Dear BSIS students,
You must have received the email below from Jon Pink, the university’s Academic Registrar, about industrial action by UCU (Universities and Colleges Union). This is just to reassure you that the industrial action, which may include a boycott of assessment and marking by those participating, is very unlikely to affect BSIS. UCU is a union based in the UK and the issue about pension schemes is affecting Canterbury based staff only. In the unlikely case that there is any impact on BSIS modules, we will certainly inform you immediately.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Best wishes,
Tom
Dr Tom Casier | Academic Director | Brussels School of International Studies (BSIS)
Jean Monnet Chair
Senior Lecturer in International Relations
Deputy Director Global Europe Centre
University of Kent, Pleinlaan 5, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: + 32 2 641 1721 Email: t.casier@kent.ac.uk
Web: www.kent.ac.uk/brussels
________________________________________
From: all-students-request@kent.ac.uk [all-students-request@kent.ac.uk] on behalf of University announcements [announce@kent.ac.uk]
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2014 6:13 PM
To: all-students@kent.ac.uk
Subject: [All-Students] UCU boycott of assessment and marking activities
Dear Student
You may be aware that the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) has asked its members to participate in national industrial action from 6 November. The action takes the form of a comprehensive boycott of all assessment and marking activities by those UCU members who choose to participate.
This action is in response to proposed changes to the Universities’ Superannuation Scheme (USS), one of the pension schemes provided by universities for their employees. UCU intends to continue its action from this date until there is a negotiated settlement.
We very much regret the decision taken by UCU but it is unclear how many of our academic colleagues will join the boycott. We are currently investigating the potential impact of this on student progress at Kent and the ways any such impact may be mitigated.
We are at the same time working with Universities UK who are leading negotiations with UCU on behalf of universities. We are encouraging them to fully explore all the options and alternatives to the proposals currently under discussion.
We will be contacting you again with more information when we have it. In the meantime, please attend all timetabled events including teaching, assessments and examinations. Your academic school will contact you should they be aware of any industrial action affecting your modules.
If you have any urgent enquiries, please contact me by email at the address below.
Jon Pink, Academic Registrar
Academic Division, University of Kent
academicdivision@kent.ac.uk