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As the cuts bite across the public sector, it’s never been more
important to build our union. You can help us grow today by
emailing your colleagues and asking them to join. Staff in our
colleges and universities have never … Continue reading →
Meeting of all members on fixed-term
or casual contracts
UCU is holding a meeting of all staff on casualised contracts
on:
Friday 19 February
2pm – 3pm
Baines Wing SR 1.13.
Casualised contracts include fixed term contracts, hourly paid,
zero hours, agency contracts – essentially if you are not on a
permanent, salaried contract this means you!
If you are already on a permanent, salaried contract, please
do feel free to pass the word on and encourage members
whose working conditions have been casualised to attend.
There will be two main areas of linked discussion:
1. Leeds UCU campaign for secure employment for all staff:
UCU has recently written to the university demanding
more progress on job security and adding weight to our
local requests for improvements.
2. UCU’s national Annual Meeting of Staff on Casualised
Contracts, 11 March, UCU head office (London):
delegates, self-registration, and motions.
The Annual Meeting is convened by the UCU anticasualisation committee. It a very important opportunity for
the voices of casualised staff at the grassroots level to be
heard. Motions passed by this meeting will inform the
priorities of the UCU anti-casualisation committee (ACC) for
the coming year, and will also direct the ACC on the content
of motions that should be sent to Congress and the Higher
Education Sector Conference, where UCU policy is formed. It
is also a brilliant chance to discuss issues relating to the
national campaign for secure employment and to take part in
a choice of excellent workshops. More information will be
available at the Leeds meeting, but you can also email branch
vice-president Vicky Blake if you wish to know more.
Delegates: We need to elect two members attend this
meeting as delegates from Leeds UCU. We don’t need
nominations in advance for that, you can put your name in at
the meeting, but if you would like to be a delegate to but you
can’t make this meeting on the 19th please email me.
Self-registration: It is also possible to register yourself to
attend the Annual Meeting if you are not elected as a formal
delegate, and you will be able to participate fully in the
meeting. Places for self-registrants will be confirmed after the
branch delegates registration deadline, but you must also
apply for a place by 26 February.
Motions: UoL UCU can also send a motion from the meeting
on 19 February to the UCU Annual Meeting of Staff on
Casualised Contracts. If you have a motion you would like to
propose, please email a copy of your proposed motion (or
details of ideas for one if you would like to discuss) to me
before the start of the meeting. This will help us to plan the
agenda timings for the 19 Feb, and will also help us to file the
motions on time as the deadline is very shortly after our
meeting will finish.
We hope to see lots of staff on casualised contracts at the
meeting on 19 Feb, and we hope there will also be plenty of
interest in attending the Annual Meeting on 11 March. All
travel costs for 11 March will be reimbursed by UCU, and
lunch will be provided. If buying a ticket in advance for the
meeting and waiting for expenses to be returned would make
your financial situation difficult, it is very easy for us to arrange
your travel to be purchased in advance by UCU directly, so
long as we have enough notice – so please do not let
purchasing travel tickets / logistics put you off!
#heartunions week 8th – 14th
February 2016
The TUC are running a a special week of activities to highlight
the amazing work trade unions do. This is really important at
this time when the (anti) Trade Union Bill is coming before the
House of Lords. The government aims to make unions
powerless, so employers can roll back the employment rights
that have been hard won by trade unionists over many
decades.
What rights? Just a few little things like weekends and
holidays, sick pay and maternity/paternity rights, protection
against unfairness and bullying and unfair dismissal, the right
to retire with a pension, equal pay, and much more.
Watch this great Youtube video at https://t.co/RaNgCMV6A7
Some people think that these rights are now normal practice
and unions are not needed any more. This is a bit like saying
that everyone understands the rules of the road so we don’t
need road signs and traffic lights. Without unions constantly
on the watch, employers would be free to reduce pay and
conditions and safety standards, sack anyone they don’t like,
and generally make our working lives miserable in the pursuit
of maximum profit.
The Conservatives, along with much of the press, like to
portray trade unions as irresponsible and selfish, constantly
striking and causing havoc for no good reason. But the rights
at work that we have today came from brave people, ordinary
people, making sacrifices to fight injustice and create a fairer
society by withdrawing their labour. It’s important that we can
continue to do this when necessary.
For more information about #heartunions and the Trade Union
bill visit http://heartunions.org/
What you can do – please help spread the word about
#heartunions week. Share the video on Facebook, tweet
about #heartunions and just chat to your colleagues, friends
and relations about why we need trade unions.
And if you’re not yet a member of UCU, it’s easy to join online
– go to https://www.ucu.org.uk/join
Challenging racism in the workplace
All members and staff and students are invited to a UCU
event on challenging racism in the workplace.
Dr Iyiola Solanke of the School of Law
New UCU film ‘Witness’, which chronicles the lived
experiences of UCU black members in post-16 education
Baldeep Thiara from UCU black members network in
Yorkshire and Humberside
Wednesday 10 February, 1pm-2pm
Lecture theatre E (G.08), Engineering (Houldsworth building)
To see more about UCU campaign on challenging racism in
the workplace, go to ucu.org.uk/action-against-workplaceracism.
Challenging workplace racism event
Wednesday 10 February, 1pm – 2pm
A short talk by Dr Iyiola Solanke of the School of Law followed
by a film from UCU, both on the subject of challenging
workplace racism.
Engineering (Houldsworth) lecture theatre E (G.08).
Open to all members and all staff and students.
Holocaust Memorial Day
In memory of the millions murdered in the Holocaust.
We think of those killed in the Holocaust and the genocides in
Bosnia, Cambodia, Darfur and Rwanda, and from focussing
on those past atrocities we look to build a better present, a
better future.
There will be a vigil in Dortmund Square in Leeds today at
5pm.
UCU material for Holocaust Memorial Day:
films https://youtu.be/m86B9WDvCiI
and https://youtu.be/Qduycstt9oE, and
articles: https://www.ucu.org.uk/hmd
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