Thanks for everyone who attended the EGM on 4th May.   Some good debate was had over the MAB and we are pleased to report that all motions were strongly supported with no votes against.

A letter has already been drafted for the attention of the VC containing the motions as passed and urging her to take action to address the concerns of the branch.

Q&A’s from the Floor

Q – You suggest that members use their backlog of leave and seek to slow down M&A by submitting leave requests.   Is it not the case that leave is embargoed during M&A?

A -It will depend upon the attitude of your line manager, but it is a managers duty to allow sufficient time for you to take leave, or agree that you can carry forward more leave into the next leave period.

Q – Do we expect the University to deduct 50% of a month’s salary?

A – At this stage we simply do not know what the deductions will look like, but suspect neither does management.   If such deductions were made we would strongly object on the grounds that it would be disproportionate.   Be prepared though for deductions to occur and for UCU to have to intervene to get them refunded.

Q – Should I still continue to do external viva’s?

A – UCU advice is that you SHOULD honour such external contract agreements.

Q – How can I handle student complaints?

A – Whatever your level of seniority, any communications from students should be passed to your line manager; you should not be dealing with the fall out of a dispute that is directly linked to management failure.   If you are asked by students when they can expect a mark then the honest answer would be to say that at this stage you simply do not know.

It is important that students are helped to understand that UCU’s dispute is not with them and that the MAB is being taken with a heavy heart.   An open letter to students has been issued to the Student Union explaining the background of the dispute and the reason it has been seen as necessary to take such drastic action.   The letter is available as a PDF here and you may wish to provide links to the letter for your students in email correspondence and other information channels.

Slides from the EGM including motions passed on the day can be seen here.

As we in HE continue our struggle for a fair deal on workloads and pay, the same issues are also driving disputes in the FE sector.

Our close neighbour and ally will commence a programme of strike action today (May 4th) in pursuit of their own claims over precisely the same issues that plague HE.

UCU Bradford University LA extends it support and a message of solidarity to our colleagues just down the road.

The full strike dates are:

• Week 1: Tomorrow (Thursday 4 May)
• Week 2: Tuesday 16 and Friday 19 May
• Week 3: Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 May
• Week 4: Monday 5 and Wednesday 7 June
• Week 5: Monday 12, Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14 June
• Week 6: Monday 19, Tuesday 20, Wednesday 21, Thursday 22 June

Members are encouraged to pop along to the picket to say hello and show support.   Pickets start at 7am.

You can read more about their local dispute here.

Dear colleague

I know how challenging these past weeks have been for UCU members taking part in the marking and assessment boycott (MAB). I want you to know that the union is behind you fighting on every front, not only for a better deal for UCU members, but also against punitive salary deductions being threatened by our employers.

Where punitive deductions have been threatened, we are working directly with branches to implement our escalation strategy which includes applying pressure through campaigning, negotiation, and where required strike action. This strategy is working, with employers reconsidering their threats like at University of Hertfordshire where management backed down from 100% deductions. We are also holding weekly dispute meetings with your local reps, so that we can coordinate activities across the UK and win this dispute.

Our employers attack us on a collective basis, we have to fight back collectively. We all have a role to play in this. If you’re not taking part in the marking boycott and can afford to donate, please do so here.

I also need every one of you, your friends, and our supporters to:

1. Use the online tools we have created to directly contact VCs and MPs to complain
2. Ramp up the pressure on VCs by liking, sharing and promoting materials from our #NoDeductions campaign and the letter sent by 50 MPs to UCEA
3. Show your support to all members taking part in the MAB.

Support your colleagues. Support the MAB. UCU and proud.

In solidarity

Jo Grady
UCU general secretary

Dear Students of the University of Bradford,

I am writing to you on behalf of those that are currently taking part in industrial action in support of our demands for better working conditions for staff.

What is the dispute about?

The Four Fights dispute has separate strands covering Workload, Precarious Contract Arrangements, Gender Pay Equality, and Pay.

