Accessing Fighting Funds

Guidance for members on claiming from fighting funds

Kingston UCU

Application deadline for first round of deductions: Friday 21st July

The following is guidance for Kingston University staff on claiming from UCU fighting funds throughout the marking and assessment boycott (MAB), and in particular for hourly paid members affected by both the Feb/March strike action and the MAB. Please note that this guidance is correct as of 23 June 2023, but is subject to change as the MAB evolves.

Please do not hesitate to submit claims to the hardship funds. The national fighting fund is strong, and in cases where it is difficult for members to submit evidence of a loss, or there are any problems with the national fund, Kingston’s hardship fund is more flexible. We trust that any member applying to the fund is doing so because they need to, and we act with this in mind.

Remember: With strike action, you only have to declare participation after the fact if asked a direct question. You only have to declare participation in the MAB the first time you are asked after your original marking deadline.

Step by step guidance on claiming:

Submissible evidence for hardship claims

  •  If your payslip details MAB-related deductions, you should submit this.
  • The evidence we suggest you submit if deductions do not show on your payslip is as follows. Note that you are not expected to submit all of the below, rather what is relevant/you have access to:

–   Contract/schedule of work with teaching/marking hours demarcated

–   Email confirming offer and hours of work for the course

–   Email trail confirming your marking allocations (eg. if additional exam scripts)

–   Screenshot from Unified showing any refusal of pay claim

–   Previous payslip which details your hourly rate of pay (w/ multiplier: e.g. 2.25 hrs for a lecture, 1 for marking)

  1. Claim from the local Kingston UCU hardship fund

For deductions of 50 to 100% relating to the MAB (after May 1 2023) UCU Central guidelines state that in the first instance ‘members should seek support from their local hardship arrangements before approaching the national fund.’

  • Download the application form here and return to kingstonucu@gmail.com with evidence of pay deductions
  • The evidence we suggest you submit is as above with the addition of: 
  • 1) the completed application form and declaration. 
  • 2) A statement of hardship. This is a short statement that explains your situation, the financial hardship you are experiencing including loss of earnings incurred.

In addition to the above, other appropriate, subject-specific evidence may be considered on a case-to-case basis

  1. Claim from the national UCU fighting fund

For Feb/March strike refused HPL pay claims, you may wish to submit a claim to the national UCU fighting fund. This can be done by following the UCU Fighting Fund 2023 link and reading UCU mandated guidelines. A copy can be downloaded here. Please note that you will have to log in with your membership details. However, the local fund is more flexible and we aim to prioritise our most precarious members.

 

For the 50 per cent MAB deductions, the national fund is strong and may be able to support where the local Kingston fund does not have capacity. In this case, do make an application to the national Fighting Fund.