The Friday email: 11 October 2024

A New Deal for FE: 2.5% pay recommendation to college staff

College employer representatives the Association of Colleges (AoC) finally made a recommendation on pay this week. The AoC's final recommendation on pay is a 2.5% rise or £750 (whichever is the greater) and you can read full details here.

The recommendation is hugely disappointing and fails to recognise the value and contribution that FE staff across England make, and it does not address the years of below-inflation awards or the £9k pay gap with school teachers. We need fully funded and binding pay increases for all staff in FE. That is why UCU is campaigning for national bargaining and a New Deal for FE. 

To get involved:

• sign and share our petition for a New Deal for FE
• watch and share this short campaign video
• take a selfie photo holding up this poster and email it to the Campaigns mailbox or post on social media with the hashtag #NewDealForFE.

Strike action at Education Training Collective suspended

Following an offer from the employer, UCU members at Bede Sixth Form College, NETA Training Group, Stockton Riverside College, The Skills Academy, and Redcar and Cleveland College--all part of Education Training Collective (ETC)--cancelled strike action that was to take place on Thursday 10 October in a long running dispute over pay.

UCU response to Lord Timpson's speech to the Prison Governors' Association

UCU wishes Lord Timpson well in his role as prison minister and welcomes his commitment to prison education. We share his view on education's transformative power in personal development and reducing reoffending. However, we have serious concerns about the current and proposed multimillion-pound prison education contracts.

Prison educators work in some of the most challenging educational settings and their sterling efforts are not being recognised and rewarded as they should be. UCU's campaign for prison education is a coherent articulation of what needs to happen to achieve the minister's aims.

Reclaim Higher Education updates

Please support the following branches where UCU members are continuing to defend jobs and education:

• University of Kent: Kent UCU's strike ballot closed on 4 October. On a turnout of 52.3%, 81.3% voted 'Yes' to strike action and 90.2% voted 'Yes' to action short of a strike (ASOS)
• Open University: OU has begun a collective consultation on proposals to fire and rehire a group of OU associate lecturers if they do not 'agree' to have their working hours and pay reduced. Please support OU associate lecturers by signing this petition
• University of Sunderland: Sunderland has threatened to sack 76 staff, including more than one in 10 academics. A meeting took place on October 2024 involving representatives from the University of Sunderland, UCU and UNISON where there was continuing agreement on the need to work together, wherever possible, to avoid compulsory redundancies.

Higher education redundancies survey

The Open University UCU branch is coordinating a survey of UCU members about redundancies in higher education, and you are invited to contribute by clicking here and answering the questions. The survey closes on Monday 14 October.

Building to win: UCU needs you

UCU is launching the 'Building to win', a local bargaining initiative to build power in every single branch. This means building capacity for local bargaining, and giving branches the training and tools they need to engage in that bargaining. UCU will be hosting a number of meetings on this initiative:

• Monday 28 October: briefing at the Mechanics Institute, Manchester
• Tuesday 29 October: briefing at the Renfield Centre, Glasgow
• Friday 1 November: briefing at Aston University, Birmingham
• Thursday 7 November: briefing at UCU head office, London.

We will also introduce our new and improved in-house system, 'Organising and Bargaining Information System (OBIS)'. It brings together a number of data sets to help branches and regions develop effective organising and bargaining. Click here for the full update from general secretary Jo Grady.

Nominations for UCU NEC, officer and trustee positions

Nominations are now open for the UK-wide positions of UCU vice president (becoming president in 2027-28), honorary treasurer, trustees, and for more than 20 positions on UCU's national executive committee (NEC). Nominations are also sought for officer and committee member positions on UCU Scotland's executive. Full details including role descriptions and nomination forms can be found here. The deadline for completed nominations is Monday 11 November at 17:00. Elections take place in the new year.

