USS NEGOTIATIONS - UPDATE

Last week the UCU negotiators sent a letter to UUK pushing for renewed negotiations. The letter is here: www.ucu.org.uk/media/10631/UCU_letter_to_phil_harding_November_2019/pdf/UCUlettertophilhardingNovember2019

On Monday a meeting was held with UUK. It's clear that this has been a result of the strength of the national strike action.

A statement was then issued by UCU that the strikes are still on for Tuesday and Wednesday. The statement said that employers need to do more than simply say they've been listening to the anger of members--they need to come up with proposals for meaningful action. There is a UCU HE Sector Conference on Friday to discuss the USS dispute and determine next steps. (Our branch will be represented at the Conference by the Congress Delegation, which will also attend the Democracy Commission Special Congress on Saturday). For the announcement via Twitter see: https://twitter.com/ucu/status/1201552087190056960

UCU on Twitter“Statement following meeting with employers over #USS pensions: “The solid support for the strikes is having an impact and we want to thank members for their continued efforts. At today’s meeting we pushed the demands set out in last week’s letter. #UCUStrike #UCUStrikesBack 1/”

We will continue to update you (via email, Slack and the website) with any new information on the disputes.

HARDSHIP FUND

The outline of the local hardship fund was circulated late on Friday 22 November. In case you missed this, OUBUCU is able to provide support on top of the national Fighting Fund for local members. This may help a great deal in alleviating the financial difficulty of strike action. The key points are below and please see the full Q&A on the website: http://ucu.open.ac.uk/node/265

Branch Hardship Fund information | University and College Union

The Hardship Fund scheme parameters have now been finalised. We asked for strike deductions to be spread over several months, but unfortunately this was rejected. (The explanation given to us was that Payroll has to run two parallel systems for several months in the new year because of CSR so the university could not consider our request.) ucu.open.ac.uk

Q. What will I be able to claim from the UCU national fighting fund?

A. The national fighting fund works as follows:

members taking strike action who earn under £30,000 gross per annum can claim up to £75 per day, from the second day of action taken (up to a maximum of £500).

members taking strike action who earn £30,000 or over gross per annum can claim up to £50 per day, from the third day of action taken (up to a maximum of £500).

Q. What will I be able to claim from the local OU branch hardship fund?

A. Members can apply to the local OU branch hardship fund on top of the national scheme. The branch hardship fund works as follows:

members taking strike action who earn under £30,000 gross per annum can claim up to an additional £75 per day, from the second day of action taken

members earning over £30,000 gross per annum can claim up to an additional £75 per day, from the third day of action taken

REMINDER-- 5 DECEMBER POST-STRIKE MEMBERS' MEETING

We have an informal members' meeting scheduled for 12 noon, Thursday 5 December, for anyone who wants to join. Skype and meeting room information to follow.