51福利

51福利/936听 听26 March 2019听

University and College Union

Carlow Street, London NW1 7LH, Tel. 020 7756 2500, www.ucu.org.uk

To听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Branch and local association secretaries

Topic听听听听听听听听听听听听听 51福利 Congress, 25-27 May 2019: First report of the Congress Business Committee: motions submitted

Action听听听听听听听听听听听 Amendments to motions in this report to be submitted by 12 noon on Friday 3 May 2019

Summary 听听听听 Motions submitted to Congress 2019, as ordered by the Congress Business Committee. 听Amendments to motions now invited.听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听

 

51福利 CONGRESS 2019

FIRST REPORT OF THE CONGRESS BUSINESS COMMITTEE

At its meeting on 22 March, the Congress business committee considered 186 motions for Congress and the further and higher education sector conferences that had been submitted by branches and other relevant bodies including the NEC. Those motions are set out in this report.

The deadline for amendments to motions in this report is 12 noon on Friday 3 May. CBC does not expect to accept amendments to motions which appear in this report after that deadline.

The committee has grouped motions under the sections and paragraphs of the NEC鈥檚 report to Congress (which will be set out in the final printed Congress agenda, and was circulated as branch circular 51福利/928). The order in which sections appear in this report is not necessarily in the order in which they will be debated. A timetable of business will be drawn up at the committee鈥檚 second meeting, after amendments received have been considered.

The standing orders of Congress can be found at or are available from Kay Metcalfe at 51福利 head office. (Standing orders will be provided to all registered delegates at Congress.)

1             FOR ACTION 鈥� amendments and late motions听听听听听听听听

1.1        Amendments to motions. The deadline for receipt of amendments to motions set out in this circular is 12 NOON ON Friday 3 MAY. Branches can submit one Congress amendment, and two sector conference amendments. Each amendment should indicate clearly:

                    i.   whether it relates to a Congress motion or sector conference motion

                  ii.   the number of the motion to which it refers

                 iii.   the way in which it relates to the motion (eg. 鈥榓dd at end鈥�) and

                 iv.   the way in which the amendment was approved by the branch/local association or other submitting body.

Amendments must add no more than 75 words to the motion which they amend. (Congress standing order 5 refers to 鈥�75 words excluding rubrics or deletions鈥�.)听 Amendments may not change the substantive policy of the motion (standing order 49iv). Amendments may be approved by a quorate meeting of a branch committee.

Amendments can be submitted by branch/local association secretaries using the on-line form at .听 Please submit each amendment separately.

The receipt of all amendments will be acknowledged. If you do not receive acknowledgement, please contact 51福利 before the deadline for receipt of amendments (12 noon, Friday 3 May) 鈥� by telephone to Kay Metcalfe or Catherine Wilkinson on 020 7756 2500.

CBC does not expect to accept amendments to motions which appear in this report after the deadline of 12 noon on Friday 3 May.

1.2        Late motions: All motions received at 51福利 head office after the deadline for the submission of motions has passed are referred to as 鈥榣ate鈥� motions.听 For CBC to accept a 鈥榣ate鈥� motion for ordering into the agenda it must satisfy all the following criteria (in accordance with Congress standing order 10):

                    i.   it is urgent or timely and requires a decision of Congress or sector conference;

                  ii.   it could not have been submitted within the prescribed time limit; and

                 iii.   it has been approved in accordance with the standing orders of Congress and the branch/local association rules 鈥� Congress standing orders require general branch meeting to be called to approve motions.

In submitting a 鈥榣ate鈥� motion the submitting body must explain how the above criteria are met. Late motions can be submitted by branch/LA secretaries using the on-line form at . Alternatively, they can be submitted by email to congressmotions@ucu.org.uk 鈥� emails must provide all the information required including details of how the motion was approved.

If CBC does not consider that the above criteria are satisfied then the motion will be printed at the end of the Congress agenda. These motions may be taken as business by Congress or sector conference if a motion to do so is passed by a two-thirds majority of the relevant conference.

Late motion deadlines

Late motions submitted by the amendment deadline 鈥� 12 noon on Friday 3 May 鈥� will be put to CBC when the committee consider amendments at their second meeting. Motions which the committee considers to meet the criteria for late motions (above) will be ordered into the agenda at that stage, and will be circulated to branches before Congress.

Late motions which are submitted after the amendment deadline but before 12 noon on Friday 24 May will be considered by CBC at its meeting immediately prior to Congress, and it will be possible to circulate these motions at the start of Congress. CBC expects at this stage only to consider late motions which could not have been submitted by the amendment deadline.

Late motions submitted after 12 noon on Friday 24 May will be considered by CBC as soon as practical after their receipt. Printed circulation of these motions will be undertaken if practical. CBC would expect at this stage only to consider motions which could not have been submitted by 12 noon on Friday 24 May.

Late motions should be submitted at the earliest possible stage.

The Congress standing orders include separate provision for motions to be submitted during the course of a Congress meeting. These would usually be motions on emergency matters only, arising during the course of Congress.

2             FOR REPORT

2.1        Motions not ordered into the agenda

Motions submitted after the deadline for receipt, not considered to meet the criteria for late motions

Seven motions (five Congress, two HE sector conference), were submitted after the deadline for motions, and not considered to meet the criteria for the acceptance of late motions. These motions were not ordered into the agenda and appear at the end of this report numbered B1-B7.

Motions not approved in accordance with the standing orders

Three motions had not been approved in accordance with the Congress standing orders. These motions were not ordered into the agenda and appear at the end of this report numbered B8-B10.

2.2听听听 Compositing of motions

The committee composited 11 Congress motions to create five composite motions (SFC1, SFC9, SFC21, ED5 and ROC14).

Seven HE sector conference motions were composited to create three composite motions (HE5, HE6, HE36) and one compositing amendment (HE5A.1).

Two FE sector conference motions were composited to create one composite motion (FE24).

Where a motion appears in the name of more than one branch but is not described as a composite, this means the motion was submitted in identical form.

 

An appendix containing the original text of composite motions is available but is not automatically included with this report. The appendix can be found at or requested from Kay Metcalfe at 51福利 head office.

2.2        Placing and numbering of motions

Each motion has been allocated to a relevant section of the NEC鈥檚 report to Congress (branch circular 51福利/928, ). The numbering of motions in this report includes a prefix which denotes the section of business under which they fall. In the final order of business which will be produced after CBC鈥檚 second meeting, all Congress motions will be numbered sequentially in the order in which they are scheduled for debate. (Sector Conference motions will continue to be numbered separately.)

3             Distribution of this report

Any branch requiring a hard copy of this report or in an alternative format, should contact Kay Metcalfe at 51福利 head office, email kmetcalfe@ucu.org.uk, telephone 020 7756 2500.

All Congress documents will be made available to delegates on-line.

A hard copy mailing, including motions and amendments, will be sent to Congress delegates who have requested it, approximately one week before the Congress meeting.

A printed agenda book, including motions, amendments, the NEC鈥檚 report to Congress and the Congress standing orders, will be available for delegates to collect on their arrival at Congress.

 

Motions submitted to Congress

Motions have been allocated to a section of the NEC鈥檚 report to Congress (). Paragraph headings refer to paragraphs within the relevant section of the report. There may be further re-ordering of motions by CBC at its second meeting.

A list of acronyms and abbreviations used in motions appears at the end of this report.

 

Business of the strategy and finance committee (section 1 of the NEC鈥檚 report to Congress)

Strategic overview, paragraph 2.3

SFC1 Composite: Protecting employment rights and Brexit听听听听听听 Chesterfield College, University of Westminster (Regent)

Congress notes motion 10 carried by Congress 2017.听 It calls on the NEC to give an update on the programme of work voted for in this motion.

Congress notes the long period of uncertainty around the final form of Brexit and the UK鈥檚 future relationship with the European Union.听 Whatever the outcome Congress resolves that 51福利:

1.     support fully continued educational and academic links with educational institutions within the EU

2.     defend employment and equality rights to be at least as good as those operating within the EU

3.     continue to support EU citizens who are studying and working in UK universities and colleges, and their families

4.     continue to oppose racism and xenophobia.

Finance and property, paragraph 3.1

SFC2 Appointment of auditors听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee

听听听听听听听听 Congress approves the appointment of Knox Cropper as the union鈥檚 auditors for the year ending 31 August 2019.

SFC3 Audited financial statements听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee

听听听听听听听听 Congress receives the union鈥檚 audited financial statements for the 12-month period ending 31 August 2018 as asset out in 51福利/931.

SFC4 Budget 2019-2020听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee

听听听听听听听听 Congress endorses the budget for September 2019-August 2020 as set out in 51福利/932.

SFC5 Subscription rates and bands听听听听听听听 National executive committee

听听听听听听听听 Congress accepts the treasurer鈥檚 report on progress with the review of subscription rates and bands and endorses the changes to band structures and subscription rates from 1 September 2019 as set out in 51福利/933.

SFC6 Repayment of incurred expenses Northern regional committee

The work that delegates do on behalf the union is extensive and can incur considerable cost. Although the costs are recouped, delegates are often left out of pocket for periods of time. These out of pocket expenses exponentially increase the further away from London the delegate is and the delegate is often reimbursed 6 鈥� 8 weeks after the cost has been incurred.听 This repayment process can be discriminatory to casualised staff or those from regions outside of the commuter belt. The union would not expect members to pay out hundreds of pounds in advance to do work for the employer and should not be held to a lower standard.

Congress resolves: 

1.     to pay out valid expense claims within 28 days 

2.     to facilitate head office purchasing travel documents/accommodation direct for delegates where requested, as offered option rather than special circumstance, thus minimising the out of pocket expenses.

SFC7 Efficient membership data management 听听听听听听听 University of Birmingham

Congress notes:

1.     due to turnout thresholds, efficient membership data management is essential for successful ballots

2.     the current form for members to edit their information only allows for a single email rather than a work/personal email as previously. This is problematic as branches often rely on work emails to identify staff, whilst many members prefer to receive union communications to personal email

3.     effective GTVO requires up-to-date reports of current members including exclusion from current ballots and whether they have voted

4.     membership secretaries need a simple method to report exclusions and leavers.

Congress resolves:

a.     allow members to store and update work and home emails in My51福利

b.     include current exclusion (with reason) and voting data in existing membership data exports and allow leavers to be updated in 51福利 eServices

c.     ensure funds are made available so that functionality can be put in place whether through updating, or even replacing, existing systems.

European and international work, paragraph 5.1

SFC8 International campaigns and solidarity work 听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee

Congress recognises the growing international character of post-compulsory education and the benefits of 51福利鈥檚 international work (e.g. international union support during the USS dispute).

Congress welcomes the union鈥檚 international activities and campaigns to:

1.     defend academic freedom and educators at risk in countries such as Turkey and Palestine

2.     fight for the rights of women and people with protected characteristics (e.g. LGBT+ in Chechnya)

3.     expose the damage to public education and research caused by global corporations such as Elsevier and DfID鈥檚 privatisation agenda

4.     promote the role FE plays in developing human capabilities (e.g. EI鈥檚 TVET research)

5.     support union capacity-building and renewal (e.g. ETUCE鈥檚 YOUR TURN! project) and links with sister trade unions (e.g. Zimbabwe).

Congress calls on 51福利 to build on current work in these areas and continue to engage regions, branches and members in practical international work, including ongoing support for EI, TUC, Amnesty and other affiliated solidarity organisations.

SFC9 Composite: Solidarity with Brazil: fighting the far right听听听听听听听听听听听听 Women members standing committee, National executive committee

Congress notes that there has been a recent rise in the far right globally. As an education union we need to be committed to challenge this and fully support educators so they can educate without fear of violence or persecution.

Congress deplores the recent election of the far right Bolsonaro in Brazil, and is concerned about the resulting threats to civil liberties, workers鈥� rights, equality, public services and the environment. Bolsonaro has been widely publicised as being a misogynist, homophobic and racist. Congress notes that one of the first actions of the Bolsonaro presidency was to weaken protections for the LGBT+, indigenous and black communities.

Congress is concerned about the negative effects on free speech, academic freedom and institutional autonomy posed by the rise of far-right populism in Brazil. Worrying developments include police forces entering university campuses during the presidential election and official support for proposals encouraging students to report on 鈥榣eft-wing鈥� educators (the 鈥楽chool without Party鈥� movement). Since his election teaching materials have been confiscated on far right ideological grounds and there has been suppression of anti-fascist history and activism.

Congress declares solidarity with sister education unions standing up for staff, students, and academic freedom in Brazil.

Congress calls on the NEC to:

1.     work with the TUC, EI and other broad-based groups to support the Brazilian people in defending democracy, human rights and social progress

2.     encourage and support the setting up of support networks in UK universities and colleges for Brazilian academics

3.     invite Brazilian academics to our universities and colleges in conjunction with Stand up to Racism events to speak about the importance of fighting the far right whenever and wherever we can.

SFC12 51福利 support for Sudanese protests听听听听听 University of Liverpool

Congress condemns the violence against Sudanese demonstrators by the Al-Bashir government.

Congress condemns school and university closures and the arrest, torture and killing of students, teachers and academics. Congress condemns the attacks on doctors.

Congress supports the demonstrators鈥� demands to bring down Al-Bashir鈥檚 regime and their right to protest without fear of repression. 

Congress demands the release of all imprisoned demonstrators and organisers. 

The UK government must stop all trade and aid to Sudan. 66% of government revenue goes to 鈥榮ecurity鈥�.

Congress agrees to support and publicise the Sudanese campaigns such as Justice For Sudan and urge attendance on their demos.

Congress asks all trade unions to support and develop this motion, above all by demanding Al-Bashir must go, condemning the violence against demonstrators, and demanding the UK government break all relations with the Sudanese government.

Congress says refugees welcome here.

SFC13 Fairtrade听听听听听听听听听听 51福利 Wales

Congress notes Fairtrade is a simple way to make a difference to the lives of the people who grow the things we love. We do this by making trade fair.

Congress believes that 51福利 can play an important role in helping the work of Fairtrade Foundation through its procurement possibilities.

Congress calls upon 51福利 to

1.听听 look into the feasibility of committing itself with the Fairtrade foundation.

2.听听 serving Fairtrade Tea and Coffee where possible

3.听听 to request the Fairtrade Foundation to deliver a presentation at the 2020 Congress.

SFC14 Stop Trump听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee

Trump鈥檚 visit Congress notes that Donald Trump is set to return to the UK at some point in 2019.

His previous visit in July 2018 was met with mass demonstrations.

Since then Trump has partially shut down the US government to force through funding of his racist 鈥榖order wall鈥�.

Trump is a racist and misogynist who has given confidence to the racist and fascist right from those who marched in Charlottesville (where anti-racist Heather Heyer was murdered) to Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aka Tommy Robinson) in the UK, some of whose supporters are trying to organise on our campuses as well as trying to rehabilitate racist ideological justifications such as 鈥榮cientific racism鈥�.

Congress opposes any state visit here, calls on Theresa May to withdraw any such invitation to Trump, and supports any broad-based protests called against his visit.

New paragraph, Legal matters, after paragraph 6.4

SFC15 51福利 legal scheme should provide legal consultation opportunity听听听 51福利 Wales

Congress notes for employment cases members first need to provide a written narrative of facts, relevant documents and questions which they want 51福利 lawyers to address.

Congress notes a lawyer provides an initial assessment of the claim based on the written information provided within 21 days.

Congress believes that although the regulations state that 51福利 lawyers may want to interview members before preparing the initial assessment, this is in fact exceedingly rare.

Congress believes members and supporting staff/caseworkers, not being legally qualified, are not always able to provide all the information needed for an accurate initial assessment by lawyers.

Congress believes members are being frustrated by the process because of the lack of two-way conversation about case details.

Congress resolves to request NEC to require 51福利 legal scheme regulations be revised for employment cases so members can request a 30 minute interview with the lawyer preparing the initial assessment.

SFC16 Breach of human rights听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 London regional committee

鈥楢usterity鈥� is about transferring wealth from the poorest in society to the richest. Initiating and implementing this policy, the Conservative government declared war on the British working class.

This has led to 120,000 premature deaths per annum; 1 in every 120 people rendered homeless; the cutting or withholding of benefits through Universal Credit leading in some cases to suicide and the decimation of vital public services. These cuts particularly affect women and the disabled.

This government is guilty of a breach of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the World Conference on Human Rights (June 1993) Vienna declaration.

Congress therefore resolves to initiate a public Civil Crimes Tribunal to investigate these crimes. Material gathered by the Tribunal will be made publicly available and blame will be attributed to those responsible.听 A summative report will confirm culpability and will seek public proposals as to appropriate retributive justice.

SFC17 Monitoring of electronic communications听听 听听听听听Yorkshire and Humberside regional committee

Congress notes that staff and students in FE and HE institutions are being increasingly monitored by their management through the use of external IT companies e.g. ESafe.  These third parties capture not only e-mails and web use but any document that is stored on a device plugged into a college/University machine.  These files are searched for key terms and any document considered suspect is returned to human resources.

Congress believes:

1.     听that this practice is both legally questionable and intrusive

2.     听staff and students have a right to privacy

3.     confidentiality in respect of pastoral work with students and for听听 union casework must be respected and protected.

Congress resolves that 51福利 will:

a.     demand greater transparency on these practices

b.     investigate the legality of the use of data in this way

c.     initiate, on behalf of branches, legal or other challenges to these practices.

SFC18 Use of non-disclosure agreements in HE/FE听听听听 University of Hull

Congress notes:

1.     the use by the universities and colleges of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to facilitate the departure of members of staff from their Institution in cases including allegations of bullying and/or harassment

2.     that these agreements prevent staff from pursuing justice through external means and thereby protects against reputational damage to the institution

3.     that these agreements often do not resolve the underlying issues hidden behind the use of the NDAs, which remain to potentially adversely affect the working conditions of the remaining staff.

Congress hereby calls upon FE and HE institutions in the UK to publish aggregated information on the use of NDAs annually, to include: the numbers used; the area of the institution the members of staff subjected to them worked in; and the cumulative annual value of the monies paid out within them.