Teachers' Pensions Scheme: McCloud Remedy webinar

Quilter Financial Advisers have agreed to provide a bespoke webinar for UCU members on the Teachers' Pensions Schemes (TPS), with particular emphasis on the impact of the McCloud Remedy (Transitional Protection Remedy). If you are eligible for the remedy, whether still in service or already retired, then the webinar will be particularly relevant to you. The webinar will take place on Thursday 7 November 12:30-13:30 and you can click here for registration and more information.

UCU response to Employment Rights Bill

UCU welcomed the publication of the Employment Rights Bill, as the start of vital changes to workers' rights in the UK and essential partnership between businesses, trade unions and working people. Click here for the full response.

UCU: proud to celebrate Black History Month

The contributions Black people from the Caribbean and Africa have made to the United Kingdom are often ignored or erased. A month cannot do real justice in recognising the many contributions and sacrifices those brave and determined Black people who came before us made. As a union of educators we have a duty and responsibility to recognise, honour and salute those who dedicated their lives to fighting for racial equity and justice. For more information about Black History Month, please visit UCU's dedicated webpage as well as BHM's official website.

ADHD awareness month

October is also ADHD awareness month. UCU's guidance, 'Neurodiversity in the workplace', provides information on neurodivergence and how to support members at work. We also provide a CPD programme to support the guidance. Please get in touch with Glen Pickard for further information or sign up for one of the free 90-minute online workshops below:

• Monday 18 November, 14:00-15:30
• Friday 13 December, 10:30-12:00.

UCU LGBT+ webinar on law and culture

On Monday 21 October at 16:00, UCU will host a 90-minute webinar on Zoom focusing on interactions between law and culture in an international LGBT+ context. Speakers include Sen Raj (Manchester Metropolitan University and former chair of Amnesty International); Adrian Jjuuko (executive director of Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum, Uganda); Mini Saxena (SOAS). For more information and to register please click here.

Equality groups conference 2024

UCU's annual equality conference is an opportunity to discuss and agree strategies to progress equality issues at work. The 2024 conference will be held from 28 to 30 November at Conference Aston in a hybrid format.

The conference will hold five separate half-day conferences for Black, disabled, LGBT+, migrant and women members, with a joint plenary session for all equality strands. For more information and registration, please use this link which will take you to the main equality groups conference page. Registration deadline is 28 October at 18:00.

Climate and ecological emergency meeting

UCU's annual meeting on climate and ecological emergency will take place on Zoom on Thursday 14 November (11:00-16:00) and you can find full details including registration here. Registration deadline is Thursday 7 November at 17:00.

eVisa and immigration status

The UK government is replacing physical documents with an online system for immigration status, also known as an eVisa. If you currently have a biometric residence permit (BRP) for a visa or ILR, an EEA or EUSS biometric residence card (BRC), or an endorsement stamp or visa sticker in your passport, you need to replace this physical document by the end of December 2024 with an eVisa. An eVisa is an online record of your immigration status and the conditions of your permission to enter or stay in the UK. You will no longer be able to use your physical documents to return to the UK or prove your immigration status within the UK from 1 January 2025 onwards. You will need to create a UKVI account to be able to access your eVisa. Click here for more information on how to do this.

Ceasefire NOW!

UCU joins with many others in Palestine, the UK, and beyond to reiterate the demands for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, unrestricted access to humanitarian aid, and the lifting of the siege of Gaza. 

We are very concerned by the sharp rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia across the UK and beyond since October 2023. We restate our unwavering opposition to all forms of antisemitism and Islamophobia--hate has no place on our campuses or in our society. UCU also has a dedicated 'Ceasefire Now' web area where you can find information and resources.

Appeal for Kropyvnytsky's teachers and students

The Ukraine Solidarity Campaign, in partnership with UCU, has launched a new crowdfunder in support of teachers and students in Kropyvnytsky, a city in central Ukraine. The appeal has been launched to help equip the town's Innovative Gymnasium--where children go to school--so no more children miss out on education even in the heat of war. Click here for further information and how to donate.