Dear members,
Happy New Year from University of Nottingham UCU Branch. In this email, we are trialing a newsletter format that we anticipate will make some of the work of UCU reps, caseworkers, and committee members more visible to members, and our email communications more concise. The newsletter also serves to highlight how any members can get more involved with current UoN UCU work.
Future Nottingham
Branch Committee, in particular the Branch Committee Executive (Lopa Leach as President, Andreas Bieler as Vice-President, Nick Clare as Branch Secretary and Tony Padilla as Branch Treasurer), continue to scrutinise the details of plans relating to Future Nottingham, as these are made available. This includes confidential material, the details of which we will share with members when we are able to.
In the meantime we encourage all members to continue paying close attention to information relating to Future Nottingham as it becomes available, and to write to Lopa (REDACTED) or Andreas (REDACTED) if you have particular concerns or comments here.
The Workload Health & Safety campaign: 95 so we can thrive
The workload campaign continues, with the members of the ‘95 so we can thrive’ campaign group meeting in the week starting 6th January. At the time of writing, the University has yet to complete the legally required Business Unit Stress Risk Assessments (see November email to members re ‘UCU Workload Group Campaign’). Until these risk assessments are completed, any workload exceeding 100% constitutes a Stress Health and Safety Hazard.
Discussions are ongoing with HR on this matter, but in the meantime, members are encouraged to refuse any additional work if it takes their workload above 100% and to request an individual stress risk assessment if it is the case.
Further information and support for members will follow in the upcoming weeks. In the meantime, the working group is always looking for new members so if you are interested, please email Mel Bhend (REDACTED) or Jenny Elliot (REDACTED)
UoN UCU Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) pledge
With Israel’s relentless onslaught on Gaza continuing, please remember to sign the UoN UCU Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) pledge. As well as committing signatories to the academic boycott, this pledge asks the University to cut all ties with Israeli Higher Education institutions and to divest from arms manufacturing companies.
If you would like to join the work of members in the Palestine Solidarity Group, please email uonucubranch@gmail.com.
Branch Committee meeting summary
Finally, our first Branch Committee meeting of the year on Thursday 9th January welcomed Nick Clare as the new Branch Secretary, taking over from Tony Simmonds. The meeting covered a range of topics including some of the above, the agenda included updates about and discussions of:
-
- The impact of MARS and Future Nottingham,
- The rollout of Unicore (and the unnecessary workload implications therein),
- The Workload Health & Safety campaign,
- The work of the Alternate Finance Strategy Group,
- Joint Negotiation and Consultation Committee (JNCC) subcommittees,
- A quarterly meeting of the three campus unions (UCU, Unite and Unison),
- The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Pledge.
The committee also heard updates from the Branch Executive and various Branch Officers, including the APM Officer, the Anti-Cas Officer, and the Communications Officer.
The Branch Committee meets most weeks, if you would like Committee to discuss a particular topic please email the details to: uonucubranch@gmail.com
Joining link and further information
Remember to pass on the online joining link to your colleagues.
Having trouble at work? Please log a case with our large, competent casework team!
Need to talk to your departmental rep? Find the full list of UCU reps here. If you are interested in becoming a departmental rep, get in touch!
Yours sincerely,
Kitty Howarth, Branch Administrator on behalf of UoN UCU Branch Committee
Branch website: https://uonucu.org/