Chair’s Year Report 2024

Review of 2024

This year has been tough for staff with the increasing cost of living and lack of movement by UCEA on negotiations for salary uplifts. This is further exacerbated by the failure of both the old and the new government to properly fund universities. Cost cutting measures are being implemented across the country and although we are facing these also at home, we are assured by our VC that we are better off than most. Take that as you will.

In our meetings with senior management this year, a number of issues have been raised. We have, of course, our ongoing campaign to look at having fair and transparent workload models that actually reflect the hours required to do various aspects of our work. This is a large project and is currently ongoing, but thus far the points being made by your UCU representatives are being heard. We will shortly be sending out our own survey to gather evidence on the number of hours you are working. Please respond to this survey when it arrives. You might also be interested in this article about the UCU at the University of Birmingham: https://birminghamucu.org/2024/10/16/university-under-investigation-by-the-health-and-safety-executive/ 

You may remember that we have presented evidence to the senior management that our London Weighting is too low and needs to be increased. We are still working on this matter, but it should be noted that the agreed UCEA increases to our salaries have also been applied to our London Weighting, which is a move in the right direction and far better than some of our neighbouring institutions that have been on the same London Weighting for over 30 years.

On your behalf we also asked about the staff degree scheme. We have had reports that staff have been turned down for this scheme, which offers staff the opportunity to study at KU for a reduced fee and part-time around their working schedule. Senior managers have made it clear to us, and hopefully to your line managers, that if a case can be made for the particular course either being relevant to your current job or to your personal professional development, then it should be approved.

We also dealt with the wording around some correspondence you may have received which left you feeling like you had become a debt collector for the University. The departments involved in this were spoken to by senior management and it was made clear that academic staff should not be chasing students for fees. The relevant persons within the University will continue to do this.

In discussions about the timing of certain academic activities and short deadlines, we raised an issue that has been raised several times before, both through UCU avenues and others. We have proposed a better alignment of the Enrichment Week in October with the local half term holidays. These have tended to be on separate, yet adjacent weeks. Harmonizing these would benefit staff and students with caring responsibilities. In the past, Registry has claimed there is pedagogical reasoning for the Enrichment Week being exactly when it falls, yet we can find none. Likewise, arguments that not all schools have the same half term has been shown by our investigations to be largely untrue, with most schools aligning on the final week of October. This is currently with senior management and we will see if any movement on this happens in the future.

Finally, in keeping with the national It’s Your Time workloads campaign (https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/9464/Its-your-time—workload-campaign-leaflet/pdf/UCU_its_your_time_campaign_flyer.pdf), we want to remind you of KU policies. According to the Overtime Procedure (available on StaffSpace under HR),  “There should not 

be a reliance on staff members working overtime and nor should staff members work over-time on a regular basis (e.g., for more than 12 weeks).”. Further, “Normally, overtime that is worked will be recompensed through the mechanism of time off in lieu (TOIL).” Please discuss your hours over your contract (i.e. over 37 hours per week full-time) with your line manager and arrange to take and use TOIL. Remember that, “Line managers are encouraged to support their staff members to self-manage their time flexibly in such a way that they do not work unreasonable or excessive hours, take the necessary breaks, and maintain a good balance between work and home activities.”

Please be on the look out for the workloads survey and our upcoming Kingston UCU branch meetings.

Sincerely,

Lori Snyder

KUCU branch chair

Threats to jobs at Kingston: cuts, severance, and course restructuring

This document, which was distributed to members last month, lays out the current practices we have been made aware of in relation to severance (so called ‘voluntary exit’), restructuring of courses in the name of ‘efficiencies’ (leading the way to potential further and severe job losses) and the lack of transparency with which these things are being done.

We’re pleased to say that members have responded actively to this summary, expressing dismay and anger at management’s underhanded strategies for diminishing provision and career progression by stealth, and support for our commitment to fighting this. At our next branch meetings we will discuss how we can take action to tackle this threat to academic staff (who are already overworked, demoralised and frustrated by the contempt with which they are treated by duplicitous and out-of-touch senior management).

Kingston UCU Newsletter November 2024

Discontent grows across the university about unmanageable workloads and micromanagement

Latest meetings with management

JNCC 5th November, 2024

Compulsory Compliance Training

HR reported at JNCC on a new Sexual Harassment policy developed in the light of recent legislative changes effective from October 2024.Also flagged the necessity of undertaking Diversity Awareness compliance training. A guidance document and toolkit has been developed for managers prompting UCU
representatives to ask about the extent of bullying of members reported to the union. What was being done about this? HR maintained that bullying “hotspots” were identified and line managers given training or otherwise disciplined.

Domains

Ongoing union dissatisfaction with the Domains project was reported and acknowledged by management and HR but no changes envisaged. To be clear, UCU at Kingston has NEVER agreed with the Domains project and continues to press for change.

University not adhering to post-92 contract?