SFC19 Discrimination against workers and the use of non-disclosure agreements Black members standing committee

Congress notes the revelations regarding the unfair pay and limited career opportunities of black women exposed in the Guardian, the BBC and 51福利 led research. Daily micro-aggressions lead to a situation where race discrimination leaves many black workers fearful for their job prospects and deeply dissatisfied at work. Workers often exit employment under such conditions only to find themselves bound by non-disclosure agreements which mask the scale of the problems associated with discrimination.

It is also of note that FOI requests were needed to tease out the relevant data. It was this route used by the BBC to uncover pay scale inequality in Russell Group institutions.

Congress calls on the NEC to:

1.     formally oppose the practice of NDAs and organise support at branches

2.     campaign against this practice including, where possible, raising this at casework training

3.     gather data of the numbers of race discrimination cases settled with an NDA.

SFC20 Electronic voting听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Leeds City College

Congress notes:

1.     collectively, vote counts at Congress, FESC and HESC cause a significant loss of business time and can create frustration amongst delegates

2.     electronic voting will reduce peer pressure for delegates to vote in a certain way.

Congress instructs:

a.     electronic voting to be introduced at the 2020 Congress, FESC and HESC and thereafter

b.     the electronic voting system use will identify how individual delegates vote and that this information is available following each vote.

New paragraph, Workload, health and safety, after paragraph 6.4

SFC21 Composite: Workload, health and safety campaigns: workplace suicide听听听听听听听 Cardiff University, National executive committee

In November 2015 the TUC carried out a survey of approximately 2000 UK employees, which showed that nearly a third of people (29%) have been bullied at work.

International studies indicate a steep rise in work suicides. Researchers link this to a deterioration of working conditions, unmanageable workloads, and increased job insecurity.

Despite these findings, workplace suicide remains unrecognised in UK legislation, and is absent from official statistics. In the UK, work-related suicides are not officially monitored or recorded.

Changes to legislation in the UK would follow good practice elsewhere. For example, in France, if an employee takes his or her own life in the workplace, it is investigated and it is incumbent on employers to demonstrate that the suicide was not work-related.

Congress calls on 51福利:

1.     to lobby the government for changes to legislation on statistics for workplace deaths as part of the union鈥檚 campaigning activities on workload, and on health and safety

2.     develop a campaign around workplace suicide and seek support from the TUC

3.     to contribute to a process that will persuade legislators of the need for a record and investigation of workplace suicides.

SFC22 Campaigning to stop unreasonable workloads听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee

Congress recognises the campaign by Diane Anderson (widow of Dr Malcolm Anderson) to stop unreasonable workloads. Dr Anderson from Cardiff University completed suicide in 2018 due to immense workload pressures. The inquest into Dr Anderson鈥檚 death heard that he had left two notes before he fell from the university building in which he worked - one to his family and another referring to workload pressures and long hours. He was just 48 years old when he died. Dr Anderson had alerted university management 鈥榯hat his workload was massive and it was unmanageable but nothing ever changed鈥� according to his widow.

Congress therefore resolves to:

1.     publicise and campaign for reasonable workloads in both FE and HE

2.     investigate workload models to ensure that all tasks and duties are clearly and transparently recognised

3.     ensure that new demands such as online marking and NSS type survey work are fully covered in models.

New paragraph, Corbyn, Labour and general election, after paragraph 6.4

SFC23 Corbyn, Labour and general election听听听 听听听听听听听听听 University of Brighton Grand Parade

Congress notes the:听听听听听听听 

1.     continuing attacks on Corbyn based on conflation of antisemitism and anti-Zionism

2.     determination of remaining right-wing to recapture the LP for neoliberalism

3.     British establishment anxiety over a Corbyn-led government, and threats to democracy from recent political involvement of the security services.

Congress believes that a Corbyn-led government is important for ending austerity, for the future of post-16 education, and for an independent, justice-based ME foreign policy.

Congress resolves that:

a.     the President will urge all branches to host meetings with Jewish Voice for Labour, to explain and counter the charges of antisemitism in Labour, and with the PSC and BRICUP to explain why supporting Palestine and opposing Zionism are not racist

b.     the general secretary will urge TUC to campaign for an immediate general election using national and regional demonstrations; and urge branches to propose to trades councils local demonstrations for a general election.

 

New section: Report of the democracy commission

SFC24 Interim report of the democracy commission听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee

Congress adopts the interim report of the democracy commission as set out in 51福利/934, including recommendations other than rule changes (rule changes to be voted on separately).

 

Rule changes

Note: rule changes have been ordered in two parts: the first part sets out all rule changes which relate to topics referred to in the report of the democracy commission; the second part sets out all other rule changes.

 

Part 1: Rule changes which relate to topics in the interim report of the democracy commission

Democracy commission report, paragraph 4.9 鈥� composition of Congress

R1 听听听 Branch delegates听听听听听听听听听听听 University College London

In Rule 17.2, remove 鈥榰p to a maximum of six members鈥� where it appears with respect to Congress and Sector Conference entitlements.

R2听听听听 Restoring the democratic mandate of 51福利 Congress听听 University of Southampton

Rule 16.11, between 鈥榞eneral meetings in鈥� and 鈥�20 branches/local associations鈥�, add 鈥榓t least鈥�. After 鈥�20 branch/Local Associations, add 鈥�,whose total delegate entitlement would be sufficient to render the meeting quorate,鈥�.

Rule 17.1 (composition of Congress), after 鈥樷��members elected from sector committees in鈥�, delete 鈥楨nglish regions鈥�. After 鈥樷��branches with fewer than鈥�, delete 鈥�100鈥�, replace with 鈥�250鈥�.

Rule 17.2 (Congress delegate entitlement), first sentence, after 鈥樷��shall be one for every鈥�, delete 鈥�400 members (or part thereof)鈥�, replace with 鈥榝ull 250 members鈥�.

After 鈥樷��in accordance with Rule 17.1鈥�, delete 鈥榰p to a maximum of six members鈥�.

End of rule 17.2, After 鈥楾he number of members from branches/local associations/central groups for meetings of鈥�, delete 鈥樷��Sector Conferences shall be one for every 400 members (or part thereof) up to a maximum of six members from, as appropriate, each institution/central group鈥�, replace with 鈥榯he appropriate Sector Conference shall be the same as for Congress鈥�.

Rule 17.2.1 (regional and devolved nation committee delegates) start of first sentence, after 鈥楽ector committees in鈥�, delete 鈥楨nglish regions鈥�. Second sentence, delete 鈥榞eographical area鈥�, replace with 鈥榥ation鈥�.

17.4 (regional and devolved nation committee observers) start of first sentence, delete 鈥榚ach of the English regions鈥�.

Rule 30.2 (rights and responsibilities of regional committees), delete i and ii:

                    i.   to submit motions and amendments to Annual Congress and Sector Conferences, in line with rules 16.7.5 and 16.7.3

                  ii.   to elect delegates to Annual Congress and Sector Conferences, in line with Rule 17.2.1

Democracy commission report, paragraph 4.10 (electronic voting and other recording of meetings)

R3听听听听 Congress standing order change: 38 and 39: voting process听听听 South west regional committee

Standing order 38: after 鈥樷��hold up their voting cards鈥�, add 鈥榯his will initiate the use of electronic voting, where the facility is available.鈥�

Standing order 39, first sentence: delete 鈥榗ount employing tellers is taken鈥�, replace with 鈥榚lectronic voting is employed鈥�.

End of second sentence: delete 鈥榗ount鈥�, replace with 鈥榚lectronic vote鈥�.

Purpose: to allow, under Congress standing orders, electronic voting to be used, when available, in the event that a count is required (card votes being used when no count is required).

Democracy commission report, paragraph 4.11.4 (delegation of general secretary powers)

R4 Rule change (democracy commission recommendation 2)听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee, University College London

Congress approves recommendation 2 of the democracy commission鈥檚 interim report, rule change: delegation of general secretary powers.

Delete rule 28.2:

28.2听听 The General Secretary may delegate any power or duty of, or allocated to, the General Secretary under these Rules to another employee of the Union as the General Secretary shall determine.

Replace with:

28.2 The General Secretary may delegate any power or duty of, or allocated to, the General Secretary under these Rules in the following ways:

28.2.1听 Those which relate to negotiations or representation of the Union shall be delegated to the President and President Elect.

28.2.2 Those relating to day to day running of the union, or pertaining to employees, or other matters not connected to negotiations and representation of the NEC/union may be delegated to another employee of the Union as the General Secretary shall determine.

Purpose:听 to create a mechanism for ensuring that, if delegated, the representational powers and duties of the General Secretary would be transferred to elected officers of the union, while powers relating to staffing and the day to day running of the union can be delegated to employees of the union.

Democracy commission report, paragraph 5.6.4 (deputy general secretaries)

R5听听听听 Election of Deputy General Secretary听听听听 Yorkshire and Humberside retired members

It is proposed that this rule change come into effect at the time of the next election for General Secretary.

Rule 20.5 (counting order for NEC elections)

Insert after 20.5 鈥榠i General Secretary鈥�

iii. Deputy General Secretary

and renumber accordingly

Rule 28.2 (delegation of duties by the general secretary), end of sentence, delete 鈥榓s the General Secretary shall determine鈥� andn and replace with 鈥榠n consultation with the Deputy General Secretary鈥�.

Insert new Rule 29 and renumber other rules accordingly:

29 Deputy General Secretary

The Deputy General Secretary shall be the deputy chief executive of the Union, responsible for duties specified by the Rules and Standing Orders of the Union, and duties allocated by the National Executive Committee, and shall be elected for terms of five years by the membership of the Union, under procedures agreed by the National Executive Committee.

Rule 29.1 (engagement of other employees), after 鈥楨mployees other than the General Secretary鈥�, add 鈥榓nd Deputy General Secretary鈥�

Schedule B

Add in procedures, as determined by NEC, for election of Deputy General Secretary.

Purpose: to establish an elected post of Deputy General Secretary.听 The rule change to come into effect at the next time an election occurs for the General Secretary.听 Nothing in this rule change has any implications for employment status of any other members of 51福利 staff.

 

 

Democracy commission report, paragraph 6.5.1 (dispute committees)

R6听听听听 Rule change (democracy commission recommendation 6) 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee, University College London

Congress approves recommendation 6 of the democracy commission鈥檚 interim report, rule change: dispute committees.听听听听听听

Insert new rule 35:

35.1听听 For all multi-institution industrial disputes, a dispute committee will be constituted immediately following a successful ballot from delegates from each branch involved in the dispute, which will exist for the duration of the dispute. Delegates will be elected or nominated by branches, with delegate entitlements as per those prescribed for Sector Conferences in rule 17.2. The committee will be chaired by the relevant Vice President (for single sector disputes), or by the President (for cross-sector disputes). The frequency of meetings will be determined by the committee. Branches may send different delegates to each meeting.

35.2听听 No decision affecting the choice of tactics, continuation, escalation, or ending of an industrial dispute, including putting to the membership for approval a proposed deal to settle the dispute, can be taken without the approval of the dispute committee constituted for that dispute.

(Renumber remaining rules as necessary).

Purpose: To establish in rule disputes committees for multi-institution disputes.

Democracy commission report, paragraph 7.5.1 (Gaps in representation)

R7听听听听 Rule change: inclusion of migration status in rule 2.5听听听听听 University of East Anglia

Aims and objects, rule 2.5, 鈥榯o oppose actively all forms of harassment, prejudice鈥︹�� -  after 鈥榙isability, age,鈥� add 鈥榤igration status鈥�.

Purpose: to add migration status to the list of characteristics against which 51福利 will actively oppose harassment, prejudice and unfair discrimination.

R8听听听听 Rule change: Inclusion of migrant representatives in the equality structures听听听听听听听听听 University of Leeds

Rule 23.1 (equality standing committees), first sentence, delete 鈥榝our鈥�, replace with 鈥榝ive鈥�.听 After 鈥榠v. Women Members鈥� Standing Committee (WMC);鈥�, add new point v. 鈥�.v. Migrant Members鈥� Standing Committee (MMC)鈥�.

Rule 23.2 (annual equality conferences), first sentence, delete 鈥榝our鈥�, replace with 鈥榝ive鈥�.听

Purpose: To allow the recognition of 51福利鈥檚 migrant members as an equality group with a standing committee and an annual conference established on the same basis as 51福利鈥檚 other equality groups.

R9听听听听 Rule change: Inclusion of migrant representatives in NEC听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听 University of Leeds

Add new rule 18.11.4:

18.11.4 There will be two National Executive Committee seats for representatives of migrant members, at least one of whom shall be a non-EU migrant member. Candidates for election to these seats must state they are a migrant member and can remain on committee for three years after receiving ILR.

Renumber existing rule 18.11.4 and subsequent rules, and any subsequent references to these rules, as necessary.

Rule 19.6 (Scheduling of biennial elections) First sentence, change 鈥�18.11.3鈥� to 鈥�18.11.4鈥�. After 鈥榬epresentatives of LGTBQ+ members鈥�, delete 鈥榓nd鈥�, replace with comma; after 鈥榬epresentatives of black members鈥�, add 鈥榓nd two representatives of migrant members鈥�.

Rule 19.7, delete 鈥�18.11.3鈥�, replace with 鈥�18.11.4鈥�.

Rule 20.5 (counting order for NEC elections): after 鈥渋x. Representatives of black members;鈥� add 鈥渪. Representatives of migrant members;鈥� re-number existing points x-xiii as xi-xiv.

Purpose: To allow the recognition of 51福利鈥檚 migrant members (which will include refugees and asylum seekers) through two NEC seats for migrant members. These will be listed as equality seats, for which all members may vote, scheduled in the same years as elections for equality seats other than women, and placed in the counting order for NEC elections at the end of the equality seats (and before casually employed, land based and prison seats).

Democracy commission report, paragraph 7.5.2 (National recorded hustings)

R10听听听 Addition of 15.9-15.11 to Rule 15听听听听听听 University of Sheffield

Add new rules:

15.9听 Between 7-14 days after a ballot for Officers of the Union has opened, a national hustings event will be held. This event will be video-recorded and made available to all members. Reasonable traveling and subsistence expenses will be made available to candidates, paid from union funds.

15.9.1听 The location of this event may not occur at the home branch of any participating candidate, and the location will rotate to a different region from the previous year, with due consideration to accessibility depending on candidates鈥� locations.

15.9.2 All members eligible to vote in the relevant election will have the opportunity to submit questions in advance of this event.

15.10 The date for the event will be chosen in consultation with all candidates, and will be finalised no later than one month before the beginning of the ballot period.

15.10.1 If a candidate prefers to attend electronically rather than in person, or to pre-record a statement and answers to questions, this will be facilitated.

15.10.2 If a candidate cannot make the session due to illness or emergency, they will be given an opportunity to record their responses on another date, to be included in the recording for members.

15.10.3 Candidates may choose not to attend.

15.11 During the relevant ballot period, any other branch organising a hustings event will provide candidates with 30 days notice, making every effort to make the event accessible all candidates, including facilitating electronic attendance. Reasonable traveling and subsistence expenses will be made available to candidates, paid from branch funds, on the basis that all candidates standing for a given position are invited to attend.

Part 2: Other rule changes

R11听听 Rule change motion re subsector conferences听 National executive committee

Rule 12.6.2 (rights and responsibilities of branches), point ii, replace 鈥楽ector Conferences鈥� with 鈥楽ector and Subsector Conferences and observers to the appropriate Subsector 颁辞苍蹿别谤别苍肠别鈥�听听

Rule 12.7 (determination of sectors by Congress) Add after first sentence:

In addition, it will determine the Subsectors of Pre92 and Post92 Higher Education solely for the purposes of Subsector Conference organisation.

Rule 16.3 (annual report to Congress), second sentence, after 鈥樷�� motions passed by any鈥� special replace 鈥楽ector Conferences鈥� with 鈥楽ector and Subsector Conferences鈥�.听

Rule 16.7.2 (bodies able to submit Congress and sector conference motions), first sentence, replace 鈥楽ector Conferences鈥� with 鈥楽ector or Subsector Conferences鈥�. After 鈥�... and Higher Education Committees for the appropriate鈥�, replace 鈥楽ector 颁辞苍蹿别谤别苍肠别鈥� with 鈥楽ector and Subsector Conferences鈥�. End of second sentence, replace 鈥楽ector 颁辞苍蹿别谤别苍肠别鈥� with 鈥楽ector or Subsector 颁辞苍蹿别谤别苍肠别鈥�.

Rule 16.7.4 (submission of motions and amendments by equality standing committees), replace 鈥楽ector 颁辞苍蹿别谤别苍肠别鈥� with 鈥楽ector and Subsector 颁辞苍蹿别谤别苍肠别鈥�

Rule 16.10 (Congress business committee), replace 鈥楽ector Conferences鈥� with 鈥楽ector and Subsector Conferences鈥�.听

Rule 16.11 (calling special conferences):

First clause, after 鈥楴ational Congress鈥�, delete 鈥榦r鈥�, replace with comma; after 鈥楽ector Conferences鈥�, add 鈥榦r subsector conferences鈥�.

After 鈥樷��by the National Executive Committee or in the case of the Sector鈥�, add 鈥榦r Subsector鈥�.

After 鈥榦r for Sector Conferences, in the sector鈥�, add 鈥榦r for Subsector Conferences of a requisition from quorate meetings in 15 branches/Local Associations from separate institutions in the Subsector鈥�

At end of first sentence, after 鈥樷��not less than one tenth of the members of the Union鈥�, add 鈥�,Sector or Subsector as appropriate鈥�.

Rule 17.2 (entitlement to delegates), final sentence, replace 鈥楽ector Conferences鈥� with 鈥楽ector or Subsector Conferences鈥�. Add at end:

The number of observers from Pre92 branches/local associations for Post92 Subsector Conferences or Post92 branches/local associations for Pre92 Subsector Conferences shall be 1.

