In this Bulletin:

Voluntary Redundancy Scheme
MEQs
Day of Action & International Youth Strike
Open Members Meeting

Voluntary Redundancy Scheme

Members have understandably been writing to us for advice since the invitation to express interest in VR was issued by Management this week. We are in a rapidly developing situation. In this bulletin we are sending out advice based on our current knowledge and the current circumstances, but expect us to be sending out updates.

If you have any interest in VR then UCU encourage you to submit an expression of that interest. If that results in you being offered VR (by being invited to formally apply for it), then we encourage you to apply for it. The more people that leave voluntarily, the better we can resist compelled reductions in hours. Once you submit an expression of interest, Management will assess whether you can be offered VR: if your post could be disestablished or filled by someone whose current post could be disestablished then you will be offered VR, which means that if you then formally apply for it, the application will be accepted. In some cases, a formal agreement will then be sent to your solicitor (paid for by the university) to check before signing off.

Many members don’t want VR but are worried by the implication in the VC’s announcement message that this may be the last opportunity to get VR on terms as favourable as the current ones and that compelled reductions in hours might lie ahead later in the academic year. UCU are working to ensure that members are treated fairly and are not forced to make decisions in the dark, and that the university’s commitment to preserve livelihoods is upheld. Since the VC’s message went out, we’ve had a further chance to discuss VR with Management and can update members as follows.

• All VR deals signed off this academic year will be on the terms of the current VR scheme.
• Management do want to renegotiate the VR scheme and are committed to agreeing a new scheme with the unions.
• It would be impractical to conclude such negotiations this academic year. If the VR terms beyond the current academic year are a factor in your decision about whether or not to apply for VR this year, it won’t be possible for you to know this year what the future VR terms will be.
• The current VR terms offer 3.25 weeks’ 1.0 FTE salary per complete year of 1.0 FTE service, up to a maximum of a year’s salary. So the closer you are to having 16 or more years of service, the more attractive the scheme is; and the further you are from having 16 or more years of service, the less attractive the scheme is. It’s very probable that future VR terms would be less favourable than current terms for staff with long service, but it’s very possible that they might be more favourable than current terms for staff with short service.

MEQs

Management are seeking to replace MEQs by a new process (known as MEVA, and delivered via Unitu)  without first having agreed it with UCU. That renders the replacement MEQ process illegitimate for the time being. UCU would not accept the validity of data gathered by such an illegitimate method, whether in a module review process or in an appraisal process or in a ‘closing the loop’ process that requires MLs or CLs to give feedback to students.

Day of Action & International Youth Strike

Members will know from emails from HQ that November 20 is a Day of Action called by UCU, the Students Union, Unison, Unite, EIS and other unions, to protest against the funding crisis in FE & HE. The day coincides with the International Youth Strike being held across Europe. The Branch Committee has not had the time to organise any UCU event at the University of Lancashire (we are badly short-staffed due to illness, as members will know from previous Bulletins) but we are pleased to see that there will be a demo called by the Socialist Students Society outside the Student Centre at noon, and we urge any members who can to go along and support it.

Open Members Meeting

The second Open Member Meeting of the academic year will take place on Wednesday, 25 November, at 1.00-2.00pm via Teams at the link in your email reminder.

These are informal, no-agenda meetings for members to bring any concerns or ideas to the Branch Committee. Come and tell us what is happening in your schools/services.

Lancashire UCU Branch Committee