Mar 21
Dear colleagues, I am writing with an update on the USS pension situation. This will be fairly long so, if you don’t want to read it now, please bear in mind that we periodically update the branch blog with these updates, as well as various bits of news that do not go out through UCU-announce. …
Mar 03
The branch committee have prepared an FAQ as a guide to the marking and assessment boycott we are currently operating. The FAQ can be found here. The marking and assessment boycott for our local dispute over threats to jobs and excessive workloads begins today, on 3rd March 2022, immediately following the national strikes. It will …
Mar 02
Dear University of Kent UCU members, Our branch strike fund has received 34 applications so far. If you need to claim, please do so ASAP, as the sooner you claim, the sooner we can pay out (and all claims must be received within 3 months of the loss of income). We have now paid 33 …
Jan 12
New ASOS terms were received yesterday from HQ. They are as follows: working to contract not covering for absent colleagues removing uploaded materials related to, and/or not sharing materials related to, lectures or classes that will be or have been cancelled as a result of strike action not rescheduling classes and lectures cancelled due to …
Nov 19
Ballot Results The Kent branch recently returned unprecedented levels of support for industrial action in response to the USS and Four Fights ballots. They are as follows: 53.4% turnout and 79% yes vote for the USS ballot, 53.4% turnout and 74.9% yes vote for the Four Fights ballot. In addition, Kent UCU members have voted …
Feb 05
Dear members, This is a message concerning the results of the re-ballot over pensions, the results of which came in last week, and the announcement of further industrial action at the national level. As many of you will know, the 2016 trade union act requires union votes to meet a 50 per cent threshold to …
Dec 12
Dear University of Kent UCU members, Please VOTE today! As well as the General Election though, please do vote in the UCU USS re-ballot (you don’t need to be in USS to vote). You should have received a new ‘pension’ ballot Following our historic strike action over pay, workload, casualisation and equalities in the last …
Dec 09
As we’re in the process of reballotting on pensions, we thought this might be of interest to members. It’s a short Twitter thread from a colleague at Sheffield who is one of the national UCU negotiators, discussing a document that USS has just released concerning the 2020 valuation. https://twitter.com/sam_marsh101/status/1202241550593482752 Judging by his analysis here, it …
Dec 06
Some Hightlights of the recent action, in no particular order. Teach ins: UK higher education and the 2019 General Election: UK Higher Education and General Election 2019 – updated – PowerPoint and also see this blog: https://legalacstrikeagain.blogspot.com Photos and other media: From Psychology (on Facebook)
Dec 03
Bulletin from the picket: we had a great day yesterday, we were a bit cold but were warmed up by the sun and a flash mob Zumba in front of the registry at 11am!! It was a day dedicated to PS staff and we heard sad testimonies of people doing the work of 7 in …