If you are a UCU member of one of the five colleges in the Extended South West Region: City College Plymouth, City of Bristol College, Swindon New College, Truro & Penwith College and Weymouth College you are invited to an online rally, 12.30pm – 1.30pm on Friday 25 June, in support of UCU’s #RebuildFE campaign to address pay and funding in further education.

Please join Sean Vernell, and Jackie Darcy, vice chairs of the UCU further education committee (FEC) and members of UCU’s South West regional committee.

Please look out for invitations and instructions on how to join the Zoom meeting in your email inbox. 

After consultation with branch members, letters have now gone to principals of five college in this region: City College Plymouth, City of Bristol College, Swindon New College, Truro and Penwith College and Weymouth College demanding a pay increase of greater than 5% and strikes at eleven colleges in England, including the five in the South West, are now on the cards.

Industrial action ballots opened on the 14 June for members of UCU. As a member of one of those five colleges, you will have had your ballot paper by now.

The dispute is over college bosses’ refusal to make a decent pay offer to staff. The pay gap between college and schoolteachers currently stands at £9,000 as staff working in further education have suffered real terms pay cuts of over 30% in the past decade.

After years of UCU’s joint campaigning with employers, further education (FE) won £400m of increased government funding, £224m of which arrived in August 2020 and could have been used for staff pay. However, employer body Association of Colleges (AoC) recommended a pay offer of just 1%.

Come to the meeting; stand with your colleagues, demand the pay increase you deserve after nearly fifteen months of worry and increased workloads; close the school-college pay gap at your college after more than a decade of below inflation FE pay increases.

Further information here https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/11616/Strike-ballots-open-today-at-colleges-across-England

FE colleges ‘Missing Millions’: see how much your college received. https://www.ucu.org.uk/missingmillions

Best wishes

Nick Varney
UCU Regional Official

FAO: UCU FE England branch officers | cc: FEC, regions & staff

Dear colleague

UCU will be hosting an FE England joint trade unions open webinar, to which employer representatives will also be invited, titled ‘Working together to make any return to onsite working safe in FE, ACE and prisons.’

The webinar will be held at 5 pm on Monday 8 June 2020. Register here.

https://ucu.wufoo.com/forms/fe-england-joint-trades-unions-webinar/

Unite and UCU health and safety lead officials will set out the joint trade unions’ expectations on the conduct of risk assessments and consultation around agreeing what a safe to any return to onsite working looks like.

We believe it is important for employers to hear clearly our expectations on what any safe return to work looks like before racing for a particular date.

Please find below further details. A live chat window will be open during the event however due to numbers please restrict your use to questions and be aware that employers will be in the same room.

Best regards

Andrew Harden

Head of further education

University and College Union

________________________________________

FE England joint trades unions open webinar: ‘Working together to make any return to onsite working safe in FE, ACE and prisons’

5 pm, Monday 8 June, 2020

Register here: https://ucu.wufoo.com/forms/fe-england-joint-trades-unions-webinar/

Unite and UCU health and safety lead officials will set out the joint trade unions’ expectations on the conduct of risk assessments and consultation around agreeing what a safe to any return to onsite working looks like.

• Chair: Janet Farrar, UCU vice-president
• Unite: Bud Hudspith, national H&S advisor
• UCU: Alex Lancaster, bargaining and negations official (health and safety lead)

Due to high numbers of registrations to this webinar we will be asking for questions to be suggested in advance. We will try to keep an eye on the live chat box but this may be difficult answer live questions on the evening but we will do our best.

Registrations will close at 12 noon Monday 8 June.

Colleagues,

This webinar is being hosted by UCU on behalf of the FE England joint trade unions and is open to trade union representatives from all of the FE trade unions together with college, adult and community education and prison education management representatives. Officials from the Association of Colleges, Holex, Department for Education and Ministry of Justice will also be invited.

As joint trade unions we recognise there are many challenges to any safe return to on site working, both on campus but also in the other learning environments that staff work in, including work based learning and prisons. We believe that only by working together can we address these adequately.

A key barrier to any return to onsite learning and working is the confidence of students and staff that it is safe to do so.

Some confidence issues will relate to matters outside of employers’ control and are covered by the first three of the joint trade unions five tests which can be found here. While largely outside of employers’ control, we regard these first three tests as valid for any return to occur.

The last two tests are solely within employers’ control. On these we believe student and staff confidence will only be achieved when managers and trade union representatives work together to agree what any safe return looks like. To assist those discussions at a local level the Joint Trade Unions have produced a guide for local discussion which has 5W’s and can be found here.

The FE joint trade unions welcome and invite representatives from all of the trade unions and employers to join this important webinar.

