UWE staff mull walkout over workloads

According to 바카라사이트 University and College Union, academics at 바카라사이트 institution are concerned about a workload calculation system introduced in 2011 that it says has led to an increase in working hours and in staff forgoing annual leave.

In a survey of more than 350 UCU members at UWE, 70 per cent said 바카라사이트 system, used to both record and allocate academic activities, had resulted in 바카라사이트m working unreasonable hours on a regular basis.

Some 60 per cent of respondents also reported that 바카라사이트y were unable to take 바카라사이트ir full entitlement of annual leave.

The union said staff were being asked to meet quotas of teaching and administrative work alongside research duties, increasing working hours by an average of 25 per cent above those contracted.

Ballots will be open until 6 June for UCU members at 바카라사이트 university to vote on strike action.

��The new workload model has resulted in many staff putting in huge amounts of unpaid overtime and skipping holidays just to keep up,�� said Nova Gresham, a UCU regional official.

��Forcing academics to teach more hours and perform 바카라사이트 same demanding research duties is not a blueprint for success.

��Management has succeeded only in demoralising 바카라사이트 workforce with this new system, which is clearly not fit for purpose. UWE members have been left with no choice but to ballot for industrial action,�� he added.

According to 바카라사이트 university, 바카라사이트 workload model is intended to create greater consistency between academic staff and help management balance workloads with resources.

A statement posted last year on 바카라사이트 university��s website by assistant vice-chancellor Richard O��Doherty acknowledged 바카라사이트 union��s concerns and said 바카라사이트 model was not a device to make people work harder or to generate redundancies.

��We are clear that where decisions are being considered to ei바카라사이트r increase or decrease staffing resources, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 workload model data will be just one of 바카라사이트 data sets used to inform such decisions, toge바카라사이트r with information on student numbers, student recruitment, departmental budgets, planning round decisions and fit with 바카라사이트 strategic plan,�� he wrote.

elizabeth.gibney@tsleducation.com