Rule 17.3 (composition of sector conferences), second sentence, replace 鈥楽ector Conferences鈥� with 鈥楽ector and Subsector Conferences鈥�; after 鈥樷��who are in that Sector鈥�, add 鈥榦r Subsector respectively鈥�.听

Amendments to Congress standing orders:

Standing order 3.1 (submission of motions), final sentence, replace 鈥楽ector conferences鈥� with 鈥楽ector or sub-sector conferences鈥�.

Standing order 3.2 (submission of motions), first sentence, replace 鈥楽ector conference鈥� with 鈥楽ector or sub-sector conference鈥�.

Standing order 17 (chairing), in both instances, replace 鈥楽ector 颁辞苍蹿别谤别苍肠别鈥� with 鈥楽ector or Subsector 颁辞苍蹿别谤别苍肠别鈥�.

Standing order 18 (quorum), replace 鈥楽ector 颁辞苍蹿别谤别苍肠别鈥� with 鈥楽ector and Subsector Conferences鈥�. After 鈥樷��proportionate to the membership of each sector鈥�, add 鈥榦r subsector鈥�.

Standing order 22 (advice on consequentials), replace 鈥榮ector conference鈥� with 鈥榮ector or subsector conference鈥�

Standing orders 43 and 44 (notices of special meeting), in each standing order, replace 鈥榮ector conference鈥� with 鈥榮ector or subsector conference鈥�听听

Purpose: mechanism for reducing the likelihood that (Special) Sector Conferences involving mainly Pre or Post92 members will be inquorate by creating Subsectors and a proportional quorum, while allowing those from the other HE subsector to attend as observers and motions to be proposed to cover the impact of Pre92 issues on Post92 or Post92 issues on Pre92.听听听听听

R12听听 Rule change: Rule 16 National Congress and Sector Conferences Yorkshire and Humberside retired members

In 16.7.1 after 鈥榮pecialist committees set up under Rule 25鈥� insert comma and add:

鈥楢nnual meeting of retired members鈥�

Add point 16.7.6

鈥楾he annual meeting of retired members shall be entitled to submit two of the motions carried at its annual meeting to 51福利 annual Congress鈥�.

Purpose: To give the annual meeting of retired members the right to send two motions directly to annual Congress.听 No provision is made for sending of amendments since by its nature an annual meeting cannot be scheduled in a way which would permit the sending of both motions and amendments.

R13听听 Rule change: Congress membership听听听听听 National executive committee

Rule 17.1, first clause, after 鈥樷�� National Executive Committee鈥�, add 鈥�, two members of each standing committee set up under rule 23.1 (one from each sector)鈥�

Purpose: to give each equality standing committee the ability to send two voting delegates to Congress (currently each committee sends two observers).

R14听听 Rule change:听 Rule 24 National Meetings of Retired Members听 Yorkshire and Humberside retired members

24.4 The meeting shall select from among resolutions it has carried at its current and immediate previous annual meeting two motions for sending to the BDC of the NPC.

Purpose: To clarify and improve the process of selection by the annual meeting of two motions for forwarding to the BDC (Biennial Delegate Conference) of the NPC (National Pensioners鈥� Convention).听 This addition to rule will authorise the meeting to consider not only motions carried at its current meeting but also the motions from the previous year鈥檚 annual meeting.听 This rule addition expands the scope of motions for consideration for forwarding.

R15听听 Rule change: conduct of non-statutory ballots听 National executive committee

Add new schedule C to the rules; renumber existing schedule C

SCHEDULE C

Conduct of non-statutory ballots

1      A nominated member of the senior management team shall be responsible for acting as the scrutineer for each non-statutory ballot held by the union. The scrutineer will be responsible for supervising the secure conduct of the non-statutory ballot.

2      Non-statutory ballots include but are not limited to: indicative ballots for industrial action; ballots on whether to continue, call off or suspend action; surveys of eligible members agreed by NEC, its sub-committees or by Congress or a sector conference; and branch member consultations requested by the branch, endorsed by the relevant regional official and Head of Further or Higher education as appropriate.

3      The Head of Higher Education, Further Education or National Head of Regional Organisation, as appropriate, will act as returning officer for the ballot and will comply with the directions of the scrutineer.

4      Non-statutory ballots shall be organised consistent with the principles put forward by the Commission for Effective Industrial Action (CEIA) as agreed at the 2018 Congress, with particular reference to the following:

路           Local or national officers responsible for calling a non-statutory ballot should ensure that the campaign is 鈥渃haracterised by long term planning, union wide consultation to establish issues that are important to members, a prioritisation of resources and a gradual mobilisation running up to ballot鈥� (Recommendation 5)

路           The relevant authoring Committee 鈥渕ust always make clear voting recommendations when calling a ballot to authorise or cease a dispute.鈥� (Recommendation 8)

路           When a consultative ballot is conducted it must be used as a campaigning tool which carries the relevant officers/committee's recommendations as opposed to a passive surveying of members' views. (Recommendation 11)

路           Acceptance of an offer and thereby the ending of a dispute should ordinarily require a vote of all relevant members (Recommendation 15).

5      In order to ensure consistency and adherence to the CEIA principles set out in this code, all non-statutory ballots should be undertaken at 51福利 Head Office except where capacity issues require the ballot to be undertaken elsewhere.听 The independent scrutineer most recently appointed by the NEC for the purpose of statutory NEC elections should be used where capacity issues mean the union鈥檚 ballot team cannot undertake a ballot.

6      Non-statutory ballots will normally be conducted using a secure on-line voting system. Before the ballot begins, the returning officer will satisfy themselves that the relevant system is secure.听 Security considerations include but are not limited to the confidentiality of whether any particular member has voted, how any member has voted, and the ability to ensure that duplicate votes cannot be cast.

7      Ballot material should be at one remove from the voting screen upon which the member makes their choice.

8      The scrutineer will make special arrangements to enable voting by any member unable to vote online.

9      The membership data used for the purposes of the ballot will be the relevant members as recorded on the union鈥檚 central membership database.

10   Non-statutory ballots shall normally remain open for no fewer than 10 days. This may be varied in exceptional circumstances, as determined by the relevant committee.

11   The counting of a non-statutory ballot shall not be started until the ballot has formally closed.

12   The scrutineer will provide to the returning officer, as appropriate, a report of the ballot which sets out the total eligible members balloted, the numbers voting for each option, the number of abstentions, the total turnout as measured by total voters divided by total constituency, and any significant issues relating to the security or integrity of the ballot which have arisen.

13   In the event of any doubt or difficulty, the returning officer will seek the advice of the scrutineer.

14   A copy of the scrutineer鈥檚 report of any non-statutory ballot will be provided to any member on written request to the General Secretary.

Purpose: To put into rule the key principles that will be followed in respect of conduct of non-statutory ballots.

R16 Change to 51福利 Regional Committee Model Standing Orders (rule 30.1)听听听 Yorkshire and Humberside regional committee

Standing Order 6:  delete the final sentence:

鈥業n both cases, officers of the Committee shall not be included for the purpose of counting the quorum鈥�.

Purpose: To bring the regional committee model standing orders in line with standing orders/rules of all other 51福利, trade union and democratic bodies.

R17听听 Amend Congress standing order 18听听听听听听 University of Leeds

Congress standing order 18 (quorum), delete 鈥�(subject to rounding up to the nearest whole number)鈥�

Add at end:

鈥榚xcept where only a subset of the branches in a sector is eligible to vote on the topic under discussion, in which case the quorum shall be a fraction of 150 members proportionate to membership in that subset. Quora shall be rounded up to the nearest whole number.鈥�

Purpose: To have a quorum for sector specific conferences on matters relating to a subset of the sector which is line with the membership of that subset.

R18 听 Congress standing order change: Speaking times at Congress听 听听听听听听听听 South west regional committee

Standing Order 19: replace 鈥榝ive minutes鈥� with 鈥榝our minutes鈥� and 鈥榯hree minutes鈥� with 鈥榯wo minutes鈥�

听听听听听听听听 Purpose: to reduce the speaking times in the Congress standing orders for movers of motions (and sections of the NEC鈥檚 report to Congress) from five minutes to four minutes, and for all other speakers from three minutes to two minutes.

R19听听 Rule change: 鈥楴ew-delegate friendly鈥� order of business for Congress听听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听 South west regional committee

Standing Order 65: in section C, move points 2, 3, and 4 to follow point 5, and renumber accordingly.

Purpose: to move other topics ahead of the financial business in the order of private sessions of Congress.

 

 

Business of the education committee (section 4 of the NEC report to Congress)

Introduction (principles of education), paragraph 1.2

ED1听听 Education policy and campaigning听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee

Congress welcomes the achievements of the education committee during 2018/19, noting in particular its work on:

1.     university admissions reform

2.     amplifying staff critiques of/attitudes towards the TEF

3.     decent apprenticeships

4.     the life changing impact of FE and adult education

5.     challenges faced by female Black professors

6.     lodging an historic and significant complaint to UNESCO on (insufficient) academic freedom in the UK.

Congress notes 51福利鈥檚 increasing public policy influence across all UK nations and affirms our commitment to playing an instrumental role in the development of a truly inclusive, transformative national education service.

Congress agrees the education committee should prioritise pursuit of a new project to challenge managerialism in education, including:

a.     development of resources to support coordinated branch level campaigns

b.     campaigning to support international staff, challenging financial and political barriers connected to immigration

c.     pushing to secure long-term sustainability of the Transforming FE campaign.

ED2 听 Education and social justice听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Petroc

Congress believes:

1.   we need a National Education Service (NES) that recognises the need for the minds of the young to be informed and allowed to question.听 A child should be able to think freely with scope for imagination and creativity to have free reign.

2.   today鈥檚 national curriculum is ever more abbreviated, and social and political discussion is sometimes curtailed

3.   the educational system needs radical change, to ensure future generations are offered the tools to question and challenge, according to universal educational principles based on diversity, equality and informed critical thinking.

Congress resolves that 51福利 campaigns for:

a.    students to be empowered to explore ideas critically

b.    campuses to identify safe spaces open to all, where social and political ideas can be shared

c.    a national strategy for this, working to promote it with other unions and organisations.

Developing clear policies, paragraph 2.1

ED3听听 Public money public code campaign听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Academic related, professional staff committee

Congress notes:

1.     the tendency of institutions to centralise IT staff, closely followed by greater outsourcing/buying closed software solutions

2.     this narrows the scope for up-skilling/professional development and gives management

3.     the feeling that staff are a commodity resource, leading to deprofessionalisation of the workforce

4.     the failure of some proprietary software in producing value for money to meet the sectors needs.

Congress notes:

a.     that this narrowing of offering to academic staff impacts on academic freedom, as the institution will push for their chosen platform or solution

b.     this strategy leads to closed proprietary systems and vendor lock-in, and in the case of research increases the cost of reproducibility.

Congress resolves:

                i.       that 51福利 sign the FSFE 鈥榩ublic money public code鈥� declaration

               ii.       to work with the public money public code campaign for open software in education.

ED4听听 Lecture capture听听听听听听听听听听听 51福利 Scotland

Congress notes that new technology such as lecture capture and space surveillance mechanisms have significant implications for post-16 education.

Congress calls upon NEC to develop and update 51福利 policy and negotiating guidance to take the following issues into account:

1.     data protection issues, including privacy of staff and students

2.     the principle of freely given consent for recordings

3.     dignity at work and study

4.     copyright, intellectual property and performance rights

5.     training needs of staff

6.     storage, retention and distribution of recordings

7.     academic freedom

8.     equality impact assessments.

New paragraph, education and climate change, after paragraph 3.1

ED5听 Composite: Schoolchildren鈥檚 strike and education for green jobs听听听听听听 Open University, National executive committee, City of Oxford College Activate Learning

Congress welcomes the commitment by Jeremy Corbyn that a Labour Government will create 400,000 new green jobs to tackle climate change. This provides opportunities to implement a Just Transition agenda through the Greener Jobs Alliance (GJA).

Congress welcomes and expresses solidarity with the schoolchildren鈥檚 climate change strike, protesting about the lack of action by governments on climate change. Congress regards the protests as being about a fundamentally important political issue as well as an important part of 鈥榗itizenship education鈥�.

Future generations, both in jobs concerned with climate change and the wider workforce, need awareness of environmental issues and of producing in a carbon-neutral manner.听 Awareness is also needed of equality issues, so that solutions to problems of climate change are not at the expense of the most disadvantaged groups and peoples in the world. The post 16 education sector can contribute research, education and training to provide the knowledge basis for tackling climate change and to develop the workforce needed for green jobs.

51福利 will work with a Labour government and environmental groups to develop research, education courses and qualifications to support expansion of green jobs. These should replace high-carbon industries in a socially equitable way.

Congress asks NEC to:

1.     organise support for further action by school and college students on this issue

2.     seek cooperation with the NUS to involve student members in a supportive fashion

3.     encourage 51福利 members to develop appropriate teaching material which could be used in schools and colleges to help develop the debate around the issue of climate change and, where appropriate, include the debate about climate change in courses.

ED6听听 Access in retirement to academic libraries, journals and data bases听 听听听听听听听听听 Yorkshire and Humberside retired members

Congress notes that many university and college staff wish to continue with research and scholarly activities in retirement.听 However, if they do not have emeritus or visiting scholar status, access to academic libraries, journals and data bases may be ended with retirement, or severely restricted. This is particularly problematic where specialist information is required from scholarly journals which increasingly exist only in electronic forms and from which retired researchers find they are now excluded.

Therefore Congress asks the NEC to investigate the possibility of free academic library access that adopts standard academic borrowing conditions for all retired college and university staff, regardless of seniority - for instance, on a three-year renewable basis.听 Congress further recommends that NEC investigate whether remote, and not only on-site, access can be made available for university and college staff who have retired.听 Congress requests the NEC to issue guidance to members on this matter.

Business of the recruitment, organising 听and campaigning committee (section 5 of the NEC report to Congress)

Paragraph 1.2 (priorities and Get the Vote Out)

ROC1听听 Participation, GTVO and priority campaigns National executive committee

Congress notes the progress made by 51福利 in increasing average turnout in ballots from 38% to 49% since the passing of the Trade Union Act and recognises the challenges this unfair legislation presents to the union.

NEC is instructed to continue to prioritise increased participation in the union and specifically: 

1.     directly supporting branches in dispute, including via GTVO campaigns

2.     expanding training opportunities for active members 

3.     prioritising help for small branches

4.     continuing to grow the union through recruitment, and 

5.     providing support for priority national campaigns aimed at tackling pay, inequality, ending casualisation and addressing workload.

Paragraph 1.3 (local and national campaigns)

ROC2听听 Campaigning against victimisation of UCL 51福利 branch secretary Tony Brown听听听 听听听听听听听听听 University College London

Congress notes that:

1.     an employment tribunal panel has unanimously found that UCL 51福利 branch secretary Tony Brown was victimised by UCL management for carrying out trade union activities

2.     the trade union activities were setting up an opt-out email list for staff to use in response to management imposed restrictions

3.     UCL has appealed the case to the EAT

4.     51福利 Congress 2017 reaffirmed strong support for members subject to victimisation by their employer.

Congress believes:

a.     an injury to one is an injury to all

b.     freedom of association is a fundamental right that supports collective bargaining

c.     this is a test case on the right of trade unions to use email facilities to organise at work.

Congress:

                    i.   calls on the NEC to declare this matter a dispute of national significance

                  ii.   instructs the NEC to support UCL 51福利 to publicise the case and seek practical and financial solidarity.

Paragraph 1.5 (campaigning re Prevent)

ROC3 Citizenship stripping/immigration measures听听听听听听听听听听 Black members standing committee

Congress notes:

1.     the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019, which adds to existing legislation to expand state surveillance mechanisms and punitive powers

2.     the encroachment of immigration enforcement and 鈥榟ostile environment鈥� policies on campuses

3.     the implementation of the Prevent policy as a statutory duty on campuses.

4.     the citizenship stripping of Shamima Begum, highlighting how migrants and their descendants can be arbitrarily deprived of British citizenship.

Congress condemns attempts to instruct staff to engage in racial profiling, the policing of thought and the failure to protect staff against the risks of human rights violations arising from workplace actions. No colleague should be asked to collude with actions that may be used to remove citizenship.

Congress resolves to:

a.     review advice on instructions that could be used to enact human rights violations

b.     form a working group to monitor risks to staff arising from Prevent and immigration control.

Paragraph 1.6 (anti-casualisation day of action)

 

 

ROC4 Anti-casualisation听听听听听听听 South east regional committee

Increasing casualisation impacts negatively on lecturing staff, notably their mental health. They are often given the largest and most challenging classes which impacts on workload and stress levels 鈥� much work goes unrewarded for example: impromptu meetings with students and staff, CPD, open days, interviews. Many hourly paid staff use holiday periods to complete marking and preparation as well as responding to emails from students and colleagues. Sick pay is inadequate or not paid.

Casualised staff end up in spiralling debt on insecure contracts and their mental health suffers as lack of pay means that monthly financial outgoings cannot be met further exacerbating stress and depression.

Lecturers are pitted against their peers in the vain hope that they will be given a full time or fractional post.

Congress:

1.     reiterates its opposition to casualised contracts

2.     urges 51福利 to make the ending of all such contracts a priority.

ROC5 End the abuses of casualised contracts听听 University of Glasgow

Congress welcomes the progress made through the hard work of activists and deplores the ways that institutions are trying to circumvent legislation and/or their own policies.

Congress reaffirms that the focus of improving policy and obtaining fractional contracts must not be at the expense of job loss by casualised staff. 

Congress instructs NEC to obtain data and details and/or case studies including:

1.听 institutional anti-casualisation policies

2.听 staff who legally should have received a permanent/open-ended contract but are still on casualised contracts

3. 听 staff who have a mixture of permanent/open-ended and casualised contracts

4.听 casualised staff who have lost their jobs as a result of policy changes.

And to:

a.听 name and shame the worst employers

b.听 publicise good practice, including through case studies

c.听 campaign for improved collective agreements, including through tribunal cases, where appropriate.

ROC6 Developing negotiations to increase job security 听听听 National executive committee

Congress applauds the work of many 51福利 activists who have campaigned and worked over the years to make anti-casualisation a central aspect of 51福利鈥檚 work.听 It recognises the progress achieved in our understanding of this issue, as a concern for all members, and applauds negotiating gains which have transferred casualised staff to more secure contracts.

