A very well attended and active members meeting was held yesterday afternoon, Monday 2nd June. Many thanks to everyone who made the time to attend. The meeting discussed Branch Committee updates and members questions, comments and views on:
Phase 1 of Future Nottingham
The release last week of flawed and incomplete ‘pooling’ information for APM colleagues, and Branch Committee participation in consultations to date with updates from Lopa Leach as President, Nick Clare as Secretary, and Andrew Armstrong as APM Officer were discussed.
The Branch Committee was categorical that the large size of some pools was not at the request of trade unions, despite statements suggesting or stating otherwise in university communications.
The widespread and well-founded frustration of members was evident throughout the meeting, with members highlighting the need to translate frustration into solidarity across job families within the Union and across the University as a whole.
Apparent inconsistencies and poor communications from the University were highlighted, including the failure to publish FAQs with ‘pooling’ information last week, the seemingly changing and ambiguous position of School-based APM staff between phases 1 and 2, that concerns about UniCore data used to inform this process have been raised repeatedly, and the inclusion of externally funded roles in the ‘pools’.
The ballot for strike action and action short of a strike
Andreas, as Vice President, underlined that as this is a local dispute we are in a position to decide our own strategy and develop tactics tailored to how our workplace functions that are as hard-hitting as possible, thus heightening our chances of success.
The importance of a strong ballot turnout and the key role of ASOS were emphasised by several speakers and in the chat discussion.
Recent wins at Sheffield, Dundee and Cardiff were noted as examples where high ballot turnouts and commitment to taking action protected jobs.
That our goal in balloting for – and potentially taking – strike action is to prevent compulsory redundancies was underlined. The need to challenge the University to adopt a more sustainable financial model in the longer term, as articulated in the Alternate Financial Strategy 2.0, was also underscored.
Next steps and actions
The key next step for all members is to vote then let your department rep know when you have posted your ballot!
Any member who wishes to join the ‘get out the vote’ work, especially in an area without a UCU representative, is invited to email the branch: uonucubranch@gmail.com.
The meeting also heard a call from Tony Padilla as Treasurer for proposals of fundraising activities to support the branch solidarity and hardship fund. As with prior disputes, the fund will be used to support members in the event of industrial action. If you have a proposal for fundraising activities, please contact the branch.
If you wish to make a one-off or recurring donation to the fund, please use the details here.