Workload – You are probably aware that at Bradford staff levels have fallen over the last five years. There are several reasons for this, but fundamentally this has a detrimental impact on the ability of your tutor to support you in your studies. Many staff combat this by working long hours way beyond that for which they are contracted, and for no more pay. Working 60 hours plus a week to keep on top of workload is not uncommon across the sector.

Whilst staff recruitment has alleviated the worst of this, the fundamental failing of too few staff to adequately support our students remains, with staff having to work long hours unpaid to cover that deficit.

Precarious Contracts – A large number of academic staff (~3,500) in HE are employed on so called “zero hours” contracts. Approximately ~40% of teaching focused staff are on hourly paid contracts and >65% of research focused staff are on fixed-term contracts. Staff on those arrangements cannot guarantee their income, making it difficult to get a mortgage or even to be confident that they can provide for their family. They are paid only for contact time with students; preparation for that delivery is done at their own expense.

Pay Equality – Recent assessments indicate that female staff are paid on average 16% less for the same job despite having the same levels of achievement and experience as their male colleagues. The gap between Black and White staff is 17% and the disability gap 9%.

Pay – Since 2008 successive pay settlements have been below even the lowest levels of inflation. This means that as you read this the real terms value of salaries is just around 75% of its value in 2008, even before the current cost of living crisis. Despite this the employer has refused to discuss pay in any meaningful way and has ‘imposed’ a settlement on staff that has been rejected by UCU and its members.

What do we want?

On the first three strands of the dispute UCU is demanding binding commitments and a timetabled plan to end these unsatisfactory practices. Previous attempts to resolve these matters have been unsuccessful; this time UCU believes that it has the mandate to force the employer to stick to promises that it has previously reneged upon.

On the issue of pay, UCU expects the employer to return to negotiations to reach a settlement that offsets our devastating loss of earnings.

What about students?

The marking and assessment boycott is the next phase in this long running dispute that commenced last year with periods of strike action.

I hope you will recognise that this lawful action is not undertaken lightly and is done despite your tutor’s commitment to you and your success.

Most importantly please understand that this is not an attack on you and your peers, rather it is an attempt to get the employer to see sense and recognise the critical importance of the relationship that exists between you and your tutor.

What can I do?

We ask that you support your tutors by lobbying the University to support a fairer deal on all strands of the Four Fights dispute. You may want to write to the Vice Chancellor (S.Congdon@bradford.ac.uk) to show your support and be vocal on social media in support of the UCU Rising campaign. Above all, make sure your tutor knows that you understand the incredible pressures that they are under and why action is being taken.

UCU believes that the resolving of this dispute is crucial in allowing its members to get back to the job they do best and that they most love – supporting you and helping you achieve your maximum potential.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Dr Zak Hughes – LA President

A downloadable PDF of this letter is available here:

Open Letter to Students re MAB 27 April 2023 1

With the marking and assessment boycott now in place, here is another chance to discuss how a MAB works, question branch committee on how to apply the MAB, advice on dealing with management and student queries, and a further update from HQ.

The following motions will also be debated.

Condemnation of the Threat of Punitive Action

The branch notes that:

Following UCU’s announcement of a marking and assessment boycott (MAB), the University has threatened up to 100% pay deduction for what it terms partial performance.

Such disproportionate action would be punitive and amounts to a transparently wilful attempt to intimidate those of its own staff who are taking lawful action; such bullying is deplorable.

100% pay deduction would be wholly disproportionate given the University’s own assessment and acceptance that a MAB constitutes a partial withdrawal of labour.

MOTION 1

UCU University of Bradford Local Association calls upon the University to act fairly in its dealings with staff who participate in lawful action by removing ALL threats of disproportionate sanction.

Call for the University to act in the best interests of students and staff

The branch notes that:

The current dispute has been further protracted by the employer’s unwillingness to meet the reasonable expectations of members that the long-term erosion of the value of our pay be reversed through a realistic and just settlement.

That it is in the best interests of the University of Bradford that the present dispute be drawn to a swift conclusion.

That to date the University of Bradford has chosen to be led by UUK and UCEA unlike some other institutions.

That UCEA and UUK are disproportionately influenced by larger and more vocal institutions to whom a protracted dispute may not be seen as so challenging, and that it is therefore essential that the University of Bradford’s voice is heard.