Congress notes, however, the danger that employers may, despite anti-casualisation agreements, seek to create new forms of precarious work or new layers of casualised staff.

Congress therefore instructs the relevant committees of the NEC to explore the feasibility and usefulness of collective agreements which determine the staffing structure of educational institutions.听 Such agreements can be used to establish the norm for employment as full-time or fractional permanent contracts and restrict the creation of casualised employment.听 They can also address workload pressures arising from under-staffing.

ROC7 Equality and casualisation听听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee

Congress notes:

1.     the continued obstacles to equality and career development for women, black, disabled and LGBT+ colleagues in FE and HE

2.     the intersection of protected characteristics with one another, and with the growing use and abuse of precarious and casualised working: black, LGBT+, disabled and women colleagues are disproportionately likely to work under insecure contracts and conditions

3.     the need to link work on pay inequities with work on casualisation and disability, and on homophobic, racist and sexist cultures.

Congress resolves

a.     to ensure consultation and sharing of information about bargaining and campaigning on equal pay and related equality issues between sector committees and the cross-sectoral anti-casualisation and equality committees

b.     to promote awareness among branch activists and negotiators of the crucial links between casualisation, disability and race gender and LGBT+ inequities, and provide relevant legal advice

c.     to encourage branches to take casualisation and gender claims.

ROC8 Investigating UK companies and agencies exploiting or profiting from casualisation听 听听听听 West Midlands regional committee

Congress notes the use of 鈥榯emp鈥� and casual work agencies for the purposes of:

1.     evading education workers鈥� rights to union representation (e.g. Coventry University)

2.     undermining lawful industrial action. 

Congress resolves: 

a.听听 to commission an investigation by 鈥楥orporate Watch鈥� or other relevant union-friendly research agency to map the location, activities and power of education staffing companies and agencies exploiting or profiting from casualisation in the UK

b.听听 to make this research complement rather than overlap existing research conducted by or on behalf of 51福利

c.听听 to mandate a reasonable expenditure of funds necessary to produce a full report including: 

                             i.       mini-profiles of the companies profiting from casualisation in education, their ownership structures, finances, business models and interests of shareholding parties

                           ii.       recommendations of areas of potential leverage that can be used against insecure, atypical or illegal employment practices and in defence of workers鈥� rights.

Paragraph 1.7 (pay and equality campaigning)

ROC9听 Women and casualisation听听听听听听听听听听听 Anti-casualisation committee

Congress notes that more women, especially those from intersecting equality strands, are stuck on casualised contracts.听 It is a significant equal pay issue.听 It hinders career progression and means they earn less than male comparators in permanent positions.听 They then cannot get off the lower quartile of pay or precarious employment conditions.听 This is an equal pay issue that 51福利, the government and employers need to confront.听 Employers will say that equal pay is not problematic because of contract type.

Congress resolves to:

1.     encourage 51福利 funding of a casualised woman鈥檚 equal pay claim

2.     promote to branches and give guidance on equal pay claims in branch campaigns and local management negotiations

3.     hold a special NEC meeting, solely on casualised workers, to progress work on this issue within the union

4.     promote this issue with the Labour party and other political parties.

Paragraph 1.8 (GTVO and the Trade Union Act)

ROC10听 Industrial strategy and the anti-union laws听听听听听听听听 University of Brighton

Congress notes

1.   the successful mobilisation around the USS dispute and a number of FE disputes

2.   the recent 70% strike vote and 41% turnout in HE is a massive mandate for action and the biggest vote ever for pay in the 51福利

3.   only the imposition of a 50% turnout threshold by the Tories in 2016 prevented this being a legal mandate for action.

Congress believes

a.     members in all sectors want to see gains over pay, equality, defence of jobs, pensions and working conditions

b.     these gains depend on our ability to take industrial action

c.     the 50% threshold can be exceeded on a national basis not just locally.

Congress resolves to

                    i.   implement and build on the recommendations of the commission on effective industrial action

                  ii.   engage the membership in developing mechanisms for achieving the legal threshold including

                 iii.   spreading the most effective locally developed GTVO techniques

                 iv.   encouraging regional mutual support arrangements for branches.

ROC11听 Tory anti-trade union legislation 听听听听听听听 National executive committee

1.   Congress reiterates 51福利鈥檚 opposition to the Tory Trade Union Act 2016.

2.   most recently the Act has prevented industrial action against employers in respect of poor pay in HE and the gender pay gap despite majority votes for industrial action. Other unions have been similarly impacted

3.   despite the historically high turnout achieved in a national postal ballot and considerable GTVO efforts by branch activists and the gratifyingly high vote for industrial action, failure to achieve the 50 percent threshold has once again left members understandably angry and frustrated.

Congress resolves:

a.     that 51福利鈥檚 leadership shall organise a day of action against the anti-trade union legislation, and

b.     that the union calls on the TUC should organise a broad TU protest against this unjust anti-working class attack on workers鈥� rights to take industrial action.

ROC12听 RMB assistance听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 East Midlands retired members

This Congress notes and welcomes the involvement of retired members branches in the GTVO process.

It urges the NEC to consider further appropriate auxiliary help by the RMBs to working branches, and to inform working branches of this source of additional assistance.

ROC13听 Financial and training support for organising听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 University of Sheffield

听听 听听听听听听 Congress notes:

1.     participation thresholds mandated by anti-trade union laws impede industrial action, despite strong member support. Thus, there is an urgent need to improve organising support for branches

2.     existing organising training (Advanced Reps) requires Rep 1, limiting its accessibility to members

3.     branches differ significantly in membership densities and available backfilled facility time.

Congress resolves:

a.     to rename Advanced Reps to 鈥�51福利 Organisers鈥�: A 1-2 day course assuming no prior knowledge of 51福利 structures, covering recruitment, GTVO, building strike committees, and coordinating effective industrial action.

b.     to provide funds to regional offices to act as organising hubs, which will:

                                     i.        coordinate and deliver organiser training

                                    ii.        provide specialist support to branches developing GTVO plans

                                  iii.        coordinate and deliver telephone banking, and be able to requisition听听听 additional staffing to support this

c.     to permit branches to request access to these funds to coordinate their own campaigning.

New paragraph, Climate change and environmental campaigning, after paragraph 1.12

ROC14听 Composite: The climate emergency: zero carbon workplaces by 2030听听 University of Warwick, Lambeth College

Congress notes:

1.     the IPCC report (Oct 2018) on anthropogenic global climate change outlines the significantly intensified harm likely to result from a 2掳C vs 1.5掳C rise; but acknowledges the possibility of avoiding this

2.     a growing international movement of school students鈥� strikes demanding urgent action on climate change, including walkouts on 15 February and 15 March by tens of thousands of school, college and university students

3.     student/staff campaigns have helped push over 70 UK universities to pledge to divest from fossil fuels

4.     UK universities and colleges have reduced greenhouse gas emissions, but most no longer comply with new scientific understanding

5.     some UK university managements, such as Bristol, are rising to this challenge, setting clear targets for carbon neutrality by 2030; elsewhere, such as the University of Warwick, 51福利 branches are supporting student leadership.

Congress believes

a.     the depletion of the planet鈥檚 resources by neoliberal powers is unsustainable. These are the same powers implementing marketisation of education.

b.     the UK government is failing to meet its obligations under the Paris Agreement

c.      unions should have a much more integral role in ensuring that climate change policies are advancing.

Congress resolves to

                    i.   publicise the climate strikes to members and urge them to set up solidarity actions for future strikes

                  ii.   issue a public statement on the climate emergency and commit to researching and developing a plan to achieve 鈥榮cope 3鈥� carbon neutrality by 2030 in all the institutions where members work

                 iii.   encourage all 51福利 branches to recognise a state of climate emergency and develop a campaign, in collaboration with others including education unions, for all educational institutional commitments to 鈥榮cope 3鈥� carbon neutrality by 2030

                 iv.   produce campaign and resources to raise eco consciousness.

ROC15听 Just transition听听听听听听听听听 London retired members

Whilst recognising right of energy unions to defend their members pay and conditions during a just transition to a low carbon economy, Congress regards听 this as an issue which is of legitimate concern to all parts of the labour movement.

Trade unions must help a just transition; shifting energy production, transport, housing and agriculture onto a sustainable basis; with workers and communities most directly affected re-skilled.

Congress instructs the executive to approach other education unions and interested parties to: 

1.     lobby Government to carry out their obligations under the Paris Agreement and sustainable development goals in educating the public and students about climate change and the measures needed to deal with it

2.     press for every FHE institution to be zero carbon by 2030 

3.     make just transition key in our discussions about the National Education Service; and 

4.     support the call for a just transition conference open to all unions.

ROC16听 Food waste听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee

Congress notes that:

1.     eight million people in the UK are living in food poverty.

2.     according to the Waste and Resources Action Plan (WRAP), the UK wastes 10 million tonnes of food every year.

3.     in France, it is now against the law for large supermarkets to throw away unused food, which must be donated to a non-profit charity or foodbank. Denmark reduced food waste by 25% in five years through simple measures.

4.     universities and colleges often have large campuses with multiple food outlets.

Congress instructs the union to develop guidance for branches to:

a.     work with student unions and environmental reps to urge institutions to reduce food waste on their campuses.

b.     encourage institutions to donate excess food to local food banks.

c.     share good practice from institutions where successful initiatives are already in place.

d.     highlight to employers the financial benefits of reducing food waste in line with the Courtauld Commitment 2025.

New paragraph, Support for reps, after 1.12

ROC17听 Reps鈥� network听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee

Congress notes that:

1.     workplace reps are volunteers and are often faced with stressful situations and distressing casework and the role can be isolating and lonely

2.     51福利 provides the Education Support Partnership service for members, which provides 鈥榠ndependent, confidential 24/7 support鈥� on many issues

3.     counselling support from education specialists may not extend to the specific emotional issues faced by reps

4.     members of branch committees are often juggling full-time jobs alongside their union duties and may not have time to offer emotional support to other reps.

5.     union matters are confidential and therefore cannot be discussed with friends or family outside of the union.

Congress instructs 51福利 to create a reps鈥� network with appropriate training and mentoring, comprised of volunteer reps/ former reps who would offer a listening ear (telephone or face-to-face) to workplace reps who are without a mechanism for offloading distressing experiences that must remain confidential within the union.

New paragraph, Defend the welfare state, after paragraph 1.12

ROC18 Casuals, benefits and the welfare state听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听 Anti-casualisation committee

Congress notes that:

1.   there is not sufficient recognition that large numbers of our members often need to access the welfare state, owing to constant breaks in employment and underemployment

2.   听the health of the trade union movement depends on solidarity, community and identity between employed and unemployed workers

3.   Tory austerity is destroying our welfare state and demonising benefit claimants

4.   universal credit is designed to plunge working class people into poverty and must be scrapped.

Congress asks 51福利 to:

a.     publish a guide to benefits and the welfare state, focusing on frequent breaks in employment and under-employment/low pay.听 This should be accompanied by guidance on distribution, to grow our movement

b.     actively campaign alongside other unions and campaigns to defend the welfare state

c.     encourage branches to demand employers provide support for members affected by universal credit.

Congress commits to building support for this policy throughout 51福利.

New paragraph, Managerialism and financialisation, after paragraph 1.12

ROC19听 Managerialisation and financialisation of higher and further education Southern regional committee

Congress notes the hardship inflicted on all staff as a result of managerialisation and financialisation in both HE and FE, and enforced deviations in national contracts. Congress also notes the devastating impact of the extensive borrowing, complex financial arrangements and disproportionately ambitious building/property transactions of the institutions and affiliates which have been used by management to justify detriment on pay, pensions and conditions.听

Congress calls on the NEC to:

1. 听 commission critical financial accounting reviews to help challenge institutions undertaking so-called 鈥榲oluntary鈥� or compulsory redundancies, precarity, outsourcing, or those expressing financial hardship to justify pensions contributions increases or benefits reductions.

2.听听 produce a report of all the institutions that have deviated in the past 10 years from the national agreements with details of the deviations involved, and to produce an annual report going forward of all deviations in national contract from relevant institutions.

New paragraph, campaigning for retired members, after paragraph 1.12

ROC20听 Social care听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Wales retired members

Congress notes that in Wales there is a campaign to recruit 20,000 more social care workers. Given the increase in the elderly population England and the other devolved regions funding for social care should not rely on a person鈥檚 bank balance.

Congress asks 51福利 to campaign through whatever means in order for the government to adequately fund social care. In addition, Congress is asked to support a campaign to ensure that social care workers in England and the devolved regions are paid a wage that reflects their responsibilities and calls for an end to zero hour contracts and payment by the minute for all care workers in both the public and private sector.

 

 

Business of the equality committee (section 6 of the NEC report to Congress)

 

Introduction, paragraph 1.1 (equality within all areas of the union鈥檚 work)

EQ1听听 Equal and just learning spaces听听听听听 West Midlands regional committee

Congress notes:

1.     the recent attempted prioritisation of the educational access of students found to have engaged in racism and misogyny at Warwick University over safe educational spaces for those targeted

2.     the disciplinary action at Lancaster University against a black female student whistleblowing on racist and misogynistic activity amongst fellow students

3.     the broader environment across our sectors whereby members and students continue to face institutional barriers of the identification of students as consumers and institutions as corporations in our fight for equal, just learning spaces. 

Congress resolves:

a.     to develop themed learning week resources to promote consent and bodily agency, along with developing and sharing of best practice in holding institutions to account

b.     to demand institutions engage with 51福利 to review policies and practices on discrimination and harassment

c.     to continue to build our fight against harassment in all forms in our institutions.

Campaigning for equality, paragraph 3.1

EQ2听听 Mental health reps and training 听听 Disabled members standing committee

Congress applauds the development of the Mental Health Charter.听听

Congress notes:

1.     that non specialist staff are increasingly asked to support students with mental health needs despite minimal training and resources

2.     management seldom recognise and rarely meet the needs of staff with mental health conditions. This often leaves union reps to provide support.

3.     the stress of unreasonable workloads and bullying at work is causing mental health difficulties for post 16 education workers.

Congress believes:

a.     colleges and universities must provide sufficient counselling and mental health support for staff and students

b.     51福利 supported mental health first aid training can be helpful for our reps in supporting members with mental health conditions, but is not a resource for our management who must provide suitable workplace support and reasonable adjustments.

Congress resolves:

                i.       to step up campaigning for sufficient mental health support

               ii.       to organise MH training for reps as part of the MH charter.

EQ3听听 LGBT+ mental health听听听听听听听听听听听 LGBT+ members standing committee

This Congress recognises that mental health is under-recognised, under-reported, under-diagnosed and under-funded.

The LGBT+ communities are disproportionately affected by mental health issues. LGBT+ young people are four times more likely to self-harm, whilst, tragically, suicide attempts are three times that of heterosexuals. In many suicides, the sexual orientation or gender identity are not recorded. Congress supports positive teaching of LGBT+ lives and issues at all levels of education. This is a particular concern in FE and HE, when students are often exploring and questioning their sexual and gender identity.

Congress calls upon 51福利 to

1.     raise awareness of LGBT+ mental health issues by organising an event specifically addressing this topic

2.     support LGBT+ members with their mental health needs, diagnosis and care

3.     campaign for better mental health care for all 51福利 members

4.     campaign for better mental health funding for all, particularly those with protected characteristics, who are often marginalised by society.

Campaigning for equality, paragraph 3.3

EQ4听听 The far right on campus 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee

The far-right are attempting to take their message of racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism onto university and college campuses.

The far-right group 鈥楪eneration Identity鈥� has now appeared on over 20 campuses, stickering and holding stunts and meetings. Their activities have included trolling and online threats and harassment against Nita Sanghera, 51福利 VP.

Congress expresses solidarity with Nita and other targets of far-right harassment and resolves:

1.听听 to work with NUS, other campus unions and anti-racist groups like Stand Up To Racism to oppose the threat of Nazi, racist and fascist ideas on campus by organising a 鈥楴azis Off Our Campuses鈥� campaign

2.听听 to organise a national tour alongside Stand Up To Racism, other antiracist campaigns, and sister campus unions promoting events at colleges and universities to highlight the growth of the far right

3.听听 to develop anti-racist materials aimed at exposing the far right to staff and students.

EQ5 听 Racism and refugees听听听听听听听听听听听听 London regional committee

The Tories have tried to use the scapegoating of refugees as a method to deflect from their Brexit crisis.

The far right are also trying to make gains from the crisis.

Whether you voted leave or remain we have to unite against racism and the growth of the far right.

Congress resolves to build the widest support for future demonstrations like the Unite Against Racism and Facism demonstration on 16 March.

EQ6听听 Citizenship rights and the hostile environment听听 Croydon College

This Congress deplores the home secretary鈥檚 decision to withdraw citizenship from Shamima Begum. The consequences of this decision may well have contributed to the death of her child in a refugee camp. Congress notes with outrage that the continuing questioning of citizenship of the Windrush generation and their offspring and the deportations that have flown from withdrawal of citizenship rights as a strategy for creating a hostile environment for migrants.听 Congress resolves to campaign for:

1.     the right of Shamima Begum to retain her citizenship

2.     the right of return for all Windrush deportees.

EQ7听听 Stop the deportations now听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee

Congress notes:

1.     the hostile environment policy advanced by Theresa May as Home Secretary and accelerated under her premiership

2.     the relentless tide of deportations of the Windrush generation and the failure to end or reverse this after broken promises from the current government

3.     the devastating impact this has had and the commitment of 51福利 as trade unionists and internationalists to stand in solidarity with members, their families and our communities.

Congress resolves:

a.     to invite Windrush speakers to regional and branch meetings

b.     to develop solidarity networks to support the resistance of deportations

c.     to demand the government end the hostile environment and all deportations.

