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Another decision on deductions and disruption

Published: 24th February, 2020

Last week Leicester UCU members rejected a deal put to us by the University’s leadership team on pay deductions and campus demonstrations. Following that rejection, the vice-chancellor and his deputy made us an improved offer, as follows: Our employer would spread deductions over five months, beginning with two days’ deduction in May and three days’ deduction in…

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Strikes 2020: Day 2… Leicester UCU Unaffordables

Published: 21st February, 2020

Leicester UCU strikers were out again for the second of 14 days of strike action against cuts to pensions and pay. Today we were safe from yesterday’s heavy downpours, the only rain experienced was The Weather Girl’s ‘It’s Raining Men’ ringing out from the Victoria Park picket line. Every picket was full of striking staff…

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Strikes 2020: Day 1… it never rains…

Published: 20th February, 2020

Nice to see a photo from our Nov-Dec 2019 pickets adorning the BBC’s pre-strike story. But BBC, please, it’s not only lecturers who are now striking – also researchers, contract teachers and numerous professional services employees: counsellors, librarians, technicians, and others! Today it rained… but we were there. Sometimes the rain stopped… Then we got…

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On demonstrations and deductions – you decided!

Published: 19th February, 2020

As you know our institution’s leadership team offered us a ‘deal’. If we agreed to refrain from campus demonstrations and agreed to report our strike action using their online form, then they would ‘generously’ spread pay deductions over three months. We consulted with all Leicester UCU members, via an e-ballot. That ballot closed at midday…

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Why we are striking again – and other FAQs

Published: 18th February, 2020

Why are we striking again? In a nutshell, because although UCU’s negotiators in both disputes have made progress, our employers have not shifted enough.  As UCU’s general secretary Jo Grady has explained we have made considerable progress in the USS dispute – and Universities UK has the opportunity to end that dispute right now. The situation…

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Strike Handbook – Feb/Mar 2020

Published: 17th February, 2020

This is the Leicester UCU Strike Handbook 2020 – covering all strike plans and advice for the strike taking place between 20th February and 13th March. This page will be updated as strike plans and events change – please check regularly for updates. Last revision: 10 March 2020 Contents Strike action reporting Picket line locations…

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Disruption and deductions – have your say!

Published: 13th February, 2020

This is the text of an email sent to all members of Leicester UCU. If you are a member of Leicester UCU, please check your inbox for this email: it contains a unique link to the poll. You cannot access it from here, for obvious reasons. We need your opinion! Please think carefully about the…

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On the forthcoming strike…

Published: 7th February, 2020

Email sent to all Leicester UCU members, 7 February You will have received – and hopefully read – the recent email from Jo Grady, UCU’s general secretary. You may also have seen the announcement on UCU’s website; or read newspaper reports, e.g. in the Financial Times or Times Higher. In a nutshell, our elected representatives on UCU’s higher education committee…

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Leicester UCU member views on the pay-and-equalities dispute

Published: 28th January, 2020

Last week we emailed all members of Leicester UCU asking whether they supported the following motion, which was suggested by UCU members elsewhere. We also asked for more general views (free-form text response) on the conduct of our ‘four fights’ dispute (on pay, gender pay gap, casualistion and workloads). The motion is below. We stressed…

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The Outcome of the Second Joint Expert Panel Report: A Quick Guide for Members

Published: 19th December, 2019

The Joint Expert Panel (JEP), which comprises nominees from UUK and UCU and which is chaired by Joanne Segars, chair of the Local Government Pension Scheme, has completed its second report on the USS pension scheme.  This report looks in greater depth at how the scheme is run and how the dispute around the cost…

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