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UCU - Pensions and Pay Disputes

Actually being a bit too glass half empty above apparently ~60% of all UCU members are in branches eligible to take strike action over pay. So that is pretty bloody good.

Also I didn't know this
UCU Left" said:
Successful pay ballots allow other workers who are not in UCU to participate in strikes. (It is unlawful for employers to discriminate by union membership and branches can extract statements from HR to that effect.) It also means that post-92 institutions will be able to take strike action alongside pre-92, offering mutual solidarity and presenting a united front in defence of HE and the staff who work in HE.
Click to expand...
So Unison branches can go on strike even if they don't make the turnout threshold (though I am skeptical that many will)

EDIT: List of branches that can take strike action
  • Bishop Grosseteste University
  • University of Oxford
  • The University of Kent
  • University of London, Royal Holloway
  • University of Exeter
  • University of Strathclyde
  • The University of Manchester
  • University College London
  • Edge Hill University
  • Cardiff University
  • University of London, Queen Mary
  • University of York
  • Open University
  • The University of Nottingham
  • Glasgow Caledonian University
  • Durham University
  • Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA)
  • Bournemouth University
  • The University of Bath
  • University of London, City
  • University of Reading
  • Bangor University
  • University of Bradford
  • Sheffield Hallam University
  • University of Bristol
  • The University of Aberdeen
  • The University of Stirling
  • University of Essex
  • University of Glasgow
  • University of Edinburgh
  • Newcastle University
  • Aston University
  • University of Lancaster
  • University of St Andrews
  • The University of Dundee
  • University of Cambridge
  • University of Birmingham
  • University of Warwick
  • University of Brighton
  • University of Leicester
  • Royal Agricultural University
  • The University of Sheffield
  • Queen Margaret University
  • University of Wales
  • Roehampton University
  • The University of Leeds
  • Liverpool Hope University
  • University of London, Goldsmiths
  • Courtauld Institute of Art
  • University of Southampton
  • Loughborough University
  • Glasgow School of Art
  • The University of Robert Gordon
  • Heriot-Watt University
 
These are good results, particularly in the USS dispute but in the pay and conditions dispute as well.

I think the next step should be to make *absolutely fucking sure* that the leadership announce strikes for *both* disputes (they can be the same actual strike days but needs to be clear we're striking for both) and that all the branches that came close to reaching the threshold are reballoted. There will be definitely be USS pension strikes but we need to make sure the dispute is continued on pay and working conditions too.
 
While these are good results it does indicate that there is still a lot of work to do within the union to change it's culture. Far too many members, sometimes even those serving on branch committee's/execs, don't seem to see recognise how important these ballots ,and the GTVO campaigns you need for them, are.

Even at my branch there were committee members that just did not recognise that this was the most important task a branch faced this year. Not just for the national picture but for local disputes as well. To give national office credit they really pulled their finger out this time and I think (hope anyway) that the union is actually starting to become an organising union in deed as well as voice, but there is still a hell of the lot of work to do on this score.
 
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I really don't think I can afford to go on strike this time round :( I'm in professional services (Research Development) and there are only two of us in UCU in the whole division - the other UCU member didn't strike last time. I've just crunched the numbers and I'll lose over a grand after tax just before and after Christmas. I'm pretty much the sole breadwinner as my wife is starting her own business which doesn't make very much at all yet and the numbers just don't add up.

I don't teach students so no classes will be cancelled if I strike, all that will happen is that my proposal deadlines will be covered by my over-worked non-unionised colleagues. Principles vs mortgage/food/Christmas presents...

Dammit

:(
 
PursuedByBears said:
I really don't think I can afford to go on strike this time round :( I'm in professional services (Research Development) and there are only two of us in UCU in the whole division - the other UCU member didn't strike last time. I've just crunched the numbers and I'll lose over a grand after tax just before and after Christmas. I'm pretty much the sole breadwinner as my wife is starting her own business which doesn't make very much at all yet and the numbers just don't add up.
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No offence but I think you've crunched those numbers wrong.
Even if you were at the top of scale 10 I think you'd struggle to lose a grand.