 

EQ8 听 Representation of migrants in 51福利 structures听听听听 University of Leeds, The University of Manchester

Congress notes:

1.     migrants, defined as non-U.K citizens, constitute a large demography within 51福利鈥檚 membership

2.     51福利鈥檚 structures currently do not represent migrants, thereby leaving them vulnerable to discrimination, harassment, surveillance and other forms of oppression

Congress believes:

a.     all workers should be treated equally independent of immigration status

b.     anti-migrant sentiments are fuelled by policies such as Hostile Environment and Brexit which are racist and xenophobic in nature

c.     there should be no place for targeted racism and legal discrimination within our sector

d.     only direct migrant representation can advance 51福利 policy and organising strategies on matters specific to migrant members such as mobility rights, visa fees, NHS surcharge, social security.

Congress resolves to:

                   i.       recognise migrant status as a protected characteristic under 51福利 Equality听 structures

                  ii.       implement rule changes necessary to ensure the representational gap is closed

                 iii.       ensure protection of migrant members is a priority for 51福利.

EQ9听听 Financial and institutional support for migrant staff听听 University of Cambridge

Congress notes:

1.     migrants are an integral part of the UK university staff body, which is 30% non-UK

2.     regular above-inflation increases in visa fees and related costs act as a form of double taxation on migrant staff

3.     financial support and formal representation for migrant staff are deeply lacking across the sector.

Congress believes:

a.     direct migrant representation is needed to advance 51福利 policy on matters specific to migrant members

b.     standards set by the Universities of St Andrews and Sheffield show that our employers can and should take responsibility to redress punitive financial measures that affect migrant staff.

Congress resolves to:

                    i.   create a migrant representative under the 51福利 equality structures and听听听听听 implement rule changes to close the representational gap

                  ii.   negotiate with the employers nationally for a gold standard across the sector on:

路           covering visa costs, NHS and indefinite leave to remain fees for staff and their dependants

路           provision of dedicated HR support.

EQ10 The Stansted 15: challenging the hostile environment听听听听 Yorkshire and Humberside regional committee

Congress notes the case of the 鈥楽tansted 15鈥�, activists who, in March 2017, used non-violent direct action 鈥� lying down in front of an aeroplane 鈥� to prevent a charter flight due to remove asylum seekers and other migrants to the UK from taking off.

As a result of this action, approximately 50 people due to be deported were able to remain in the UK to continue their legal cases. The activists themselves however have been charged with terror-related offences under the Aviation and Maritime Security Act. If found guilty, they face life sentences.

Congress believes that:

1.   the Stansted 15 acted with bravery, humanity and kindness.

2.   the government鈥檚 decision to charge them with terror-related offences is politically motivated and is designed to reinforce its 鈥榟ostile environment for migrants鈥�.

Congress resolves to send a message of solidarity to the Stansted 15 and to donate 拢1000 to their trial fund.

Equality for disabled members, paragraph 5.1

EQ11 Accessibility for all 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Disabled members standing committee

Congress commends the excellent work undertaken by the Disabled Members Standing Committee, and the achievements of 51福利鈥檚 Day of Action campaign. Congress notes disability discrimination on campuses and commends the current access campaign by 51福利 University of Liverpool.

Congress also notes the hard work undertaken by 51福利 event organisers. Notwithstanding the principled position 51福利 takes on accessibility for workers, delegates to Congress, conferences and other 51福利 events continue to encounter discrimination through lack of access.听 These issues affect those with seen and unseen disabilities.

Congress resolves:

1.听听 trained 51福利 staff shall undertake accessibility site evaluations when organising national and regional events, and use only accessible venues

2.听听 that 51福利 provides resources to branches to tackle disability discrimination, including lack of accessibility

3.听听 that 51福利 lobbies parliament for a review of building regulations to ensure they meet the accessibility needs of disabled people.

EQ12 Social model of disability听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Coleg Gwent Newport

Congress notes that the social model of disability was adopted by the United Nations through the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which was ratified by the UK Government in 2009.

Congress further notes the excellent work done by the equality standing committee in producing toolkits supporting the social model of disability.

Congress believes that the social model of disability can reduce the possibility of discrimination within the workplace. Members with disabilities may be indirectly discriminated against when needing additional time off due to their impairments.听

Congress calls upon branches:

1.     to seek that their institutions adopt the social model within its policies

2.     raise awareness of the social model within its institutions and wider communities

3.     to negotiate a separate disability leave section in their sickness absence policies.

Equality for LGBT+ members, paragraph 6.6

EQ13 No more excuses: Close the LGBT+ data gap听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee

The National LGBT Survey (2018) demonstrated that prejudice against LGBT+ people exists at all levels of education. Effective data collection has potential to tackle this by making LGBT+ people a statistical reality with equality of social capital.

The higher education equality body (now HE Advance) said that 鈥楽exual orientation has not yet received the same degree of analytical attention as other protected characteristics such as gender, disability, age, and race/ethnicity鈥� (2018). Its 2017 statistical report on HE staff equality examined sexual orientation in four tables; ethnicity was discussed in 43 tables and gender in 31 tables.

Congress calls on 51福利:

1.     to remind employers that their Public Sector Equality Duties require advancement of equality, and their ability to do this depends on good data

2.     to promote the closure of the LGBT+ data gap for staff in post-16 education, and the need for intersectionality to be included in data collection.

Equality for women members, paragraph 7.4 (guidance on gender based violence)

 

EQ14 Gender based violence听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 51福利 Scotland

Congress notes and welcomes the work of 51福利, NUS, the Scottish Government and higher education institutions promoting action against gender based violence in Scottish HE and the work of Strathclyde University鈥檚 Equally Safe in HE initiative in developing a toolkit.听

Congress also welcomes the rolling out of signposting information on gender based violence to every member of staff in Scottish higher education.听

Congress notes that, sadly, incidences of gender based violence in higher education institutions remain all too high, and that there are continuing reports of misogynistic behaviour on campuses and amongst student groups.听

Congress believes that the current initiatives in higher education are timely and positive but that progress must be maintained and therefore calls on 51福利 to seek further opportunities to work co-operatively across the HE and FE sectors to tackle gender based violence.

Equality for women members, paragraph 7.6 (challenging sexual harassment in the workplace)

EQ15 Sexual harassment and abuse have no place in our union听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Women members standing committee

Congress applauds the #MeToo movement.

Congress believes

1.     we need to take a stand in support of survivors and in making our workplaces free of sexual harassment

2.     the use of non-disclosure agreements allow those accused of harassment to move to new workplaces without facing charges and puts other people (overwhelmingly women) at risk.

Congress resolves:

a.     introduce new rule 6.1.2 in national rules:

51福利 will refuse membership to, or expel from existing membership, any person who is found guilty of sexual harassment as this conduct is contrary to the rules of 51福利 as outlined in 6.1 above

b.     to develop a campaign countering use of non-disclosure agreements involving accusations of sexual harassment鈥攊ncluding running FOI exercise to investigate institutions using these

c.     to campaign for institutions to refer sexual harassment/rape cases to the police

d.     produce guidelines in how to audit disciplinary and grievance policies.

EQ16 Accountability of colleges and universities: Sexual harassment听听听听听听听听 National executive committee

A recent case at the University of Warwick highlighted us to the fact of how such institutions are negating their responsibilities in tackling and addressing these sexist issues.  The case of two students making direct threats of rape and sexual abuse were in the first instance dealt with adequately, but on appeal sanctions previously imposed were suddenly diluted and demeaned the severity of the impact to their female survivors. It is clear that the costs of losing students are primary to management and consideration of the survivor is secondary.

Congress believes that colleges and universities should have a clear and robust policy in holding students to account in cases of sexual harassment.

Congress resolves to

1.     highlight the rise of sexual abuse in colleges and universities

2.     promote the need for management to take these issues seriously

3.     work with others to educate students and staff.

New paragraph, Gender identity, after paragraph 7.7

EQ17 Gender identity after the 2018 Gender Recognition Act (GRA) consultation听听听听听听听听听 LGBT+ members standing committee

Congress notes that the report on the consultation on the GRA has been delayed by government due, at least in part, to government pandering to the reactionaries of the right.

Congress recognises that gender and biological sex are different. Gender is a social category, not a biological one. Congress believes that everyone has the right to self-define their gender, including legal gender recognition.

Congress notes the diversity of gender identity and calls on 51福利 to continue to promote a greater awareness of the issues faced by every part of the LGBT+ community.

In the event of government retreat over the GRA consultation, Congress resolves to continue to campaign for further legal change guaranteeing gender self-identification.

EQ18 Respectful dialogue on gender/gender diversity鈥�听听听 University of Edinburgh

Congress鈥痭otes:鈥� 鈥�

1. 听 proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act have potentially profound consequences for a range of social and institutional regulations, procedures and practices

2. 听 the debate over definitions of 'sex', 'gender' and 'gender identity' in and beyond universities has become hostile and intimidating

3. 听 feminist scholars have been targeted for publishing research on sex and gender.听听听

Congress鈥痓elieves:鈥�鈥� 鈥�

a.     51福利 is rightly committed to promoting鈥痚quality鈥�

b.     51福利 members hold a variety of views on issues of sex and gender and have much to contribute to public debate

c.     potential conflicts of rights should be discussed openly in a spirit of respectful, evidence-based dialogue.听听听听听听

Congress鈥痗alls on 51福利鈥痶o:鈥�鈥� 鈥�

                    i.   reaffirm its commitment to academic freedom in research and teaching

                  ii.   condemn the harassment of feminist academics for expressing views on sex and gender

                 iii.   construct spaces in which gender diversity can be explored through respectful dialogue.

New paragraph, Justice for women facing retirement, after paragraph 7.7

EQ19 Seeking justice for women facing retirement 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Southern retired members

Congress recognises the injustice experienced by women whose state pensions have been deferred without adequate notification. The consequences have been that those affected were unable to make long-term financial plans and some are now experiencing significant hardship.

Congress calls on the NEC to undertake an active campaign, together with other trades unions and campaign groups to seek justice for the many retired 51福利 members and others who have been disadvantaged.

New paragraph, Other equality issues, after paragraph 7.7

EQ20 Extension of Equality Act protection to single people听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee

Congress notes:

1.     under the Equality Act 2010 married people and people in civil partnerships are protected from discrimination on grounds of marital status, but single people are not and so can lawfully be treated less favourably

2.     that lack of legal protection gives scope for expression of negative attitudes towards single people

3.     that if health and social care services are organised on the assumption that people have a 鈥榥ext of kin鈥� family member who can look after them in periods of illness and disability, this disadvantages single people

4.     that there are various forms of existing discrimination against single people, such as single person supplements charged by holiday firms

5.     that discussion of loneliness as a health problem can foster negative stereotypes of the lives of single people.

Congress believes that the Equality Act should be extended to include single people as a protected category and will work to achieve this legal reform.

 

Motions submitted to the higher education sector conference

 

HE pay and equality, paragraphs 2.1-2.4

HE1 听 HE pay 听听听听听 Higher education committee

HE Sector conference notes the report and approves the recommendations of the national negotiators contained in 51福利BANHE/XXX.

HE2听听 Multi-year pay settlement听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Lancaster University

Conference notes that

1.听听 the recent industrial action ballot on pay and equality did not reach the 50% required threshold

2.听听 the iniquitous trade union laws are stacked against industrial action

3.听听 the annual cycle of pay negotiations is ineffective, as annual bargaining and any arising dispute and ballot for industrial action are a drain on the union鈥檚 resources

4.听听 even if we win a decent settlement one year, employers will try to claw this back in the following years.

Conference believes that members would be more engaged with industrial action if the negotiations were on a multi-year basis rather than the prospect of annual strikes.

Conference therefore calls upon HEC to seek to move to multi-year settlements with UCEA to address the problem, with a suggested timeframe of a 2-3 years negotiation cycle.

HE3听听 Future pay claims听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 The University of Manchester

HESC notes:

1.     that fair and equitable pay levels are essential for the healthy future of higher education

2.     the difficulty in getting successful ballots in one-year pay claims under current anti-trade union legislation

3.     the difficulties in timing ballots and actions under the current New JNCHES bargaining arrangements

4.     that the most significant improvement in our pay in recent years came from a multi-year pay deal.

HESC therefore resolves that 51福利 should engage with its members in HE to consult over:

a.     fair and equitable pay structures and levels

b.     the details of a multi-year pay claim that would deliver this outcome

c.     include consideration of the bargaining arrangements in this consultation, and

d.     use the results of the consultation in formulating the next pay claim.

Pensions 鈥� USS (paragraphs 3.1 鈥� 3.5)

HE4听听 USS 听听听听听听听听听听 Higher education committee

HE sector conference notes the report and approves the recommendations of the superannuation working group contained in 51福利BANHE/XXX.

HE5听听 Composite: USS pensions听听听听 Imperial College London, University College London

Conference notes:

1.     the transformative impact of the USS strike on 51福利

2.     the failure of USS to implement the JEP鈥檚 first report leading to proposals for increasing contributions and threats of worsening of benefit

3.     additional USS contributions are already leading to some researchers being offered shorter contracts.

Conference believes the refusal to adopt JEP recommendations is underpinned by a governance failure within USS trustee body.

Conference resolves:

a.     to reaffirm 51福利鈥檚 position calling for the resignation of Bill Galvin USS CEO

b.     to call for the transfer of powers to determine the valuation methodology to be moved to the JNC.

HE5A.1 Compositing amendment听 University College London

Conference resolves, end of point a, add 鈥榓nd call for the resignation of all independent Trustees鈥�

After point b, add:

c.     to call a higher education sector conference on USS in the autumn term 2019 to review the position and consider all actions available to 51福利 to defend USS

d.     to call for a national Day of Action on USS.

HE6听听 Composite: USS dispute听听听听听听听 University of Reading, University of Edinburgh, Lancaster University

HESC notes that:

1.     USS has calculated that full implementation of the JEP proposals to the 2018 valuation would lead to a 拢0.6 billion technical provisions surplus and require a contribution rate of only 25.5%. This vindicates the 51福利 position of 'no detriment'

2.     Nevertheless USS are continuing to insist that the JEP proposals be implemented only in part and that contributions be raised to a minimum of 29.7% for the coming valuation period

3.     The USS dispute has not been resolved.

HESC resolves:

a.     to call on USS to implement in full, in the 2018 valuation, the 6 JEP proposals for the 2017 valuation

b.     not to accept any increase in member contributions, including 'trigger contributions', for this valuation and that any threat of these should be countered with a ballot for industrial action in line with existing policy

c.     to call on all employers to publish their response to the USS technical provisions document.

HE7听听 51福利 must remain open to a legal challenge against USS听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 University of Sheffield

The handling by USS of their recent actuarial valuations has been subject to intense scrutiny. Concerns over USS's decision-making, governance and associated processes have been raised by many members and branches, and also by 51福利's actuarial advisers and the Joint Expert Panel.

The Academics for Pensions Justice group, set up in the wake of the USS dispute, crowd-funded over 拢50,000 from nearly 2,000 individual donations to obtain specialist legal advice about potential mismanagement by the Board of Trustees of USS.

Conference believes that 51福利 must remain open to supporting a legal challenge over the actions of USS, and instructs those with relevant decision-making powers (including but not limited to the superannuation working group, national dispute committee, higher education committee, national executive committee and the general secretary) to give serious consideration to taking further legal steps in defence of members' pensions.

Pensions - Teachers鈥� Pension Scheme (paragraphs 3.6-3.8)

HE8听听 Teachers Pension Scheme (TPS)听听 University of Westminster (Regent)

Conference notes that:

1.     under Treasury proposals, employer contributions to public sector pension schemes, including the TPS, are planned to rise substantially in 2019

2.     post-92 universities will receive no additional funding from the UK government to cover the increase in staff costs due to this increase.

Conference believes that any increase in employer pension contributions must not come at the expense of staff jobs, pay awards or benefits. In addition to the effect on staff, such reductions in costs damage the student experience.

Conference resolves:

a.     to work with other trades unions to campaign for a re-evaluation of the increase in public sector employer pension contributions

b.     to campaign for a phased introduction of increased employer contributions to ease the pressure on finances of public sector organizations, such as universities

c.     to work with universities to explore ways in which any such increase in costs can be mitigated without cutting courses, jobs or benefits.

HE9听听 TPS 鈥� employer increased contribution payments 鈥� consequential problems West Midlands regional HE committee

HE sector conference notes that employer contributions to the TPS are to increase by 5-7% from September with no transitional relief, requiring universities to pay enormous additional amounts of money into the TPS. 

HE sector conference is deeply concerned that, in response, universities may create Ltd internal companies to TUPE academic staff into, therefore removing the need to pay TPS contributions and forcing members onto new contracts and into inferior defined-contribution schemes.

HE sector conference therefore resolves to instruct the HEC to: 

1.     analyse the data obtained on the intentions of university managements and ascertain if employers are planning to force academic staff onto new contracts of employment and into inferior pension schemes

2.     support such branches with strike action

3.     develop a high-profile national campaign against the increased TPS charges and the lack of transitional relief for universities.

Precarious contracts 鈥� Stamp Out Casual Contracts (paragraphs 4.1 鈥� 4.4)

HE10 Discussion on developing negotiations to increase job security听听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听 Anti-casualisation committee

Conference applauds:

1.     work of 51福利 activists who have campaigned over the years to make anti-casualisation a central aspect of 51福利鈥檚 work and recognise the progress achieved in our understanding of this issue, as a concern for all members

2.     casualised members who supported the USS strike

3.     negotiating gains, which have transferred casualised staff to more secure contracts.听

Such agreements can be used to establish the norm for employment as full-time or fractional permanent contracts and restrict the creation of casualised employment.

Employers may, despite anti-casualisation agreements, seek to create new forms of precarious work or new layers of casualised staff.

Conference asks:

a.     HEC to discuss and explore the feasibility and usefulness of collective agreements which determine the staffing structure of universities and exacerbate workload pressures arising from under-staffing

b.     hold a special HEC meeting and a national meeting for reps on all contract types, to promote action on this issue.

