Our congratulations to Patrick Clark, Steward and Branch Committee member, proud dad to Malachy Peter Clark-Murphy. Malachy was born at 01:11 on 26th February.

Patrick comments: “He weighed 8 lbs 5 oz at birth and is the best behaved baby in the world.”

UNISON Branch Secretary Tom Barker leaves us this week and on behalf of all of the Branch Committee I wanted to pay tribute to his energy and commitment to the union, thank him for all his efforts on behalf of our members, and wish him well for the future. (Tom is joining a practice in London that specialises in employment law.)  As a way of saying farewell I am reproducing the following article written by Tom which has some very pertinent things to say about the benefits of union membership for people new to the workplace.

Getting your first job after university can be an incredibly exciting and turbulent time.

Leaving the student comfort zone raises new challenges and starting full time work can be an incredibly tough and lonely period for graduates. There are no tutors, campus advisors (including your lovely employability officers) or Student Union officers to turn to in the employment world. Graduates therefore start their careers in an extremely vulnerable position, making affiliation with a recognised Trade Union (TU) more important than ever.

As well as helping people through challenging circumstances, TUs also present opportunity for those who want to boost their employability skills. I wanted to use this article to reflect on my own experiences as a TU member and show how you too can exploit the numerous opportunities membership presents for giving you the edge over more experienced colleagues/applicants early in your career.

Commitment to professional development

TUs offer extensive training and support which can show your strong commitment to career development. These can vary from advocacy and representation training right through to social media marketing skills. Most importantly, your Union will usually be able to negotiate for you to have sufficient cover at work and paid time off to attend.

Willingness to take on significant responsibilities

If you get more involved with your local TU branch and join its committee you will be able to show leadership skills. Roles range from being the leader of the branch as Secretary to representing the views of other young workers as Young Members’ Officer. These roles also demonstrate that you have a genuine commitment to improving your workplace and the services your organisation provide.

Excellent understanding of managerial practice

The more you get involved with your union the more you will learn about workplace procedure and the makings of a good manager. You will also become more aware of the issues your colleagues face boosting your communication and empathy skills.

Further, if you work for an organisation (like the University of Kent) that has generally excellent relationships with their Trade Unions you will very quickly become a familiar face to senior members of staff. As a Trade Union rep, I have met and negotiated with the Vice Chancellor’s office and the Head of HR. For many it will take many years of career development before experience is gained in such high level negotiations but working as a TU rep enabled me to do this within 16 months.

This shows that, as well as providing workers with essential protection, union membership can offer a fast track to skill development and progression. This is why I firmly believe that joining a recognised TU should be one of the first and most beneficial things you do when starting any job.

Tom Barker

Although no further strike days are likely to be announced by UCU our colleagues in that union have announced that they may proceed to a marking boycott in April if the pay dispute remains unresolved.

For more details see http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/poll/2014/feb/17/university-unions-marking-boycott-pay-dispute.

When UNISON Higher Education Executive decides the way forward we will publish details here, on noticeboards, and in mailings to members. Please be sure we have your current (workplace) address.

Thompsons solicitors, specialists in trade union matters, are holding a series of surgeries in the region offering free legal advice on personal injury matters. This could include slips, trips, and falls as well as other accidents at work or elsewhere.

The venues are

• Brighton,
• Guildford, and
• Reading

However you may be able to access legal advice of this kind at a venue closer to home. The first step would be to contact the Thompsons helpline: 0808 100 8050.

www.thompsons.law.co.uk

Please see http://alexwmurray.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/thats-why-we-support-our-staff/

Our Winter 2014 newsletter was mailed to members on 28th January.

Click on the image (left) to view a PDF version of the newsletter
or use the following link: UNISONmatters-Winter2014

In a news release dated today UNISON have announced plans for a third day of action in the continuing pay dispute. This is due to occur on 6th February.

http://www.unison.org.uk/news/higher-education-workers-to-walk-out-for-third-day-over-pay

At our Annual General Meeting held on 14th January we were delighted to be able to fill most of our Branch Committee seats. As you can see from the list on the right of this page we have both a new Chairperson and new Branch Secretaries, both vital roles…. However we really need a new Treasurer too.

Could you spare a few hours per month?

Several of our Committee roles are shared by two people and perhaps two willing volunteers could job-share this vital role if one member can’t take sole responsibility.

Please get in touch.

Update: the Branch Committee were pleased to have an expression of interest in this role from within its ranks and have co-opted Peter Walker as our Treasurer. However, if any member can assist him in this role we are still very keen to hear from you.

The Branch Annual General Meeting took place today and we’ll be posting minutes here as soon as possible (and mailing these to members). In the meantime the blog homepage has been updated to show the changes to the Branch Committee.

Taking place in Eastbourne on 21-23 March 2014 this course looks at a range of issues that may be of interest to women members including

• Women’s suffrage
• Feminist theories
• Women and the trade union movement

To find out more please see the following documents (flyer and letter of invitation).

Women’s History Course Flyer 2014

Women’s History Course Letter 2014

The branch may be able to sponsor the costs of the course plus travel and other expenses and this is explained in the letter.