MOTION 2

UCU University of Bradford Local Association calls upon the University to lobby UUK and UCEA for a fairer deal on pay as a means of protecting the best interests of students, staff, and the University of Bradford, and its reputation as a welcoming and supportive educator and employer.

Dear Colleague,

We have commenced a national marking and assessment boycott in our pay and working conditions dispute. The initial feedback is that support has been overwhelming.

This is despite many of you receiving outrageous threats of punitive deductions from employers for daring to make a stand. Many of you have been told you are facing 50% pay deductions, with some employers even going to 100%. These actions are immoral, aimed at intimidating you, and about attempting to break your resolve as quickly as possible.

I want to start by addressing the law. The legal system in the UK is stacked against working people. But let me be clear: UCU will take legal advice and action wherever we possibly can. One of the issues we have is that we cannot commence action against an employer until after deductions have taken place, and a further outrage of the UK legal system means that any claim we do make will be tied up for years before knowing if we have won. Whilst the potential to take legal action does exist, and we will obviously fight these deductions legally where possible, at this point in time the law does not help you.

This is why we have developed a plan to apply maximum pressure on employers immediately.

1. we will be writing to MPs setting out the actions of employers; we will set up a process for you to support this as members
2. we are building solidarity and fundraising networks across our movement
3. we will be using local press and national media to expose employers which move to punitive deductions
4. we will be working with local student groups to create maximum pressure and solidarity on the ground; we will set up a tool for staff and students to email their vice-chancellors
5. we have developed a social media strategy to target institutions which are attacking our members
6. we will escalate to strike action in universities where punitive deductions take place.

We are going to raise the profile of these attacks from university management, and raise money and support for you.

It is absolutely crucial that you play your part in this plan as well.

Document every conversation on deductions that takes place locally, share all of the union’s content, write to your local MP and most crucially of all–back the marking and assessment boycott.

We will not bow down to intimidation.

The employers can end this now. Table a renewed offer on pay and working conditions. It’s that or we will take this dispute to an even higher level.

In solidarity

Jo Grady 
UCU general secretary

Follow this link for details and FAQ’s regarding the UCU Marking and assessment boycott 2023

The boycott is a key element of ASOS as UCU builds pressure on the employer to make a meaningful and binding commitment to fair pay and working conditions for all staff.

For those unable to get to the EGM this week here is the slides presentation.

EGM_19Apr2023

In what was a wide ranging discussion, the following additional points were made during Q&A:

• Whilst the USS dispute is still live, the decision to ‘note’ the employers offer meant that action would be suspended to allow time for ongoing negotiation.   Further action may be triggered if progress stalls.
• Members should attend classes where there may be some elements of assessment, but should not takes notes or mark any work.
• It is important to recognise that scripts, marks etc. whether physical or electronic are the property of the University and must be handed over upon request.   For this reason it is inadvisable to ‘mark and park’ work.
• Whilst pay deduction is essentially a local issue, and action as a response is also a local matter, HQ would coordinate action nationally.   If 100% deduction was imposed widely across the sector then there could be escalation to an all out strike.
• Members should be aware that in order to meet strict anti-trade union legislation requirements for notification of action, a further programme of strike action may be announced in the coming days.   This would however be in anticipation of no further movement as a consequence of the MAB.
• To date the University has not declared its intentions regarding pay deduction, save to reserve the right to deduct 100%.   It is recognised however that any partial deduction would need to be properly assessed and applied equitably across the institution.

Members with questions of a more specific/unique nature were asked to email ucusupport@bradford.ac.uk for tailored guidance.

For those considering making an application to the UCU Fighting Fund, here is a reminder of the days on which strike action took place over the course of the current disputes:

• 3 days in Nov (24th, 25th, and 30th)
• 6 days in Feb (1st, 9th, 10th, 14th, 15th, 16th)
• 6 days in March (15th, 16th, 17th, 20th, 21st, 22nd)

You  will need to provide evidence (i.e. a pay slip showing strike deductions) at the point of making your claim.

You can find full details of the Fighting Fund and how to claim here.