HE11 Actions against short contracts听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Anti-casualisation committee

Conference notes:

1.     short contracts spread casualisation, undermine the union, and increase precarity in longer-term contracts

2.     pension implications of short-term contracts are under-recognised, leading to significant financial loss by casualised workers

3.     if employment, otherwise qualifying for a Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) or Teacher鈥檚 Pension Scheme (TPS) pension, lasts for less than two years of unbroken work, the employee must leave the scheme and the scheme retains the employer鈥檚 contribution

4.     senior staff have a duty of care and solidarity to inform casualised staff and to resist creating casualised contracts.

Conference demands:

a.     51福利 produce campaigning materials for branches, 51福利-delivered training and digital communications

b.     these materials state practical actions that senior staff can take to resist creating short contracts

c.     use national bargaining machinery to demand a minimum contract length of 24 months for all staff

d.     51福利 progress talks with funders to support a 24-month minimum contract.

HE12 Minimum contract lengths for teaching and research 听听听听听 University of Birmingham

HESC notes:

1.     contracts of less than 12 months for both teaching and research staff are routinely used by HE employers, with mixed success combating this locally

2.     such contracts aid the spread of precarity across the HE sector, undermining union organising

3.     contracts of this type are normalised across the HE sector to an extent that demands a national response.

HESC resolves:

a.     that the union demand an end to contracts of less than 12 months for all teaching and research staff, to be replaced by a basic minimum contract length of 12 months, with this outcome pursued via national bargaining machinery

b.     that the union concurrently enter in talks with UKRI/other research funders (e.g. Leverhulme Trust and Wellcome Trust), to compel those bodies to support 12 month minimum contracts for research staff.

 

HE13 Post-contract support for academics on precarious contracts听听听 Senate House University of London

Congress notes:

1.     51福利 reported that 54% of UK academic staff are on insecure contracts, which is 鈥榯he early careers norm鈥�. A structural issue in HE is affecting the lives and careers of thousands of researchers and academics.

2.     research shows that precarity damages careers and mental health. Periods without employment, an institutional affiliation or a research home can lead to academics being 鈥榩ushed out of, or deterred from, an academic career鈥�.

3.     academics in precarity need immediate support.

Congress resolves to negotiate with universities to provide a standardised, low-resource, mutually-beneficial, post-contract support package for academics on precarious contracts and graduating PhD students, including a minimum of one year of:

a.     a non-stipendiary research affiliation

b.     an institutional email address

c.      permission to deposit outputs in the institutional repository

d.     access to online resources, CPD opportunities, shared workspaces, and support for developing funding bids on the same terms as currently employed academics.

Gender pay and other equality issues (paragraphs 5.1-5.3, re-titled)

HE14 Addressing the gender pay gap听听听 Women members standing committee

HE conference notes that equal pay and closing the gender pay gap remain outstanding matters for our members. Conference also has concerns about the race pay gap and disability pay gap.

Expediency is needed to urgently address this matter and in furtherance of this fundamental aim we agree that:

1.     regional officers provide support to branches and negotiate and agree facility time for national and branch activists to allow this to be taken forward nationally and locally

2.     International women鈥檚 day in universities from 2020 be designated #GenderPayEqualityNowDay.

HE15 Action on the race pay gap in universities听听听听听听 West Midlands regional HE committee

HE sector conference notes:

1.     figures from the BBC showing a 26% race pay gap at Russell group institutions

2.     51福利 research showing that 90% of Black staff in colleges and universities face barriers to promotion; 72% experience bullying and harassment, and 78% feel excluded from decision-making

3.     the under-representation of Black staff within the professoriate and other senior roles, which is even worse for Black women

4.     the success of 51福利 campaigns on the gender pay gap. 

HE sector conference believes the race pay gap in universities is completely unacceptable and must be tackled with the same commitment and resources as the gender pay gap. 

HE sector conference resolves: 

a.     to incorporate action on the race pay gap into future national HE pay claims

b.     to demand employers immediately publish data on their race pay gaps

c.     to develop campaign resources to support local collective bargaining by branches to tackle the race pay gap.

HE16 Eradicating workplace racism听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Black members standing committee

A recent Centre for Social Investigation report suggests that racial discrimination in the labour market remains at levels similar to the 1960s.

The scandal of racism in universities has returned to public attention, with increasing public awareness of ethnic attainment gaps for students, under-representation of black staff, ethnic pay gaps and harassment on campuses.

Universities must serve the community to institute transparency and fairness in institutional practices.

Conference reiterates the urgent need to:

1.     work with NUS to address the attainment gap for minority ethnic students

2.     achieve equal pay for all, including eradicating the ethnic pay gap

3.     removing barriers to training, progression and promotion for black staff

4.     challenge the disproportionate use of precarious contracts when employing black staff.

Conference agrees to:

a.     publish a report highlighting the attainment gap, pay disparities, barriers to training and progression, discrimination through precarity and harassment

b.     campaign against the ethnic pay gap, including through national pay campaigns.

HE17 Not disposable: Standing up for LGBT+ staff and studies LGBT+ members standing committee

In a neo-liberal marketplace bolstered by a doctrine of austerity, there is a risk that the interests of marginal LGBT+ communities can be regarded as expendable. Doctrines of prioritisation threaten already marginalised research and teachers, and have implications for LGBT+ HE workers and for LGBT+ studies.

The TUC found in 2017 that 39 per cent of LGBT+ workers have been harassed or discriminated against by a colleague. Restructuring often has a negative impact on the well-being of employees. In the workplace, bullying often increases in the face of reorganisation and redundancies, disproportionately affecting LGBT+ people.

Conference calls on 51福利 and branches to:

1.     closely monitor the effects of HE restructuring on LGBT+ workers and on LGBT+ studies

2.     insist on management producing meaningful evidence about the equality impact of restructures, including on LGBT+ people, in all restructures.

 

HE18 Racist activity on campus and free speech 听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Black members standing committee

Conference has observed the alarming increase of far-right, racist activity on campus including incidents at Exeter, Nottingham and Lancaster. It is also noteworthy that university management has been slow to act in challenging such behaviours. This equivocation normalises the paradigmatic shift being pursued by the Alt-Right characterised by anti-migrant sentiment and pro-free-market ideals.

Conference notes the deliberate conflation of hate-speech and free-speech which has serious implications for the wellbeing of black students and staff who feel trapped by the rhetoric surrounding the 鈥榟ostile environment鈥� policy and the 鈥榩revent鈥� initiative leaving many workers fearful of speaking out.

Conference resolves to:

1.     work with local activists to challenge the growth of far-right activity on campus

2.     establish clear guidelines for members on free speech on campus

3.     compile a list of far-right groups and activities to arm members/branches in their campaigning work.

HE19 LGBT+ confidence in higher education听听 LGBT+ members standing committee

Conference notes reports that LGBT+ people often fail to report hate crimes. LGBT Youth Scotland (2017) found that reporting from LGB and Trans students in HE decreased from about 70% in 2012 to about 40%. Across the UK approximately 80% of LGBT+ people who experienced hate crime left it unreported (YouGov 2017).

Conference recognises that discrimination often leads LGBT+ people to suffer in silence. Conference believes this is unacceptable.

HEIs should enable LGBT+ voices to be heard rather than tolerate silence. Conference believes that for sexual orientation and gender identity policies to be effective there must be commitment to implementation.

Conference disputes equality index ranking as reliable indication of real action. Conference calls on 51福利 to work with branch officers to effectively challenge management around LGBT+ equality by:

1.     undertaking a survey of LGBT+ members including questions measuring confidence

2.     organising and facilitating LGBT+ awareness raising actions within HE institutions.

HE20 Sexual harassment听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 University of Brighton Falmer

Conference notes that

1.     the Equality Act 2010 defines sexual harassment as 鈥榰nwanted conduct of a sexual nature which has the purpose or effect of violating someone鈥檚 dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them鈥�

2.     the 2017 NEC commitment to prioritize branch implementation of 51福利鈥檚 Sexual Harassment model policy; encourage reps to attend sexual harassment training; work with NUS, 1752 and UUK to agree procedures for students and staff involved in sexual harassment cases

3.     the lack of publicity given to 51福利鈥檚 work on sexual harassment

Conference requests that

a.     Congress mandate the NEC to audit progress on their 2017 statement

b.     circulate a detailed report on that progress to all branches

c.     consult on a strategic plan to involve every HEI in England and the devolved regions in the creation of a support system for staff and students involved in cases of sexual harassment.

Workload, Academic freedom, and safe sustainable workplaces for 51福利 members (paragraphs 6.1-6.3, re-titled)

HE21 Challenging workloads: a national health and safety issue听听听听听听听 Bournemouth University

Conference notes ever increasing, unmanageable workloads impacting on members鈥� health and safety. It calls on the HEC to evaluate the 51福利 health and safety workload campaign and update members on the progress of that campaign.

Conference notes that the deaths of Dr Malcolm Anderson (Cardiff University) and Professor Stefan Grimm (Imperial College) have been disregarded in the context of increasing workloads caused by redundancies, financial mismanagement and governance irregularities.

Conference resolves that 51福利:

1.     identify the most egregious and exploitative employers

2.     seek legal opinion on the risk to university staff  health, safety, and lifework balance with a view to taking collective action against particularly egregious employers

3.     continues to work to ensure balanced workloads.

HE22 Workload models听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 London Metropolitan University

Conference notes the post-92 sector of higher education needs transparent, consistent and equitable academic workload models taking proper account of administrative, research and other non FST duties. Examples of best and worst practice vary widely between institutions, with some (such as London Metropolitan) using only non-consultative teaching minimums as a model without carrying out due diligence in ensuring balanced workloads that goes against staff contracts. Without knowledge of a recognised agreed workload conversation across the sector individual disputes on workload will lack due process, and union negotiations.听听听

Conference resolves to:听听听听

1.     conduct a sector-wide survey of workload models, identifying which institutions use them and which do not, identifying examples of best practice for purposes of comparison, and in order to exert pressure on management to follow best practice.听听听听

2.     provide guidance to branches on how to pressure the employer to adopt a reasonable workload allocation model.

HE23 Workloads听听听听听听听听听听 East Midlands regional HE committee

HE sector conference calls upon the HEC to conduct research into, and prepare a report on, workload planning and its operation/implementation in the HE sector.

HE24 Job losses/workload/work-related stress听听听听听听 51福利 Scotland

Conference notes the cuts in higher education institutions.听 As well as supporting branches opposing job losses, conference recognises that when employers announce cuts and jobs are lost the workload does not diminish for the remaining staff who are simply required to do more.听 Increasing workload from job losses, combined with rising student expectation driven by the commodification of HE, and a 24-hour work culture driven by technology, mean that incidences of work-related stress and an accompanying impact on mental health are all too common for university staff.听

Conference notes the findings of 51福利鈥檚 most recent survey of members showing that that members work the equivalent of two days for free each week.听 Conference recognises the unacceptability of this situation and calls on 51福利 to lobby for Government action to direct higher education institutions to address the issue of workload and work related stress.

 

HE25 Workload campaign: disabled workers and carers鈥攕tep up the action 听听听听听听听听听 Disabled members standing committee

Conference notes:

1.听听 excessive workload of an additional two days a week

2.听听 the refusal or long delays in implementing, reasonable adjustments including timetabling issues for disabled workers

3.听听 carers in higher education cut hours or leave their job due to the stress of juggling work and care commitments

4.听听 the success of the first day of action on disabled members in higher education.

Conference believes the workload campaign must recognise these extra pressures and develop suitable actions and resources to support disabled workers. This is not only a matter of the stress and pressure of extra work, but also of remaining in work and preventing poverty.

Conference resolves to:

a.     develop resources and activities of the workload campaign to address the specific needs of disabled workers/carers

b.     support the DMSC to organise an annual day of action in higher education

c.     continue the reasonable adjustments campaign.

HE26 Disproportionate representation in disciplinary and other actions University of Northampton

HESC notes that:

1.     some HEIs use disciplinary action and extensions or failure of probation where the alleged poor performance is about tone, attitude or approach rather than misconduct 

2.     there is often a disproportionate over-representation in the same where the respondent has a protected characteristic

3.     the use of discretion and the drawing of inferences can lead to discrimination.

HESC believes that:

a.     the use of disciplinary and similar procedures to manage performance where misconduct is not an issue is inappropriate

b.     the inappropriate use of disciplinary and similar procedures has the effect that employees with protected characteristics may be discriminated against.

HESC resolves:

                    i.   to challenge HEIs where there are patterns in the data that demonstrate inequalities of outcome

                  ii.   to challenge the use of performance management where the outcome is discriminatory

                 iii.   to actively support branches, including through funding legal action, where there is evidence of inequality of outcomes as against the protected characteristics.

HE27 Lecture capture (LC)听听 University of Liverpool

Conference notes:

1.     51福利鈥檚 position that the recording of lectures should be covered by a negotiated agreement between 51福利 and the employer and that participation in filmed or recorded lectures/teaching should always be voluntary

2.     LC impacts on academic staff members鈥� personal privacy, academic freedom, performance rights and health and differentially impacts protected categories.听

There is evidence that universities:

a.     insist on LC as mandatory

b.     used LC material in disciplinary and performance review meetings.

Conference demands that:

                i.       staff choosing not to use LC should not be required to engage in a formal opt out process

               ii.       LC never be used in performance management, disciplinary action or to replace teaching during industrial action

              iii.       LC not be used where teaching takes place in countries where freedom of speech is not guaranteed

             iv.       51福利 immediately seeks legal advice on the points in this motion.

HE28 Questionnaires to elicit student feedback on teaching听听听听 University of Lincoln

HE sector conference notes that universities elicit student feedback on teaching through questionnaires. This is in spite of clear evidence that this feedback is unrelated to teaching quality and that the feedback discriminates against women and minorities. What is worse is that at some institutions the results of these questionnaires are also used by management in decisions affecting staffing and promotions.

Branches and associations are trying to address these issues locally but it might be useful to bring these struggles together in a national campaign.

HE sector conference therefore calls on the HEC

1.     to collate information at a national level about the use of module evaluations, and

2.     to explore how such a campaign might best be constructed based on this evidence, and

3.     to bring proposals for such a campaign to the next meeting of HE sector conference.

HE29 Academic freedom to discuss sex and gender听听听听听听听听听 University College London

HESC notes:

1.     51福利's commitment to equality and academic freedom

2.     that 51福利 members have much to contribute to public debate over definitions of 'sex', 'gender' and 'gender identity'

3.     harassment has been directed at academics and activists.

HESC believes:

a.     that 51福利 members hold diverse views

b.     members need not agree with the views of any academic to support their right to express them within the law (note 2)

c.     civil engagement with reasoned argument and empirical evidence is a foundational value of HE, and essential for democracy.

HESC resolves to:

                i.       re-affirm our commitment to academic freedom in research and teaching, and to the right of academics to participate in political debates

               ii.       condemn the blacklisting and abuse of academics for exercising their academic freedom and lawful rights.

HE30 Mental health services听听听听听听听听听 Academic related, professional staff committee

Conference notes:

1.     increasing awareness of student and staff mental health needs

2.     counselling services are vital to support staff and students

3.     some universities are downgrading counsellors while adding workload to their roles

4.     counselling staff are overloaded, demoralised and stressed.

Conference believes:

a.     student and staff mental health needs are best met by professional in-house counsellors rather than online provision

b.     more counsellors are needed to handle increasing demand

c.     counselling is a difficult job which management should respected

d.     counselling staff should not be casualised, downgraded, or have their hours reduced.

Conference instructs HEC to:

                i.       publicise the important and effective work done by student counsellors

               ii.       campaign for better resourced counselling services, with better pay and conditions.听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听

Academic related, professional staff (ARPS) (paragraphs 7.1-7.3)

HE31 Love Our ARPS听听听听听听听听听听听听 Academic related, professional staff committee

Conference notes:

1.     the many and varied roles of academic related and professional staff, recognising the vital role ARPS play in our institutions and our union

2.     a significant percentage of the HE workforce occupy ARPS roles but this is not reflected in our membership figures.

Conference instructs HEC to launch a #LoveOurARPS campaign which:

a.     refreshes the ARPS manifesto for relaunch

b.     produces recruitment and campaign materials which reflect the diversity of ARPS roles and emphasise ARPS are an integral part of the academic team

c.     investigates institutional spending on ARPS CPD and establishes a model claim

d.     develops and deploys a regular survey expanding our understanding of ARPS issues

e.     facilitates greater inter-branch communication

f.      investigates ARPS casualisation through FOI and other means

g.     tables the ARPS role profiles as part of the UK HE claim and encourages branches to submit claims pursuing these

h.     links to the workload campaign.

After paragraph 8.3, insert new heading: Research Excellence Framework (REF)

HE32 REF 听听听听听听听听听听听 Higher education committee, University of Liverpool

HESC notes

1.     the publication of the REF guidance, in particular the eligibility of outputs from previously employed staff

2.     the requirement to include all category A staff, once they have one eligible output

3.     previously REF portability encouraged a transfer league of staff which exacerbated pay inequalities.

HESC believes

a.     the new guidance on portability puts staff at risk of redundancy once outputs are published

b.     the lower threshold for inclusion increases the risk of

路           REF criteria being used for performance management purposes; and

路           the movement of staff from T&R to T&S contracts, undermining scholarship in universities.

HESC resolves

                    i.   to demand that the outputs from staff made redundant by an institution are made ineligible

                  ii.   to campaign against the use of REF criteria for performance management

                 iii.   to campaign for T&S to have equal status with T&R

                 iv.   to campaign for the abolition of REF.

HE33 REF codes of practice听听 Yorkshire and Humberside regional HE committee

Conference notes that REF2021 is having a major impact on university staff and that universities are consulting staff on codes of practice for research assessment.  Staff need to question the selection process, equality impacts and real time allocated for research and scholarly activities. 

Conference resolves that HEC will consult with members to produce minimum requirements and standards for local 51福利 branches to use in negotiating codes of practice and other REF issues with their management.  These should address:

1.     no detriment to the employment status and terms and conditions of staff not returned in the REF

2.     equality impact assessment on how members in the various equality strands will be affected by institutional plans

3.     stress risk assessment, with particular reference to workload intensity, due to the pressures of the REF

4.     the removal of publications from REF submissions for staff who have been made redundant by their university.