Yours sincerely

Andrew Harden
Leigh Powell

UCU head of further education
National official Unison

South West Industrial Relations Exchange Online – 23rd April 2020  – Edition 03

NB – You can share this information in social media using the short URL https://tinyurl.com/swireol03

For more information go to www.ucuatbsu.com

Strike Up! Conversations 2020 schedule v5 Full PDF (print version)

UCU members will strike at the following locations in the South West

Bath Spa

Picket locations/times, teach outs/rallies

Newton Park, Newton St Loe, Bath, BA2 9BD, 8am to 12pm on every strike day

Locksbrook Campus, Locksbrook Road, Bath, BA1 3EL, 8am to 12pm on every strike day

Corsham Court, Corsham Court, Church St, Wiltshire, Corsham SN13 0BZ, 8am to 12pm on every strike day

1st teach-out at The Globe on the first strike day, Thursday 20th, at 1-3pm.
Pennyquick, Newton St Loe, Bath BA2 9BB

Subsequent teach outs still being arranged.

Bath

Picket locations/times, teach outs/rallies

Virgil Building Manvers Street 8-11 am
5 Manvers St, Bath BA1 1JQ

Main Entrance 7:30-9:30 am
Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY

North Road 7:30-9:30 am

South Building 7:30-11:30 am

Exeter

Picket locations/times, teach outs/rallies

Streatham Drive / Stocker Road Junction Entrance (EX4 4PX), 8-10am.
Prince of Wales Rd Entrance (EX4 4SB), 8-10am.
Thornlea Entrance, New North Rd (Exeter EX4 4LA), 8-10am.
St Luke’s Entrance, Magdelene Rd (Exeter EX1 2LU), 8-10am.
Penryn Site, Main gate (Penryn TR10 9FE).

Bristol

Picket locations/times, teach outs/rallies

Main entrance on Woodland Road, 8:30am
Main Entrance on Priory Road, 8:30 am

At 10.30am on Thursday, 20 February 2020 UCU members will gather outside the Victoria Rooms for a rally before marching to College Green.

Colleagues,

In our region Bristol, Bath, Exeter and Bath Spa begin 14 days of strike action from next Thursday 20^th.  Please send messages of support/attend local picket lines and donate to fighting fund (see details below).

Donate to the fighting fund.  Please support your colleagues.

UCU uses its fighting fund to support members involved in disputes, including the provision of strike pay where appropriate.  At the 2011 Congress, delegates recognised the current economic situation and the likelihood that this would mean more disputes to save jobs and services and protect conditions and recommended that members who could afford to do so, should make an annual donation to the fighting fund to support others.

 Need to claim or donate?  Please go to: https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/10452/Fighting-fund-donations-and-claims

Congress suggested that an appropriate donation would be £25, depending upon members’ circumstances but any donation to support colleagues in struggle is greatly appreciated and will be used directly to help members on strike.

How to donate:

Go to: https://www.ucu.org.uk/fightingfund

Securely online by credit card via the PayPal website:

Make a direct bank transfer, or set up a regular standing order, to:

Account name: UCU Fighting Fund
Sort code: 60-83-01
Account no: 20179432
Reference: ‘Fighting Fund Voluntary Levy’

or send a cheque (payable to ‘University and College Union’) to:

Fighting Fund donation
Finance Dept
University and College Union
Carlow Street
London
NW1 7LH

Please also send message of support.  These are always welcome and can be more widely disseminated.

Exeter –  Sharon Strawbridge (s.m.strawbridge@exeter.ac.uk)
Bath – David Moon (d.s.moon@bath.ac.uk)
Bath Spa – Beth Wright  e.wright@bathspa.ac.uk
Bristol  – James Thompson – Bristol Uni (james.thompson@bristol.ac.uk)

Please, show your support.

Thank you
NickVarney
Regional Official

Call to All branches in the UCU SW region

You will know that Bristol, Exeter and Bath University members have smashed though the anti union ballot legislation and that members have voted overwhelmingly to take 8 continuous days of strike action from Monday November 25^th right through to Wednesday 4th December.  They are leading the fight against worsening of pensions, year on year pay cuts, increased casualisation, unequal pay and excessive workloads.

These are issues in every part of HE, FE  Prison Education and AE.  Their action is part of the battle we are all fighting.  DO ALL YOU CAN TO SUPPORT.  Turn up on picket lines, send messages of support and contribute to the fighting fund.

Bristol University – (Bristol, BS8 1TH)

There will be pickets from 7.30 am to 10.00 am on Monday 25, Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 November.

On Monday 25 there was a rally outside the Victoria Rooms At 10:00 am (UCU head of higher education, Paul Bridge spoke) followed by a march to College Green (Bristol, BS1 5TJ)

Updated: Thanks once more for all your support. On Wednesday Nov 27, we will be picketing from 7.30 am to 10.00 am. We will have a rally at 10.00 am outside the Victoria Rooms, ( 88 Queens Rd, Bristol BS8 1SA ) and then march down to College Green.

Picket locations for Wednesday are here: https://www.ucubristol.org.uk/picket-locations/

Teach Outs: https://bristolucu.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/files/2019/11/BSSSG-Teach-Out-e1574859854763.jpeg

Local picket leaders at each location will be clad in yellow tabards.

The main picket will be at the Victoria Rooms, and anyone is welcome to join that picket.

On Friday the 29th we will meet our students at 10.30am at Senate House (Bristol BS8 1TH) to walk down to join the Climate Strike march.

