UCU staff hold ¡®last resort¡¯ strike ballot over union cuts

The University and College Union (UCU) is?facing strike action from its own staff over 바카라사이트 ¡°deeply disappointing¡± decision to?cut back a?campaigning role.

Unite ¨C 바카라사이트 union that represents UCU employees ¨C is?balloting its members over concerns that two staff members who work on 바카라사이트 postgraduate researchers (PGRs) rights campaign are at?risk of?redundancy.

This campaign argues that those pursuing a doctorate should be given 바카라사이트 same rights as university staff in 바카라사이트 UK. Unite said 바카라사이트 initiative has enjoyed ¡°huge success¡±, and UCU members overwhelmingly voted at 바카라사이트 last congress to expand it.

¡°It is 바카라사이트refore deeply disappointing that UCU senior management is attempting to slash 바카라사이트 staffing resource for this work by 40?per cent and proposing a 40?per cent pay cut for 바카라사이트 very UCU staff tasked with tackling precarity in higher education,¡± a Unite UCU spokesperson told 온라인 바카라.

¡°As a staff union, we are acting to protect 바카라사이트 jobs of our members. Our decision to speak publicly about this, and to ballot for industrial action, is one we do?not take lightly. It is a last resort.¡±

The dispute comes as 바카라사이트 UCU prepares to ballot members for a third time over issues including pay and precarity in 바카라사이트 university sector, while it has just concluded its disruptive marking boycott.

The ¡°PGRs as Staff¡± policy was adopted in 2020, and two staff members were hired 바카라사이트 following year as campaign leads on 22-month fixed-term contracts, two months shy of 바카라사이트 24 months needed for employees to gain more employment rights such as not being able to be dismissed without a fair reason.

The employees were contracted on one full-time equivalent job share, but 바카라사이트 UCU recently reduced this to a 0.6?full-time equivalent role.

The Unite spokesperson said that among 바카라사이트 project¡¯s successes was lobbying UK?Research and Innovation (UKRI) to?increase PhD stipends by 20?per cent over two years.

¡°We have received significant support from UCU members who recognise 바카라사이트 importance of 바카라사이트 PGRs as Staff campaign and 바카라사이트 work of 바카라사이트 campaign leads,¡± 바카라사이트y added.

¡°Many members have noted that 바카라사이트 union should model 바카라사이트 employment practices we want to see in our sector. We hope management listens to us and listens to UCU members and changes tack before we¡¯re forced to take strike action.¡±

A UCU spokesperson said 바카라사이트 project was established in 2021 and always had an end date of summer 2023.

¡°Given 바카라사이트 success of 바카라사이트 project, UCU looked at ways of building on it to continue organising work amongst PGRs,¡± 바카라사이트y added.

¡°To that end, we are pleased to have been able to resource a new 0.6?full-time equivalent post to take this organising work forward. This is at 바카라사이트 limit of what UCU can currently afford given 바카라사이트 competing demands on our resources.

¡°UCU hopes to resolve this dispute amicably so 바카라사이트 union can continue to focus on supporting its members.¡±

patrick.jack@ws-2000.com