Two Ballots: the FAQs

Posted on 7 February 2019 by cardiff

As you are aware, members face TWO strike ballots this month and we have posted a comprehensive FAQ (‘Frequently Asked Questions’).

Your papers for both ballots must reach Head Office by 22^nd February.

A reminder of the issues:

Pay & Equality (UK ballot, 15^th Jan-22^nd Feb): Negotiations made no progress on the issues of wages, tackling the gender pay gap, reducing casualization, and impossible workloads. UCU nationally, and the Cardiff UCU Executive Committee recommend that you vote ‘YES’ in favour of strike action and ASOS.
Protect jobs (local ballot, 1^st-22^nd Feb): There is a threat of compulsory redundancies at Cardiff University. Our VC has refused to provide assurance there will be no compulsory redundancies as part of the Transforming Cardiff campus redevelopment scheme. Cardiff UCU Executive Committee recommend that you vote ‘YES’ in this local ballot favour of strike action and ASOS to protect our jobs.

And there’s further details in our previous post.

Can you give an hour of your time to help strengthen UCU’s bargaining position?

Posted on 7 February 2019 by cardiff

If so, please join our phone-banking team! We need to personally contact our members to remind them to dig out their ballot papers and put them in the post. It will really help us to achieve the 50% turnout we need for the ballot to count.

We are asking you to commit to just one hour over the coming week. You can work by yourself or in pairs or in groups of three, as you prefer. It’s a great opportunity to meet other members and do something positive to improve your working conditions.

If you can help, please contact Lucy Riglin (RiglinL@cardiff.ac.uk) or Steven Stanley (StanleyS1@cardiff.ac.uk)

UCU NEC and national officer ballot (yes, another one)

Posted on 7 February 2019 by cardiff

Ballot material for the election of UCU national officers and executive committee members will be arriving in the post over the next few days. You will also be receiving election material from the candidates.

We appreciate that you may be suffering from ballot fatigue, however, elections to UCU national officer and NEC positions are extremely important to the functioning of the union. We encourage you to use your vote. You can find out more about the process on the national UCU website.

Meanwhile nominations for positions on the branch executive committee are open until next Wednesday, 13^th February. For more information, contact current exec members or the office ucu@cardiff.ac.uk then download the form and get nominating.

UCU National Congress

Posted on 7 February 2019 by cardiff

The branch is inviting motions for the national UCU Congress which will take place in Harrogate on 25^th-27^th May. Please submit these to the office by Wednesday 27^th February in time for submission to the AGM in March. For more information on Congress see the Congress webpage on the national website.

Consultation on the REF code of practice

Posted on 7 February 2019 by cardiff

UCU’s representatives have been consulted on the REF code of practice, which shows the University’s will to increase the transparency of their procedures on REF. We also welcome the consultation on the code of practice launched in BLAS. On the other hand, our members have raised many concerns in relation to the fairness and transparency of how the actual REF process is conducted. We would like to hear your views on all these three aspects: the consultation on the code of practice, the code of practice itself, and the internal rolling of REF in Cardiff.

Please give us your feedback via our short survey.