KU contracts usually allocate 35 days plus closure days for annual leave entitlement. Your union representatives queried whether there was variation from this contract being implemented at KU? The union implemented an action point
at the meeting to require HR and management to show us any new contracts they have developed and any collective bargaining agreements reached with the union about the implementation of any new contracts.

Portfolio Review

The union asked what was happening with a Portfolio Review recently announced by the university. University management representatives stated that they were looking into the financial impact of student numbers.

Future Skills

Union representatives asked if there was evidence of any beneficial impact of the Future Skills project and what were the costs associated with it. Management had no positive metrics to report on this but stated that future funding would be found for Future Skills once the current funding runs out. Management did say that there was research that showed that use of external assessment centres did link to better employability outcomes for students but didn’t have details
of this research to present at this JNCC.

New benefits portal

The University recently launched a new benefits portal, but reports at the JNCC are that although 44% of staff have signed up to the portal, only 2.8% are using it. We have found that many of the discounts offered are high street shops and
supermarkets. Some are competitive or better than places like TopCashBack, so they are worth checking and getting the app.

Meeting with the VC 6th November, 2024

At this meeting the VC gave his usual speech about our need to “square a circle” of structural under-financing of the HE sector and the need for us to make ourselves more attractive to students, staff and external bodies. We need to gain 5% more funding per year just to maintain the status quo.

In response the union said that the main issues facing the university and its staff were workload and staff turnover. What is the university planning to do about these?

HR responded by saying that staff turnover is in line with the sector. The VC replied that addressing workloads was tough given our financial pressures and we need to be more efficient. He cited course design and student appeals as being two sources of perceived inefficiency.

Management representatives added that assessments are expensive and optionality in modules too. Your union representatives insisted that process should not drive assessment pedagogies but best assessment practice should.

University Finances

The VC stated that unlike some institutions in the news, we are not at risk of needing government rescue. Your union sought reassurance that no staff redundancies were being considered. The VC replied that as we undertook a lot of preventative actions over the last 5 years we were in a much better financial position than some other universities. He added that while we did well on recruitment this year we will have to take costs out of the university.

Student Recruitment

Union representatives asked the VC if we had reduced our tariffs to recruit more students. The VC replied that we only did that in a limited number of cases. The unions asked what the potential impact might be of lower tariff students on retention. The VC replied that we increased home undergraduate students by 5%
and this was an incredible achievement and that we were a small university that was trying to grow. This remark seems to indicate the VC has completely forgotten the policy of his immediate predecessor to make the university smaller!

Catering Supplier Aramark

We were supposed to have had 16 outlets provided by Aramark. We don’t have this number and those that we do have are not open long enough. The VC replied that KUSCO are looking into this and that we have to subsidise any losses made by Aramark? Another management representative reported
that more vending machines will be installed over Christmas.

Future Plans for the Estate

Union representatives asked about the possible redevelopment of Middle Mill. The VC said that the university was reviewing all capital expenditure but that KSA was “bursting at the seams” and 2.5 thousand students were currently provisioned only with a 100 seat canteen.

Actions in support of Palestine

Tomorrow and Friday, the 9th and 10th of November, our members will be supporting the national student walk out called in support of the Palestinian people. We’ll gather outside the main entrance to our Penrhyn Road campus at 12 midday both days.

Next week, we are hosting an open online event, with speakers from BRICUP (British Committee for the Universities of Palestine) and Richmond & Kingston PSC (Palestine Solidarity Campaign). Following those public talks we will then go straight into our regular branch meeting, which will include discussion of the UCU National leadership elections 2024, and a KU UCU local campaign on London Weighting Allowance.

On our usual zoom room, link in our link tree and in the flyer above. See you there!

KU UCU Branch statement and motion on the situation in Palestine and Israel – October 2023

Kingston UCU affirms its unequivocal solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for liberation. We also want to express our sadness and dismay at the recent violence in Palestine and Israel, and we deplore all loss of life. We understand that many in our community will be affected by these events and we extend our support to all of them, especially to those students and colleagues who may have lost loved ones or whose loved ones are under direct threat of attack.

This branch supports the rights of students and staff to express their solidarity with the people of Palestine at a time when the freedom to do so is in danger of being stifled by higher education institutions and by the British government. We also seek to reaffirm the national policy of the University and College Union to protect students and staff who may themselves come under attack for supporting the cause of the Palestinian people. We acknowledge and support the Open Letter of the Birzeit Union of Teachers and Employees, and we stand in solidarity with academics and teaching professionals in Palestine currently under threat of individual or collective harm.

We recognise that the British government’s military and political support for Israel’s discriminatory and colonial government serves to reinforce the bigoted conditions from which violence and injustice emerge. We support an end to the British government’s provision of arms in any form to Israel’s discriminatory and colonial government, and we want the withdrawal of Royal Naval ships deployed to support an Israeli offensive against Gaza and surrounding areas. We further support a ceasefire in the region, and the immediate implementation of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people. We encourage our members to donate towards this aid, either through Medical Aid for Palestinians or Medecins sans Frontieres.