HE34 No REF submissions for redundant staff听 听听听听听听听 University of Glasgow

Conference is concerned that the ability to include staff who have been made redundant in submissions to the REF increases vulnerability of staff and the risk of casualisation. Some universities have agreed polices to protect staff.

Conference instructs HEC to campaign for

1. 听 employing institutions, possibly through UCEA, to agree not to return submissions of compulsorily redundant staff.

2. 听 call on 51福利 to name and shame institutions abusing the REF process and to highlight good practice.

HE35 REF2021 and redundancy听听听 Open University

Conference notes that the UK HE funding bodies have bowed to pressure to allow universities to submit the work of former staff who have been made redundant in the REF2021.

If this decision is not reversed conference asks the HEC to use Freedom of Information requests or other suitable means to find out which institutions do so, and to name and shame offending institutions.

HE36 Composite: REF 2021 codes of practice听听听听听听听听听听 Women members standing committee, University of Westminster (Regent)

Notwithstanding 51福利 policy opposing REF and the fact that REF is unfit for purpose, conference notes that REF2021 submissions and codes of practice must ensure specific considerations relating to equality and diversity. Institutions are required to demonstrate their selection processes are compatible with equality legislation and have been subject to an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA). Codes of practice must also include a statement on how the institution supports its fixed-term and part-time staff in relation to equality and diversity.

This conference resolves to ensure that institutional REF2021 equality statements are not mere lip-service to the REF2021 guidance but are clearly demonstrated in the selection processes and support provided to women employed with the sector.

HEC will:

1.       collect data on imminent REF2021 codes of practice and equality statements

2.       provide policy and guidance to branches for monitoring REF codes of practice and required EIA in their organisations.

HE37 REF and performance management听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 The University of Manchester

Conference notes:

1.     universities鈥� internal REF planning aims to prepare for REF 2021, a goal which is distinct from fostering high-quality research

2.     as part of this planning, universities are unilaterally introducing new measures of performance management and contract changes, which are not听 agreed processes

3.     relevant issues were the subject of a conference on 7/12/2018.

Conference believes such practices violate existing agreements and, when this results in reduction or removal of research roles, constitute a threat to the UK鈥檚 research capacity and weakens research-led teaching.

Conference resolves to:

a.     circulate outcomes of the conference to branches for use in local actions

b.     improve support for members at risk from formal and informal REF-related performance management, and enforced contract changes

c.     gather evidence and assess the need for a campaign of industrial action.

 

Industrial action (paragraph 9.1)

HE38 Empowering branches to pursue UK priorities through local collective agreements 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Higher education committee

Conference notes the limited progress in delivering meaningful action through the national bargaining machinery on national priority issues like casualisation, the gender pay gap and workloads.

Conference also notes that 51福利鈥檚 strategy of continuing to push these issues nationally while coordinating and supporting work to drive improvements at local level has produced a series of successful local agreements on all these issues that deliver real improvements for our members.

Conference reiterates national priority status of these issues and calls on HEC to:

1.     accelerate work to support and empower our branches to pursue local claims in relation to casualisation, the gender pay gap and workloads

2.     ensure that bargaining guidance and campaign packs are worked into appropriate training resources

3.     ensure the delivery of branch briefings and training events tailored to these priority issues

4.     ensure that agreements and success stories are shared and publicised the union.

Local disputes (paragraph 10.1)

HE39 International branch campuses in the Middle East University of Birmingham

HESC notes that:

1.     UK universities continue to open international branch campuses overseas despite violations of human rights and restrictions to academic freedom.

2.     the detention and murder of students studying at UK universities, as illustrated by the cases of Matthew Hedges (UAE) and Giulio Regeni (Egypt), and other students and academics in the region

3.     the University of Birmingham has failed to negotiate with 51福利 on the opening of their Dubai campus. This included implementation of new staff policies and the effective de-recognition of the union on the new campus.

HESC resolves to:

a.     advise all members to 鈥�Boycott鈥� the University of Birmingham Dubai campus. This is not industrial action, but an exercise of our academic freedom.

b.     instruct the HEC to work with MENA Solidarity, human rights organisations, and other trade unions to campaign for LGBTQ+ rights, workers鈥� rights, and academic freedom on any new international branch campuses in the Middle East.

New paragraph, HE funding, after paragraph 10.1

HE40 Augar review and the future of HE听听听听听听听听 听 University of Brighton Grand Parade

Conference notes the widespread belief that the Augar Review will recommend a lower student fee, and denial of funding to students with low Level 3 grade profiles.

Conference believes this:

1.   betrays an ignorance of the disjunction between level 3 and 4 performance, and the nature of higher learning

2.   would set back widening participation, rendering HE a minority privilege

3.   would create funding crises for many HEIs, with job losses and even closure for some

4.   requires public campaigning, joint 51福利 action with SUs and NUS, including 51福利 industrial action, to defend the sector.

Conference instructs the HEC to:

a.    coordinate action by branches fighting job cuts and closures, and seek solidarity action from all branches

b.    position such action as the defence of higher education, and access to it

c.    jointly sponsor a national defence convention with CPU and CDBU and NUS to build support for resistance

d.   organise a national demonstration before any Parliamentary vote.

 

HE41 Halt the changes to DSA 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Disabled members standing committee

Disability Student Allowance (DSA) was introduced to provide equality of opportunity for disabled students in higher education. In 2014 the government announced its plans to modernise DSA citing that the current system was outdated.

Since then there have been several controversial changes made to DSA.听 These include:听听

1.     a compulsory student contribution of 拢200 DSA equipment a before it will be supplied

2.     retraction of funding for lower classified non-medical support roles听听

3.     minimal funding for specialist transcription services

4.     removal of DSA funding for specialist accommodation

5.     reduced computer peripherals and accessories funding.

Conference believes that these cuts have served to be an attack on the most vulnerable of learners as they are unlikely to be able to subsidize the changes.

Conference resolves to:

a.     join with NUS and DPOs to gather evidence of the impact of DSA cuts

b.     step up pressure to end the 拢200 equipment charge.

 

New paragraph, Governance, after paragraph 10.1

HE42 Improved governance at universities in England and Wales 听听听听 University of Reading

Conference notes that universities in Scotland are enhancing staff and student representation in their governance following the passing of the recent Act.  No such changes are currently proposed in England and Wales. The decision making bodies at most universities, such as Senate, often pay lip service to accountability by allowing the election of staff members to key committees, but those members are then rendered unaccountable to those who elected them by invoking confidentiality.

Conference resolves:

1.     to instruct the NEC to carry out surveys of all universities in England and Wales to establish which currently elect staff to their key decision-making bodies

2.     to identify which of these permit those staff to be accountable to the wider staff community 

3.     to publish findings on governance in order to support branches who are fighting for better practice.

HE43 Governance crisis in HE听听听听听听听 Open University

Conference notes that 2018 and 2019 have seen several Vice-Chancellors and other senior figures in English universities resign under a cloud. 

Conference believes these cases testify to the failure of a model of governance and of HE finance in which universities are run as businesses.

While each case has been different, common features have been a history of bullying and unacceptable pay differentials, and all have caused damage to their institutions and to higher education. Warnings by staff and unions that something was going seriously wrong have been ignored too often.

Conference asks HEC and its appropriate sub-committees to develop proposals for early warning systems as well as pressing for reform of HE governance and finance.

Conference also notes that the law may have been broken in some cases, and that the resignation of one or two senior figures should not prevent prosecution of those responsible.

New paragraph, International staff and students, after paragraph 10.1

HE44 Fight for the rights of international workers and staff听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 University of Warwick

HESC notes that:

1.听听 in light of heightened and rather polarised discussion of policies on immigration in the UK; rising visa fees; increased monitoring by the Home Office, and uncertainty over EU colleagues as Brexit nears, there is widespread concern as to whether universities are supporting international staff and workers

2.听听 51福利 activism during the USS strike led to the Home Office adding legal strike action to the list of exceptions to the rule on absences from employment without pay for migrant workers, showing that 51福利 activism can improve the lot of all workers.

HESC resolves to:

a.     issue a public statement on the need to address the issues faced by international staff and workers

b.     encourage all 51福利 branches to create international staff working groups to start addressing issues relating to increased monitoring; rising visa and NHS surcharge costs, and the impact of the EU Referendum.

 

HE45 Supporting international students threatened with deportation for fee shortfalls听听听听听听听听听听听听 51福利 Scotland

Conference reaffirms policy on free education and against exorbitant fees to international students.

Conference condemns exclusion from education and deportation of international students unable to pay the full fees.

Conference instructs 51福利 to work with NUS and local student unions to:

1. 听 obtain data on the numbers of international students excluded and deported/voluntarily repatriated due to fee short falls

2. 听 draw up an agreement to be negotiated with universities to prevent the exclusion and deportation of international students on grounds of fees.

Conference calls on branches to negotiate the implementation of this policy.

Conference instructs the 51福利 to put pressure on Government to support international students and prevent exclusion and deporting on grounds of fees, including by:

a.     making funding available to cover fee shortfalls.

b.     putting pressure on universities to sign agreements not to exclude students with fee shortfalls.

Motions submitted to the further education sector conference

 

FE1听听 FE England pay听听听听听听听听听听听 Further education committee

Conference approves the report on the FE England 2018/19 pay round and progress in the 2019/20 round as circulated in FE branch circular 51福利BANFE/XX.

FE2听听 FE England pay campaign听听听 Further education committee

Conference notes that branches are succeeding in beating the anti-trade union ballot turnout laws.

Conference congratulates branches that have secured ground breaking pay and conditions deals off the back of ballots and action such as Capital City College Group, Hugh Baird College and New College Swindon.

The Tory trade union laws have backfired as members engage more with their union and picket lines swell. The community and media are behind our fight against the injustice of pay and funding in FE. Strike action in colleges is making a loud noise in the run up to the spending review in November.

Conference resolves to:

1.     maintain support for branches continuing to pursue disputes over 2018/19 claims

2.     provide maximum support to branches developing 2019/20 claims including local elements so branches can be balloted before the summer

3.     hold a series of branch mobilisation briefing events before the ballots.

FE3听听 FE pay听听听听听听 Yorkshire and Humberside regional FE committee

Pay in FE remains an issue. 51福利 members have endured a 25% real terms pay cut over the last 10 years.  Many have not had any pay rise for 10 years; yet we are told 鈥榓usterity has ended鈥�.  The gap between school teachers and FE lectures is greater than ever. 

51福利 has mounted an excellent pay campaign achieving some notable successes. However, for many lectures in FE where college executives have refused to engage in negotiation and have hidden behind the lack of government funding, the issue of pay remains. 

Conference calls on FEC to:

1.     build on the successes of the pay campaign

2.     continue to fully support those 51福利 branches where ballots for action remain and where no pay deals have been achieved

3.     support and help build those branches where ballots for action were not won, with the aim of revisiting balloting on pay.

 

 

FE4 听 Pay, GTVO, job-security and branch solidarity听听听听听听听听听 听 West Midlands regional FE committee

Conference notes:

1.    the continued FE pay crisis

2.    the role of this in the wider underfunding of FE which cuts away at working class access to education.

Conference celebrates:

a.     continued progress in mobilising turnout under restrictions of anti-union legislation

b.     the determination and persistence of members fighting for pay, including City of Wolverhampton smashing through their initial ballot turnout to achieve 78.2% 

c.     the successful use of the pay dispute as an industrial lever to secure employment for casualised staff at CCCG

d.     the value of solidarity between branches with recent success and those working to mobilise members in delivering collective pay justice.

Conference resolves:

                i.     to strengthen the mechanisms for branch solidarity by devising a programme for activist sharing of GTVO strategies for pay and security of work regionally and nationally

               ii.     to continue to ballot members where colleges fail to meet our pay demands.

FE5听 Job titles: Equal pay for equal work听听 听听听听 Yorkshire and Humberside regional FE committee

Conference notes:

1.     the abundance and variety of job titles in use within FE Colleges and the differences in remuneration attached to these titles

2.     the practice of college management to use changed job titles to employ staff on inferior terms and conditions for example implementing artificial splits in the teaching role and classifying some teaching tasks/job roles as 'non teaching' in order to justify lower rates of pay

3.     the detrimental effect this has on members and students.

Conference resolves:

a.     to work towards a standardisation of job title, role and description

b.     to start with a review of job titles, roles and remuneration of those teaching within the sector (information to come from colleges)

c.     to publicise the review findings and use them to work towards standardisation by engaging members in a campaign for equal pay for equal work'.

FE6听听 Secure the future 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Disabled members standing committee

Conference notes the recent cuts to funding in further education. It is also to be noted that these cuts are having a detrimental effect on the provision of statutory services to SEND learners. Learners, who are in most need of assistance are continually being left under resourced and with insufficient levels of support.听 The government is neglecting to recognise the need for consistency of approach in securing long term positive outcomes by ignoring the duty to appropriately fund pastoral services. Learners are being left to navigate a system which does not work for them, but against them which is resulting in exasperation of needs in many circumstances. This in turn leading to an increased pressuring on an already strained system.

Conference resolves to:

1.     increase funding in FE

2.     fight for rights of SEND learners

3.     push to maintain provision of support services.

FE7 听 Launch a campaign to end incorporation听听听听听听听 London regional FE committee

Notes

1.   incorporation in 1993 severed the link with democratically elected local authorities introducing the market into the sector

2.   Labour鈥檚 radical manifesto pledge to create an NES unifying the sector with a pledge to create funding parity with schools, restore FE funding, end loans, and restore EMA.

Believes

a.     incorporation has narrowed the curriculum to employability, made FE and adult ed one of the most casualised sectors, intensified competition, and led to soaring principals鈥� pay and falling wages and conditions

b.     incorporation has failed; we need an alternative.

Resolves to

                    i.   launch a campaign to end incorporation including: a big conversation on the theme 'end incorporation' with public meetings in regions hosting debate with FE stakeholders, community groups, NUS, unions and employers.

                  ii.   call a march and national lobby of parliament in the autumn.

FE8听听 Large classes in FE听听听听听 Kirklees College

Due to the funding situation in FE, management and other bodies such as the FE commissioners are constantly looking for efficiency savings.听 One method is to increase class sizes without increasing the resources available.听 Many departments are given targets in this area.听 This results in the cancelling of courses and groups, potential job losses, an increase in workload and a reduction in the quality of teaching and learning.听 This is another example of FE professionals being asked to do more with less.

Conference recognises that 听听听听

1.     smaller class sizes are part of the unique nature of FE that allows students to thrive who have not done so in school

2.     larger classes with fewer resources are yet another example of lecturers facing increased workload for no more reward.

Conference calls on 51福利 to

a.     investigate target setting in relation to class sizes.

b.     oppose increases in class size for purely economic reasons.

FE9听听 Gender pay gap in FE听听听听听听听听听听听 Women members standing committee

Conference notes:

1.听听 the gender pay gap in FE is at least 10%

2. 听 for women lecturers this is a loss of around 拢1,000 per year

3.听听 women make up more than 3/4ths of those in the lowest pay quartile and only half of those in the highest pay quartile

4. 听 the AOC tool kit on gender pay.

Conference believes this takes place against a background of pay cuts of around 25% since 2008 and means many of our women members struggle to make ends meet and some use food banks.

Conference calls on FEC:

a.     to develop an action plan to pressurise colleges to end the gender pay gap

b.     to consider gender pay as part of the next pay round.

Conference congratulates all colleges striking over pay and recognises that the fight for equal pay is made stronger by this action.

FE10 FE race pay gap听听听听听听听听听听听 Black members standing committee

Conference notes that research in the higher education sector show that pay penalties for ethnic minorities are significant in the sector with black men and black women earning the least on average. Equality and human Rights Commission research also points to the fact that ethnic minorities typically earn less within occupations than their white British counterparts.

Conference believes that the further education sector needs to be able to produce robust statistical analyses in relation to race equality in the workplace. This would include studies on recruitment, progression and pay. This would also necessarily cover intersectional perspectives.

Conference resolves to:

1.     work with relevant stakeholder bodies to establish a data collection authority in FE along the lines of the Higher Education Statistics Agency

2.     develop research proposals with the EHRC to investigate the state of workplace racism in FE.

FE11 Supporting branches to pursue national priorities through local collective agreements听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Further education committee

Conference notes that branches have secured collective agreements on the unions鈥� national priorities of reducing casualisation, closing the gender pay gap and reducing workloads. These collective agreements deliver real improvements for our members.

Conference reiterates national priority status of these issues and calls on FEC to:

1.     accelerate work to support and empower our branches to pursue local claims in relation to casualisation, the gender pay gap and workloads

2.     ensure that bargaining guidance and campaign packs are worked into appropriate training resources

3.     ensure the delivery of branch briefings and training events tailored to these priority issues

4.     ensure that agreements and success stories are shared and publicised throughout the union.

FE12听听 Casualisation and part-two claims听听 Anti-casualisation committee

Conference congratulates the branches who have:

1.     established principles for fighting for fair treatment of casualised staff

2.     won fractionalised contracts for their long-term casualised staff

3.     promoted these successes.

Conference notes, however, that

a.     the issue of casualisation continues to not always be prioritised

b.     often being unconnected to the main structure of the college or prison, casualised staff are mistreated and sacrificed with impunity

c.     too great a proportion of casualised staff have protected characteristics

d.     due to their precarious circumstances, casualised staff suffer continually from stress.

Conference requires relevant 51福利 bodies to:

                    i.   encourage all branches to identify all types of casualisation amongst represented 51福利 staff groups, including lecturing and non-lecturing roles and those employed by subsidiary companies

                  ii.   supply branches with and encourage the use of model part-two claims, which address all possible issues of casualisation, to be used in their bargaining and negotiations.

FE13 Fighting casualisation in ACE听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Hackney ACE

Conference notes:

1      work done by 51福利 and the ACC to promote the fight against casual contracts in ACE, including the ACC motion to Congress 2016 demanding more resources for, research into and support for ACE branches

2      the information gathered by a recent FOI, which showed the overwhelming use of casual contracts in ACE. The responses confirmed that 70% of tutors in the sector are on casual contracts, with 36% of them on zero hours contracts.