Please send messages of support to President, James Thompson care of ucu-office@bristol.ac.uk

University of Bath (Bath, BA2 7AY)

Striking staff will be on picket lines at the main University entrance, the North Entrance, at the North Road entrance, and in front of the Virgil Building on Manvers Street

Pickets are starting at 7am.

The University of Bath have organised “Strike On: Teach Out” events.  All are welcome.  See what a real university can be.

More details here: Facebook.com/StrikeOnTeachOut

Bath Teach Out Locations

Monday: 2pm-7pm (The Bell Inn, Bath 103 Walcot St, Bath BA1 5BW)
Tuesday: 2pm-7pm (The Bell Inn, Bath 103 Walcot St, Bath BA1 5BW)
Wednesday: 2pm-7pm (Widcombe Social Club, Bath Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA)
Thursday: 2pm-7pm (The Bell Inn, Bath 103 Walcot St, Bath BA1 5BW) the Students’ Union will be joining us at 11am at the South (pedestrian) entrance and encouraging students to come along.

Friday: 10am-12:00 Climate 2pm-7pm (The Bell, Bath 103 Walcot St, Bath BA1 5BW)
On Friday, finish at 10:30am in order to head down to the climate strike in the city centre.

Please send messages of support to President, Fran Amery: f.c.amery@bath.ac.uk

University of Exeter (Exeter, EX4 4PY)

There will be pickets from 7.30 am from Monday 25 – Wednesday 4 December

Exeter Picket locations

Streatham Drive / Stocker Road Junction Entrance
Prince of Wales Rd Entrance
Thornlea Entrance, New North Rd (Exeter EX4 4LA)
St Luke’s Entrance, Magdelene Rd (Exeter EX1 2LU)
Penryn Site, Main gate (Penryn TR10 9FE)

Teach-Out, St David’s Church, Queen’s Terrace, Exeter EX4 4HR, Friday 29, 12-4pm.  Line-up TBA.

Rally on the final day – Wednesday 4 December details TBC

Please send messages of support to President, Sharon Strawbridge s.m.strawbridge@exeter.ac.uk

Donations to fighting fund can be made by:

Making a direct bank transfer, or set up a regular standing order, to:

Account name: UCU Fighting Fund
Sort code: 60-83-01
Account no: 20179432
Reference: ‘Fighting Fund Voluntary Levy’

or send a cheque (payable to ‘University and College Union’) to:

Fighting Fund donation
Finance Dept
University and College Union
Carlow Street
London
NW1 7LH

Please follow @ucu and https://twitter.com/UCUSOUTHWEST

for latest details

Tiny URL to this page https://tinyurl.com/heuss2019

Nick Varney

Regional Official

UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE UNION
1^ST FLOOR
BRITTANY HOUSE
NEW NORTH ROAD
EXETER EX4 4EP

TELEPHONE 01392 412525

FE Strike Ballot 2015 Opens

The last FE News announced that colleges in England had been written to and asked to confirm that they would meet our 2015-16 claim of an increase in pay of £1 per working hour for staff at all points. Colleges were given until noon 11 September to confirm that they would meet our claim. Colleges that did not agree to meet our pay claim have now received notice that UCU will be balloting its members on taking strike action over a failure to agree a pay increase for 2015/16. The ballot opened Monday 28 September and will close 12 noon on Thursday 15 October.

(read more in FE News)

(Industrial Action Frequently Asked Questions)

In the light of current legislation is more important than ever to ensure that we DO have the correct details recorded for you. You can check and amend your union record now online at: https://members.ucu.org.uk/

If you don’t vote others will make a decision for you!

Ballot papers will be delivered to your home address. If you haven’t received your ballot paper by Friday 2 October please notify us that you need a duplicate by filling in the online form at https://www.ucu.org.uk/nofeballot.

NB – Notifications regarding subscriptions have recently gone out. If you did not received yours please check your record as we may not have your correct postal address and you will not receive a ballot paper.

We had a bumper crop of suggestions for our caption competition and the ones which fit for publication can be seen on our regional blog. The six winners who all win a UCU mug and a UCU badge are: Nicholas Thom, Exeter College, Julian Lewis, University of Bath, Brian Griffin, Bath College, Matthew Bridge, City of Bristol College, Richard Hobson, Cornwall College and Jonathan Ellis, Plymouth University.

The short link to this article is http://tinyurl.com/ucusw22

The Tolpuddle Martyrs were a group of 19th century Dorset agricultural labourers who were arrested for and convicted of swearing a secret oath as members of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers.  At the time, friendly societies had strong elements of what are now considered to be the predominant role of trade unions. The Tolpuddle Martyrs were subsequently sentenced to transportation to Australia.

They became popular heroes and 800,000 signatures were collected for their release. Their supporters organised a political march, one of the first successful marches in the UK, and they were released in 1836. Four of the six returned to England.

The Tolpuddle Martyrs festival is held annually, in the third week of July and is organised by the Trades Union Congress (TUC). It features a parade of banners, debates, speeches and music.

If you want to come with us next year or want to find out more email Dave O’Toole, dotoole(at)ucu.org.uk  

Short link http://tinyurl.com/ucusw21