This branch notes:

1. UCU Congress 2021 passed a resolution condemning the Israeli state’s apartheid and colonial settler policies against the Palestinian people, including siege and bombardment of Gaza, seizure of Palestinian land, and policies and actions encouraging racist violence and ethnic cleansing.
2. UCU Congress has repeatedly affirmed support for the academic boycott of Israeli institutions.
3. A recent report by BRISMES (British Society for Middle Eastern Studies) documented dozens of cases where pro-Palestinian voices have been silenced or stifled as a result of unfounded accusations of antisemitism.
4. The British Home Secretary has told Chief Constables that “waving a Palestinian flag” and chanting “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” may be a criminal offence “in certain contexts”.

This branch believes:

1. That Israel’s apartheid system must be dismantled to enable democratic citizenship and equity for all.
2. That the Palestinian people have the internationally recognised right to resist occupation.

This branch resolves:

1. To support local and national protests in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
2. To support campaigns against attempts by the British government to restrict rights to free expression and protest in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
3. To implement UCU national policy in support of BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions), and to seek establishment of a joint University-UCU anti-apartheid committee to:
a) progress disinvestment talks with management
b) protect the freedom of staff and students to express solidarity with the
Palestinian people without fear of unfounded accusations of anti-Semitism and
support for terrorism.
4. To support the freedom of staff and students to comment on Palestine on social media and in academic work without fear of personal or professional sanctions.
5. To back our members in fundraising or campaigning efforts, on the University campus or in the surrounding area, in solidarity with the people of Palestine.
6. To invite speakers to our meetings who will brief us on the background to the current crisis and how we may continue to act in solidarity as a branch.

UCU members vote to extend mandate for industrial action in reballot

UCU once again smashed the Tory anti-union thresholds and delivered a resounding YES vote in the re-ballot in the UCU Rising dispute over pay and conditions, and in the dispute over USS pensions. Turnout nationally was 56.41%. Thanks to everyone at Kingston who helped campaign to Get the Vote Out.

The results for UCU’s pay and conditions reballot were:

Are you prepared to take industrial action consisting of strike action?

Yes: 85.65%

No: 14.35%

Are you prepared to take industrial action consisting of action short of strike action?

Yes: 89.92%

No: 10.08%

See the full results for both disputes here

Join the Kingston UCU Branch Committee 

At each Annual General Meeting (AGM) Kingston members elect the new branch committee. After the year we’ve had and the course and job cuts being proposed by management and threatened by government, we need a stronger than ever branch. 

You can run for any position, but many are currently vacant. Roles don’t have to be done by one person, they can be shared. We also welcome suggestions for new roles (other branches have a Casework Coordinator, Learning Rep, Student Liaison, Pensions Rep, etc.) Nominations are welcome from all members, experience notwithstanding, and members who identify as Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic or Global Majority are particularly encouraged to stand. 

All branch officers have ‘facility’ time attached – this is time we have negotiated with Kingston University’s HR department to allow us to conduct union activities like casework and attending negotiating meetings with university managers.  In reality, all officers give up more of their time to union work than they receive in facility time – and of course all the work of those without facility time is voluntary.  You will not be expected to do more than you are able or have time to do. 

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Update to KU UCU members on Coronavirus & Open Letter to VC (please sign)

In response to the rapidly unfolding Covid19 crisis, Kingston UCU have been urging senior management to act more quickly and decisively to enable home working, cancel face-to-face teaching and keep staff regularly updated.  Our Health & Safety rep has raised concerns over the depletion of hygiene supplies on campus necessary to protect staff, students and the community.

We have insisted that the health and safety of staff and students, particularly those in high-risk groups or caring for those in high-risk groups, must be safeguarded in line with the university’s legal responsibilities. Kingston has suspended face-to-face teaching as of 17th March, but we have requested an emergency JNCC meeting between management, HR and the recognised trade unions, to discuss our ongoing concerns.

These include but are not restricted to,

  • Hourly-paid and guest lecturers being paid even if they can’t deliver scheduled teaching remotely, as well as paid for the additional workload of designing and delivering content and assessment online.
  • The safeguarding of staff working from home, ensuring that they are not expected to share personal email addresses, phone numbers, Skype, Facetime or similar details, that time is given to develop online content and workloads not increased.
  • That homeworking arrangements in this extraordinary situation are temporary and no lasting changes to terms and conditions of employment are set in train as a consequence of staff working flexibly and dedicatedly to support students at this time.

Above all, we have major concerns about the wellbeing and security of frontline staff who are expected to work ‘as usual’ until Sunday 22nd, with a phased reduction ‘considered’ after that date. The safety of administrative, security, facilities management, cleaning, catering, technical, student support and library staff must be prioritised just as much as academic staff.

To this end we are asking Kingston UCU members and all Kingston academic staff to sign this Open Letter to the Vice-Chancellor: Covid-19 Open Letter from Kingston academic staff in support of non-academic colleagues

We hope members and all KU staff are looking after themselves. Please keep in contact with us.