And that's before you can claim for strike pay
  • those of you earning £30,000 or more will be able to claim up to £50 from the third day onwards
  • those of you earning below £30,000 will be able to claim up to £75 per day from the second day onwards.
So if you are £30,000 you will lose £658 (30,000/365*8) but then you can claim back £300 so you will be down roughly £358 (might get more complicated if you move across tax brackets but that's about the ballpark). In addition, you could very well find your region/branch will be topping up that strike pay so you may lose even less.

That's before we get onto the argument about how you can't afford not to strike as otherwise your pay/pension is going to be shot.
 
redsquirrel said:
No offence but I think you've crunched those numbers wrong.
Even if you were at the top of scale 10 I think you'd struggle to lose a grand.

And that's before you can claim for strike pay
  • those of you earning £30,000 or more will be able to claim up to £50 from the third day onwards
  • those of you earning below £30,000 will be able to claim up to £75 per day from the second day onwards.
So if you are £30,000 you will lose £658 (30,000/365*8) but then you can claim back £300 so you will be down roughly £358 (might get more complicated if you move across tax brackets but that's about the ballpark). In addition, you could very well find your region/branch will be topping up that strike pay so you may lose even less.

That's before we get onto the argument about how you can't afford not to strike as otherwise your pay/pension is going to be shot.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I admit I was surprised at the loss of pay! I'll look at it again :)
 
That's national strike fund too don't forget, you can also apply to the local one and you might get more from that. Remember as well that the loss from your pay will be spread across two pay packets - one in December, one in January.
 
Also worth bearing in mind that often Professional Services staff can have *more* impact - apart from pissed off students Universities don't always notice that much when teaching doesn't happen.
 
PursuedByBears said:
Thanks, I admit I was surprised at the loss of pay! I'll look at it again :)
Click to expand...
Also have you claimed a tax deduction on your union fees? If not you can claim back up to five years so that will go someway to making up for any lost pay.
UCU Tax
SpackleFrog said:
Also worth bearing in mind that often Professional Services staff can have *more* impact - apart from pissed off students Universities don't always notice that much when teaching doesn't happen.
Click to expand...
Absolutely. You can put a spanner in the works of many of the essential services of the university
 
SpackleFrog said:
That's national strike fund too don't forget, you can also apply to the local one and you might get more from that. Remember as well that the loss from your pay will be spread across two pay packets - one in December, one in January.
Click to expand...
Is that correct for all institutions? Last time ours deducted all our pay from one.
 
I never knew union subs could be tax deductible. Had a look at HMRC list, looks like it's only craft/sector specific unions that you can claim. Nothing for unite so assume general unions excluded, fucks sake
 
Proper Tidy said:
I never knew union subs could be tax deductible. Had a look at HMRC list, looks like it's only craft/sector specific unions that you can claim. Nothing for unite so assume general unions excluded, fucks sake
Click to expand...
Yes it has to be a union that is also a 'professional body' - which is very crap as it generally benefits those us that are earning more anyway (my brother works in the HE sector but as a member of Unison can't claim tax back despite earning a fair whack less than me.

Still very much worth doing for PursuedByBears
 
redsquirrel said:
No offence but I think you've crunched those numbers wrong.
Even if you were at the top of scale 10 I think you'd struggle to lose a grand.

And that's before you can claim for strike pay
  • those of you earning £30,000 or more will be able to claim up to £50 from the third day onwards
  • those of you earning below £30,000 will be able to claim up to £75 per day from the second day onwards.
So if you are £30,000 you will lose £658 (30,000/365*8) but then you can claim back £300 so you will be down roughly £358 (might get more complicated if you move across tax brackets but that's about the ballpark). In addition, you could very well find your region/branch will be topping up that strike pay so you may lose even less.

That's before we get onto the argument about how you can't afford not to strike as otherwise your pay/pension is going to be shot.
Click to expand...
I realised that I was calculating it on the basis of 240 days per year as that's what we use for Full Economic Costing for Research Council budgets, not 365 days :facepalm::)
 
Lord Camomile said:
I was wondering about this. Pretty sure our place uses 240 rather than 365 for the calculations.
Click to expand...
I know our institution uses 365 as we had a big dispute with them about this (and won). It may vary by institution and contract. This indicates that 260 is "in most cases the maximum permissible deduction".
 
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