1) A Bristol UCU Mandate for Strike Action; An Opportunity for Employers To End This Dispute
Another day, another email.
The salient facts.
Bristol UCU has spoken. Members by commanding majorities have voted in favour of industrial action over USS and 4 Fights.Employers can act now. Revalue USS and scrap the unnecessary pension cuts. Thrash out a deal that deals with precarity, cuts workload as well as gender and ethnic pay gaps, and puts a stop to our falling pay
Instead of the current disinformation [link] emanating from employers’ negotiators, employers such as the University of Bristol can work with UCU to end this dispute.
UCU’s Higher Education Committee, informed by a Branch Delegate Meeting, decides on Friday on the timing of our action, as well as the programme to and means of reballoting branches. If members wish to share their views, for example, on meaningful strike action asap or early in the New Year, please do email ucu-office@bristol.ac.uk
UCU Exec and Reps met yesterday to determine our branch’s feedback to the Branch Delegate Committee.
2) Home & Families Update
Elizabeth Somerville, Branch Equality Officer, and Tonia Novitz, Branch Vice President, update members on their and UCU reps’ work as regards positive changes to the University’s suite of Home and Family Policies:
https://bristolucu.wordpress.com/2021/11/10/home-families-update/
Improving maternity provision and policy has been a key focus: ‘Bristol UCU has been working with the HR policy team at the University of Bristol to find together practical and sustainable ways to make the experience of pregnancy and parenthood easier and more consistent across the institution’.