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Campaigns

Will you stand up for Sarah?

Published: 17th February, 2019

Dear UCU Friends, Many of you may not know me well, but this is a personal plea. I am the co-chair of Leicester UCU, a 30-something-year-old Research Associate who is a woman. During the USS strike this time last year I stood next to you every day in the snow and cold, the rain and…

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Vote YES for a Fairer University (of Leicester)!

Published: 15th January, 2019

Voting is now open to decide whether UCU members will take strike action (and action short of strike) in support of our claim (vis-a-vis our employers) regarding pay, equality, workloads and precarious contracts. The ballot closes on 22 February – so you must send off your ballot paper by 20 February to make sure your…

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Where did all our wages go…?

Published: 14th January, 2019

You may recall that we took 14 days of strike action last February and March. You will almost certainly have noticed that in the subsequent months your pay was reduced, with our employer docking 2 days every month until October. Did you ever wonder what happened to that money – £650k, more or less –…

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Leicester UCU: ‘Highly Commended’

Published: 4th December, 2018

Leicester UCU has been ‘Highly Commended’ in the Midlands TUC Campaign of the Year award. We received the commendation (the ‘runner-up’ prize) for our successful summer campaign against compulsory redundancies at our university. Winners of the ‘Campaign of the Year’ award were a group of Unison care workers who emerged victorious after a longterm dispute…

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Shortlisted: Midlands TUC Campaign of the Year Award

Published: 27th November, 2018

We are very proud to announce that Leicester UCU has been nominated for the Midlands TUC Campaign of the Year award, for our successful summer campaign against compulsory redundancies at our university. The winner will be announced at an Awards night – which will also celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Trades Union Congress –…

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Pensions Update: time for some introspection at USS?

Published: 23rd November, 2018

A key point of contention in UCU’s on-going pension dispute with our employer concerns the valuation of the USS fund – from which pensions are paid. In particular, a 2017 valuation by USS suggested a serious funding deficit and this formed the basis of Universities UK’s justification for attacking our entitlements. This funding-deficit valuation was…

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Great expectations – on grant income targets in Life Sciences

Published: 23rd November, 2018

Message sent to all Leicester UCU members, 22 November. Over the past few weeks, several UCU members in the College of Life Sciences have expressed concerns over plans to introduce ‘targets’ or ‘expectations’ of academic staff, including level of grant income. In case anyone needs reminding, the use of such a metric as a performance…

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The Business Case for Supporting Staff

Published: 26th October, 2018

Ruth Luthi-Carter is a professor in the University of Leicester’s Department of Neuroscience, Psychology & Behaviour. Now the dust has settled a little on the University Leadership Team’s withdrawal of the remaining ‘business cases’ for compulsory redundancies it presented last summer, she reflects on the prospective value of an alternative approach to managing change. The…

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Close, but no cigar

Published: 22nd October, 2018

Members will probably have seen the email from Matt Waddup, UCU’s national head of policy and campaigns, earlier this afternoon, regarding the results of just-closed ballot for industrial action in support of greater pay and equality in our sector. Although we are still in dispute with our employers and although nearly every single single higher…

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Pop goes the weasel? That’s the way the money goes.

Published: 9th October, 2018

In the context of UCU’s ongoing dispute with our employers over pay and equality – a ballot for strike action is open until October 19 – we ask, can University of Leicester afford to pay its employees more? A briefing prepared by Leicester UCU. 9 October 2018 [Also available as a PDF] The real pay…

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