Hourly-Paid Workshop
•UCU – an introduction
•Your rights
•Getting improvements
UCU – an introduction
• Almost 120,000 members including
academics, lecturers, trainers,
researchers, computer staff,
administrators and postgraduates in
colleges, universities, prisons and adult
education
• The largest post-school education union in
the world
BRANCHES in
over 600 colleges
and universities
BRANCHES first
port of call if you
have a problem
nearly 120,000
education staff
belong to UCU
BRANCHES send
delegates to
annual Congress
MEMBERS
BRANCHES have
elected officers
UCU is a democratic
organisation and
members vote on
branch, regional and
national decisions
BRANCHES run
by members who
volunteer to help
BRANCHES
negotiate with
your employer
REGIONS each has
a staffed Regional
Office to support
and help organise
branches (national
offices in Wales,
Northern Ireland
and Scotland)
Policies are decided at
annual Congress where
branches send delegates
to vote on their behalf
REGIONS also
elect a committee
to bring together
and support
branches in a
geographical area
NATIONAL
UNION
REGIONS run
training for branch
reps and
volunteers and
hold regular
meetings for
active members
across the region
In between Congress
decisions are made by a
National Executive
Committee (NEC) and
other groups of elected
members
UCU negotiates
nationally with
employers and the
government to win
improvements for
members and for
education
The National Executive
Committee (UCU
members) and full time
staff carry out union
policy – the most senior
official is the General
Secretary who is elected
by members every five
years
UCU – an introduction
• Negotiate pay and conditions locally and
nationally
• Provide individual advice and support
(backed up by our legal scheme)
• Campaign, negotiate and lobby for
improvements for our members
• Anti-casualisation issues (including hourlypaid and fixed-term contract issues) are a
priority
UCU Aims
•Greater job security
•Equal pay (including being paid for all
hours worked)
•Permanent pro-rata contracts
•Eliminate zero hour contracts
•Fair treatment
Part-Time Workers’ (Prevention
of Less Favourable Treatment)
Regulations 2002
The right to be treated no less favourably
than comparable full-time workers /
permanent employees (unless such treatment
is objectively justified).
Fixed Term Employees
(Prevention of Less Favourable
Treatment) Regulations 2002
Employer cannot treat a fixed-term employee
any less favourably than a comparable
permanent employee unless such treatment
can be objectively justified.
The use of successive fixed-term contracts
will be limited to four years, unless the
continued use of a fixed-term contract is
justified on objective grounds.
Redundancy Avoidance
Same legal rights (part-time or open-ended):
Dismissals must be for a ‘fair’ reason
 No unfair selection for redundancy
There must be consultation about dismissals
(collective and / or individual) (Lancaster case)
The employer is under a duty to seek ways of
avoiding redundancies
After 2 years’ service there is the right to
redundancy pay
Employment Rights
• A written statement of terms and conditions
• Equal pay - any term that affects pay
(overtime, holiday entitlement, travel
allowance)
• Legal responsibility for your health and
safety. Includes mental well-being eg stress
• Positive duty on employer to promote
equality
Zero Hours Contracts
•
•
•
•
Allow variations in hours – down to zero
May not guarantee work (or income)
Can lead to exploitation
When there is no work the legal position in
relation to the right to redundancy pay etc
is unclear
• Even if redundancy pay is agreed,
reduced hours mean reduced redundancy
pay
Employment Status
• Employee – most rights
• Worker
• Self-employed?
Legal Successes
• UCU member Sue Birch challenged her
hourly rate of pay ( £10,000 less than a
comparable full-time colleague) and won –
receiving compensation and a permanent
full-time contract
• Lancaster Univ v UCU – won fixed term
contract redundancy consultation rights
UCU Successes
• Northumbria Univ – more than 80 hours
teaching a year, or work more than 1 year,
offered a fractional lecturing contract
• Coventry Adult Education branch - no
variable hours contracts. All tutors offered
fractional contracts with guaranteed hours
• CONEL – campaign/collective grievances
• Aberdeen - Postgrad TAs campaign
• Sheffield – contacting hourly-paid staff
What Can You Do?
• Join UCU ( www.ucu.org.uk/join )
• Encourage colleagues to join / set up a
network
• Contact your branch: get involved
• Hourly-Paid Survival Guide
www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=3228
• UCU Hourly-Paid Network
www.ucu.org.uk/elists