end of the term of office of other committee members.

Rule change motion 2: Casual vacancies

Add "by applying the mechanism of co-option" at the end of the first sentence of Rule 8.8.

Rationale: this simply makes it clear that the committee cannot bypass the democratic process of a GM vote.

The Rule would then read:

• 8.8    Casual vacancies
• If an office is vacant and no ballot is being held for that office, the committee is empowered to fill the vacancy, either from members of the committee itself or from the general membership of the Branch by applying the mechanism of co-option.  Officers so appointed will retire at the same time as if they had been duly declared elected at the last Annual General Meeting.

Click here to view the current UCL UCU Branch rules.

Solidarity with in-housing campaigns

UCL UCU notes:

1. Since UCL decided to outsource cleaning, security, and catering services a decade ago, workers have seen a significant decline in pay and conditions. Previously UCL security staff were paid over £15/hr. Now workers are campaigning actively to be brought in house and for fair pay.

UCL UCU supports:

1. The IWGB and UNISON campaigns calling for UCL to end outsourcing, zero hours contracts, and poor pay.
2. The IWGB campaign for fair pay for security guards, cleaners and porters at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
3. The Condemnation of LSHTM's targeted suspension of unionised workers.

UCL UCU resolves to:

1. Publicly support both the IWGB and UNISON campaigns (e.g. on social media, in regular communications with members)
2. Circulate information about the campaigns and actions members can take on an ongoing basis and, in the first instance, by 5 July.
3. Publicly support IWGB's demand to be recognised by UCL, and put pressure on UCL accordingly.
4. Actively work to encourage dialogue and collaboration between UNISON and IWGB.
5. In the event of a strike related to any of these campaigns and in the case that sufficient funds are available, make a donation to the relevant strike fund(s) to show our solidarity.

Responding to the Global Climate Crisis

UCL UCU Notes:

1. The most recent IPCC report published in April highlights how action to tackle the cause of the global climate emergency is now urgently required.
2. The UK Government’s continued support and funding of Fossil Fuel Industry.
3. That the global climate crisis is an issue for all workers connected as it is with issues of decolonization, global inequality, economic crises and workers rights.
4. There are many staff at UCL engaged with ‘sustainability/ climate change/ decolonization related activities who can be drawn into UCU related activities through activism on this issue.

UCL UCU Resolves to:

1. Establish a climate emergency / sustainability activist network to develop and campaign and build UCU action on this issue.
2. Support XR Scientist’s at UCL in their campaigns to bring urgent action to the Global Climate Emergency including providing representation for individuals in the case of any legal actions that arise from their campaigning activities.
3. Support the student led Fossil Free Research campaign to campaign for UCL to take a lead in being a fossil free funding Institution.
4. Campaign to speed up and increase UCL investment in its estate to make the UCL estate zero heat emission compliant.
5. To support “We All Want to Just Stop Oil” a network of environmental and progressive labour movements, faith communities, and charities by:
   1. Promoting the National March and Sit Down on 23 July 2022
   2. Making a donation of £1000 to support and build the network

Motion on Branch Administration

Notes:

1. The full-time Branch Administrator left UCL UCU in Dec 2019.
2. We are the largest Branch in the UK, we raise a local membership fee and have substantial funds.
3. The Branch has employed a series of 3 temps since 2019, whose work is valued and appreciated. However, temps do not enjoy full employment rights, or the right to be represented by the UCU staff branch of UNITE. All workers should have the right to be represented by a recognised trade union in negotiations with their employer.
4. UCU nationally and the Branch are opposed to casualisation and outsourcing.
5. UCU nationally and the Branch are taking industrial action against casualisation in the Four Fights dispute.
6. The capacity of the Branch to respond to members is limited by the lack of a full-time Branch Administrator.

Resolves:

1. Instructs the Branch Committee to work with London Region UCU to advertise for and employ a Branch Administrator under the normal terms and conditions of UCU employees as soon as practical.
2. That the broad work priorities of the Branch Administrator will be decided by the Executive Committee, and day to day supervision by the President or Vice-President.

Appendix 2 - Draft minutes of UCL UCU AGM (20 July 2021)

Chair: Saladin Meckled-Garcia

1) Chair's Business:

None.

2) Minutes of previous Annual General Meeting (22 July 2020).

These were agreed as an accurate record.

3) Matters arising:

James Price, our outgoing Environment Officer, gave an update on the first national UCU Environment Meeting that took place earlier this year where several motions were put forward to congress. He also encouraged members to visit the UCU environment page where you can sign up to become a Green Rep and join the mailing list to receive updates on environmental issues in the workplace and beyond.

Alun Coker, the Health & Safety Officer, gave an update on all the work done by the Health & Safety committee over the last year including the implementation of face masks on campus, routine testing, and at home Display Screen Equipment (DSE) assessments. Moving forward as we return to campus he highlighted the need for appropriate ventilation as a major issue. He also encouraged members to collect PFF face masks - the most effective mask for protection while commuting - free of charge from security. If needed, members can contact Safety Services to arrange to deliver them to off campus departments.

Anyone interested in becoming a H&S Rep in their area should contact alun.coker@ucl.ac.uk and ucu@ucl.ac.uk.

The chair highlighted the need for more departmental reps as coverage across the university is essential. More information on becoming a rep can be found here and he encouraged anyone interested in volunteering or who felt their department particularly in need of a rep to contact ucu@ucl.ac.uk.

4) President's Annual Report:

The president’s annual report was circulated prior to the meeting which addressed:

• This year universities predicted a fall in student recruitment of around 2% but instead numbers surged 4% resulting in a surplus between £50m to £80m for UCL. This surplus has not been universal across all HE institutions so it is crucial for UCU branches to hold their nerve and support each other.
• Staff accepted postponing research last year but workloads have frequently become out of control as hiring freezes have persisted. As research restarts workloads will only increase.
• We have to fight to ensure that new income is prioritised on staff numbers, reducing workload and increasing job security, and on safety for staff and students alike.
• We have set up networks for staff affected by the implementation of the PGTA Code of Practice and Teaching Concordat so please email ucu@ucl.ac.uk to request to join.
• USS Limited has created an artificially and unrealistically low projection of a deficit in the defined benefit scheme. We will need to organise to win an industrial action ballot and take hard-hitting strike action if we want to save USS.
• If we can run two national ballots on USS and the Four Fights together we should – we know from 2018 and 2019 that this boosted turnout hugely. USS is about the future – the Four Fights campaign concerns our terms and conditions now.

5) Accounts for year ending 31 August 2020

Ruth Dar (Treasurer) presented the accounts and the Chair welcomed questions from the floor. The accounts were proposed for formal adoption and the meeting agreed unanimously, nem con.

6) Subscriptions for 2021-22

Ruth Dar proposed that the progressive subscriptions agreed at last year’s meeting be continued for another year as the branch continues to have a healthy bank balance - this was adopted with no opposition.

Ruth Dar highlighted that the banding of local subscriptions needed amending to be in line with UCU national subscription banding as per the below:

The chair made a point to thank Ruth Dar, who is retiring, for her invaluable contribution to the workings of the branch.

8) Elections:

Prior to the meeting members were invited to put forward nominations for all Branch Officer positions, especially President, Vice President, Secretary, Equality Officer and Treasurer.

i) Branch Officers standing for re-election:

• President: Sean Wallis
• Branch Secretary: Tony Brown
• Health and Safety: Alun Coker
• Co-PGTA rep: Catherine Dale

ii) Branch Officers standing for election:

• Communications: Saladin Meckled-Garcia
• Equalities: Victoria Showumni
• Treasurer: Seán Doyle
• Environment: Seán Doyle
• Anti-Casualisation (teaching focus): Matteo Tiratelli
• Co-PGTA rep: Nikhil Venkatesh

iii) Current Executive Committee (EC) members standing for re-election:

• Helen Donoghue
• Martin Fry
• Majella Lane
• Ilektra-Athanasia Christidi
• Maria (Masha) Sibiryakova
• Mark Newman
• Richard Pettinger
• Nalini Vittal
• Holly Smith (IoE) is ex-officio as an NEC member

iv) New members proposed for the EC:

• Bettina Friedrich

v) Retiring EC members:

• Sonja Curtis
• Ruth Dar (Treasurer)
• Saffron East (Co-PGTA rep)
• Ala'a Shehabi
• James Price (Environment)
• Bella Vivat (Joint Anti-Casualisation)

The chair noted that no Branch Officer posts were contested and there were fewer Executive Committee nominations than there were vacancies. The Chair further noted that under rule, uncontested nominations did not require a formal election. Nonetheless, a confirmatory vote was proposed, with members indicating their overwhelming agreement, nem con.

The Chair thanked members for attending and closed the meeting.