3      the case of Hackney Learning Trust, where the 51福利 branch successfully moved all teaching staff from hourly paid to fractional contracts.

Conference resolves to:

a.     encourage more work to be done to support ACE branches to improve their contracts

b.     promote the struggles of the ACE sector within regional and national structures.

Conference demands relevant 51福利 bodies and officers prioritise identifying and supporting ACE branches who want to fight the use of casual contracts.

FE14 Protecting and mitigating against redundancy work done by hourly-paid staff听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Anti-casualisation committee

Conference notes that hourly-paid staff in colleges and ACE are often used to cover sudden vacancies or long-term sickness.

Conference believes:

1.   where a decision is made to create a post out of work being done by hourly-paid staff, they should be given priority to apply and gain that permanent work before advertising externally

2.   there may be issues around this to do with employment and equal opportunities law, but there is a duty on employers to mitigate against redundancies.

Conference requests relevant 51福利 bodies to:

a.    explore what the employment law is in this regard and make advice available to branches, so that they can negotiate and establish principles to prioritise current hourly-paid staff for available vacancies

b.    make necessary amendments where employment law could be a barrier to this campaign.

FE15 Gender and workload听听听听听听听听听听听 Women members standing committee

Conference recognises:

1.   that excessive workload in FE has a gendered impact- it impacts doubly on women who also face a gender pay gap and are more likely to have caring responsibility

2.   the dramatic increase in workload has arisen because of the rounds of redundancies and other 鈥榚fficiencies鈥� that follow the Tories鈥� austerity cuts.

Conference believes:

a.     an average working week of around 51 hours cannot be sustained without damage to physical health and mental wellbeing

b.     the dual burden of work and caring responsibility increases impact on women鈥檚 health and also increases the possibility of women being attacked on the grounds of capability or absence at a higher rate than men

c.      the workload campaign needs to be spread into every branch as an organising tool.

Conference instructs FEC to develop a plan for regional and branch workload campaigns involving action including lobbies and protests.

FE16 Workload and contact hours听听听听听听听听听 Croydon College

Conference notes the continuing redefinition of contact hours to exclude all contact time other than for teaching group lessons. Assessment, verification, one to one pastoral tutorials, increasing administration and attendance tasks, parents evenings, recruitment events exceed the remaining non-contact times. This conference resolves to campaign for:

1.     a reduction in contact hours

2.     contact hours to include parents鈥� evenings, one to one tutorials, taster day activities, recruitment interviews should be counted as contact time.

FE17 Winning for members in prison education 听听听听听 Further education committee

Conference notes that:

1.   prison educators pay has not kept pace with mainstream FE

2.   those working for a private provider cannot currently access TPS

3.   violence and drugs are rife in prisons, and the working environment is often unfit for purpose

4.   the Prison Education Framework means more prison educators are working for a private provider

5.   our members can be excluded from a prison and lose their job at the whim of a governor.

Conference therefore calls on FEC to:

a.     support branches to secure a rep and health and safety rep in every prison

b.     support branches to reach agreement on proper pay and reward structures

c.     campaign with other prison unions to ensure our members feel safe at work

d.     seek lifelong access for prison educators to TPS

e.     campaign to ensure that prison educators have parity of access to natural justice when faced with exclusion.

 

FE18 Reasonable adjustments in prisons 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Disabled members standing committee

Conference is concerned to learn that our disabled members in prisons struggle to get any reasonable adjustments that are necessary to make work possible without risk, injury, pain and suffering.

Conference also notes continuing reports of long delays in getting necessary equipment and adjustments in FE.

Due to ongoing discrimination casualised workers can find it particularly difficult to declare their disability, and to request the reasonable adjustments to which they are legally entitled.

Conference believes that 51福利 must develop a strategy to support members in getting reasonable adjustments in a timely way.

Conference instructs FEC to:

1.     work with the DMSC to develop a campaign to enforce the right to reasonable adjustments, which includes advice to branches on how to best support individuals

2.     provide improved legal advice to individuals

3.     plan and implement a parliamentary lobbying campaign

4.     plan and implement a campaign lobbying employers, particularly prison employers.

FE19 Developing 51福利鈥檚 work around the adult and community education Sector 听听听听听听听听听 Hackney ACE

Conference notes that:

1.   adult and community education is an important sector of 51福利. Although its branches are small, teachers in this sector deliver high quality education to people who are unable to access formal education in FE and HE. They are often employed on insecure contracts and the future of the sector is often under threat, depending on the political will of local authorities to provide ACE

2.   that despite work done by 51福利 to increase participation of ACE, engagement from members in this sector remain low.

Conference demands that:

a.    the information collecting by the members鈥� survey and recent FOI is used to the fullest to develop activity around ACE

b.    proper time and thought is put into future ACE national meetings and that they occur earlier in the academic year

c.    a member of staff is always allocated to developing ACE

d.   the long promised ACE recruitment video is made.

 

FE20 Workplace racism听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Black members standing committee听听听听听

Conference notes that the scourge of workplace racism is on the rise in the workplace. A report by the TUC in 2018 found that:

1.     nearly 100 per cent of BME people reported that their experiences of racism at work has a significant negative impact on both their work and personal lives, such as feeling less confident at work and isolated from colleagues

2.     making a complaint even in cases that are dealt with appropriately risks resulting in being further isolated from colleagues and can result in repercussions such as being subjected to disciplinary procedure, counter-complaint or branded a 鈥榯rouble maker鈥�.

Conference further notes that the experience of workers in the FE sector mirrors these findings as evidenced by the 鈥榳itness鈥� research 51福利 has undertaken.

Conference resolves to establish a mechanism for recording or logging instances of race discrimination using the End Everyday Racism project as a model.

FE21 GEO (Government equalities office) LGBT report and action plan - impact for FE听听听听听 听听听听听听听听 LGBT+ members standing committee

Conference welcomes the government鈥檚 statement, in the National LGBT survey (2018), 鈥榚nsuring that LGBT teachers and people working in education are free to be themselves鈥�.

Support for being out as LGBT+ is particularly important in FE where many of the students begin to explore their identities. This applies in workplaces involved in apprenticeships where climates can be negative for LGBT+ people. This is often ignored e.g. not including LGBT+ in a survey of apprenticeship take-up.

Government identified that 83% of incidents in education went unreported. Under-reporting has to be addressed including prevention of bullying and harassment.

Conference calls for equality officers or active representatives to be offered specific LGBT+ training so that they can offer support to members and liaise with HR teams, senior management and workplaces.

Conference also calls for FEC to work with the LGBT+ MSC in lobbying for more cross-sectoral work to be done for LGBT+ equality.

FE22 Enabling understanding and visibility of LGBT+ in FE听听听听听听 LGBT+ members standing committee

Conference notes

1.     by 2019-20 FE young person funding will be similar to in 2006-7

2.     adult education is badly affected by cuts including ESOL

3.     EDI is carried out by Coaching Tutors largely untrained in LGBT+ identities

4.     college-wide EDI training is often delivered in an online package with all the protected characteristics lumped together.

Conference believes that lack of face-to-face and well-planned training results in lack of understanding.

Conference recognises that in FE

a.     adults find a second chance and space to reinvent themselves outside of the home or workplace

b.     trans students are able to talk for the first time in public about their experiences.

Conference calls for FEC to

i.       produce an LGBT+ package that supports participants asking questions by providing interactive time

ii.     with regions and LGBT+ MSC provide LGBT+ workshops across 51福利

iii.    campaign for classroom materials that reflect and celebrate LGBT+ identities.

FE23听 No to compulsion in further education听听 City and Islington College Camden Road

Conference notes:  

1.   that in 2013 law was passed making it illegal for those between the ages of 16-18 to not be in work, education or training

2.   the dramatic rise of mental health issues among students.

Believes:

a.     that young people need to be inspired to learn and not forced

b.     that compulsion leads to young people becoming even more alienated from the liberating influence of education

c.     that compulsion is having a dramatic impact on workload. The increase in systems to monitor and track student attendance is consuming lecturers time.

d.     that these systems are increasingly being used to discipline lecturers who are unable to keep up with these demands.

Resolves:

                    i.   51福利 to campaign for the repealing of the 2013 Act making it compulsory for 16 - 18 year olds to be in work education and training

                  ii.   to campaign against increase in attendance monitoring by lecturers.

FE24 Composite: End compulsion in GCSE English and maths听听听听听听听听听听听听 Lambeth College, London regional FE committee

Conference notes:

1.     the imposition of compulsory English and maths GCSEs is a condition of funding for 16-18 year-olds

2.     despite widespread criticism the government has failed to drop its policy of compulsion

3.     students can be tied into a cycle of re-sits for three years

4.     overworked teaching and support staff are pressurised to chase up student absentees at the expense of other essential duties

5.     that forcing students to keep re-sitting GCSEs is demoralising for students and staff and undermines equality.

Conference believes:

a.     Compulsory enrolment for all 16-18 year olds who have not gained GCSE grade 4 in English and maths is punitive

b.     the return to exam based learning for GCSE English and maths is creating stress for lecturers and students whilst failing to raise to standards

c.     English and maths skills play an important role in enabling individuals to participate fully in society

d.     in the importance of giving students every opportunity to develop these skills

e.     that providing this opportunity is an issue of equality.

Conference resolves to:

                i.     lobby government and campaign publicly to end English and maths compulsion for post-16 learners

               ii.     lobby and campaign for the development of course-based study and assessment in these subjects

              iii.     commission research into alternative, inclusive strategies for delivering English and maths.

FE25 Learning not testing听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Croydon College

FE conference notes the increasing evidence of rising levels of stress and mental health issues of young people in education. Conference believes that the policies of successive Tory governments to roll back progressive education initiatives, and move away from course work to testing is a contributory factor. Conference resolves to promote and develop policy that is built around the concepts of social inclusion and learning not testing.

FE26 Learning walks and CPD听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 New City College Redbridge

Conference notes that:

1.     learning walks have replaced graded observations in many colleges. There is no evidence that observations improve teaching and learning

2.     almost two-thirds of FE teachers do not spend any time at all on CPD.听 More collegial forms of CPD are supported by a substantial body of academic and practical research.

Conference believes:

a.     the abandonment of graded observations by Ofsted opened up the possibility of a new approach to teaching and learning development

b.     college managements have missed this opportunity and adopted assessment policies which fail to improve teaching and learning.

Conference resolves that:

i.       ROCC produces a summary of good existing practice (e.g. teacher learning communities)

ii.     FEC develops a campaign, including industrial action where appropriate, to assist branches to negotiate better CPD policies, and considers the inclusion of demands for a national evidence-based universal CPD entitlement as part of claims for improved pay and conditions.

FE27 Work experience听听听听听听听听听 City of Oxford College Activate Learning

Conference notes the following problems:

1.     the organisation and monitoring of work experience for 16-19 year old students has become a major task in FE involving tutors, in particular, who are often asked to undertake this role on top of their normal tutorial activities

2.     work experience is being pushed by college management, mainly for funding reasons, with little consideration of the actual benefits for the students involved

3.     the timing of the work experience weeks is proving problematic especially when students are also facing external exams

4.     finding suitable work experience placements is proving difficult for some students given the large numbers seeking work experience at any one time.

5.     many FE students already undertake substantial paid work in order to support themselves.

Conference calls upon 51福利 to undertake a review of the use of work experience in FE colleges nationally and report back to the next FE sector conference.

FE28 OFSTED听听听听听 City of Oxford College Activate Learning

Conference notes the consultation about new OFSTED inspection framework being rolled out for FE in 2019 with 鈥榳herever possible鈥� the promise of reduced workload for teaching staff, greater emphasis on the substance of education and less emphasis on the collection of data.

However it seems:

1.     the 鈥榦utstanding鈥� grade will stay, and that the overall effectiveness judgement will remain a feature of the framework

2.     also the four point grading scale will remain as will an overall judgement about a provider

3.     in addition, OFSTED will still be using performance data and accountability measures.

Conference is not convinced that the planned changes make OFSTED any more 鈥榝it for purpose鈥� from an educational perspective.

FE29 FE participation in 51福利 conferences/events听听 Further education committee

Conference notes:

1.     51福利 Congress/sector conference and Cradle to the Grave conference are held during work or holiday

2.     the Cradle to Grave conference has no speakers from FE.

Conference believes:

a.     it is much harder for FE members to get time off work to attend 51福利 conferences/events than colleagues working in HE

b.     whilst not all colleges have half terms at the same time a significant amount do

c.     holding 51福利 conferences/events at these times prohibits FE members fully participating in 51福利 democratic decision-making bodies

d.     failure to invite keynote speakers from the FE sector to conferences like Cradle to the Grave misses an opportunities to use the vast intellectual and creative ability of the sector.

Conference calls on the NEC to, when producing the 51福利 calendar for conferences/events (outside of annual congress), ensure that they are not held on a working day or within holiday periods.

 

 

 

 

MOTIONS NOT ORDERED ONTO THE AGENDA

 

I听听听听听听听 Motions submitted after the deadline, not considered to meet the criteria for late motions

Submitted to Congress

B1听听听听 Retired members and pensions听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Scottish retired members

Congress notes that

1.     RMBs cannot submit motions to sector conferences

2.     in recent years motions from RMBs on pensions, a legitimate area of concern to retired members, have been rejected as reserved to sectors

3.     this results in the disenfranchisement of retired members in an area of direct concern to them

Congress instructs NEC addressed this problem, and to consider two proposals in particular, without ruling out other suggestions:

a.     a specific session in Congress proper where wider pension matters might be discussed, recognising that the particular details of the two schemes remain the preserve of the relevant sector conferences

b.     amending the CBC guidelines to the effect that where an RMB submits a motion to Congress which, though deemed by CBC to be sectoral, is clearly of legitimate concern to retired members, said motion may, at the discretion of CBC, be added to the appropriate sectoral business.

B2听听听听 Investigate the timing of future ballots听听听听听听听听听听 University of Oxford

Congress notes:

1. 听 that recent pay and equalities ballots have failed to surpass the legal 50% threshold required for industrial action

2. 听 that issues of term-time and staff leave particular to the HE and FE sectors likely have an effect on the optimum timing of industrial action ballots

3. 听 that in principle, the question of optimal ballot timing is amenable to investigation by empirical investigation and/or behavioural modelling.

Congress resolves to:

a.     establish a volunteer group comprising of people with relevant expertise or interest to investigate and model optimum ballot timing

b.     release outputs of this effort in an open and transparent manner

c.     use these outputs to inform the timing of future industrial action ballots.

B3听听听听 Developing negotiations to increase job security听听听听 South Thames College

Text identical to motion ROC6.

B4听听听听 Electronic voting at Congress and sector conferences 听听听听听 University of Essex

Congress notes:

1.   collectively, vote counts at Congress, FESC and HESC cause a significant loss of business time and can create frustration amongst delegates.

2.   electronic voting has been used successfully by the NEU

3.   electronic voting improves ease of access to voting for the hearing/sight impaired

4.   a majority of delegates at Congress 2018 voted for the introduction of electronic voting, but not the two-thirds required for a rule change.

Congress instructs:

a.     electronic voting to be used at all future Congresses and Sector Conferences

b.     the electronic voting system to identify how individual delegates vote and ensure this information is available following each vote

c.     second sentence of Congress Standing Order 38 to be amended to replace 鈥楢 count鈥︹�� with 鈥楢n electronic vote鈥︹��

d.     Congress Standing Order 39 to be amended to replace 鈥楤efore a count employing tellers鈥︹�� with 鈥楤efore an electronic vote鈥︹��

B5听听听听 Enable NDC to submit motions to Congress and conference听听听听听 University of Oxford

Rule 16.7.1: after 鈥榮pecialist committees set up under Rule 25鈥�, add 鈥�, National Dispute Committees鈥�

New rule to be added following 16.7.5:

16.7.6: National Dispute Committees will each be entitled to submit two motions and two amendments to Congress, and two motions and two amendments to their relevant Sector Conference(s).

Purpose: to give the National Dispute Committee (set up to steer the USS dispute) the ability to submit motions to Congress or the sector conference.

Submitted to HE sector conference

B6听听听听 Relating to the pensions dispute听听听听听听听听听听听 University of Sussex

Conference resolves:

1.     to call on USS to implement in full, in the 2018 valuation, the 6 JEP proposals for the 2017 valuation

2.     not to accept any increase in member contributions, including 'trigger contributions', for this valuation

3.     to call on our employer to endorse this position, and also to publish their response to the USS technical provisions document.

B7听听听听 Support of outsourced workers at the central University of London听听 听听听听听听听听听 University of Sussex

Conference resolves to:

1.     organise a boycott of University of London central administration (including Senate House, Stewart House, the Warburg, the Institute of Historical Research, the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and Student Central) until the outsourced workers' demands are met and they are brought in-house. The boycott will require members to not organise or attend events at these buildings.

2.     inform members of the boycott and the reasons behind the boycott of University of London central administration (including Senate House, Stewart House, the Warburg, the Institute of Historical Research, the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, and Student Central).

II 听听听听 Motions not approved in accordance with the Congress standing orders

Submitted to Congress

B8听听听听 Solidarity to Stansted 15听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 University of Leicester

Congress notes the case of the 'Stansted 15', who in December 2018, were found guilty of endangering the safety of an aerodrome, a terrorism offence; in February this year, they received suspended sentences or community orders.

Congress believes that these people acted with bravery, humanity and kindness. It believes that the government's decision to charge them with terror-related offences was politically-motivated and designed to reinforce its 'hostile environment for migrants' 鈥� a policy Congress condemns. Although we welcome the fact that the trial judge 鈥� perhaps influenced by the public campaign in support of the activists 鈥� decided against custodial sentences, we note that the terrorism convictions currently stand: beside their ethical unjustness, such convictions will limit severely future travel freedom and employment possibilities.

Congress resolves to send a message of solidarity to the Stansted 15 and to donate 拢250 towards the costs of the legal appeal against their convictions.

B9听听听听 Opposing Prevent听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Goldsmiths University of London

Conference notes that:

1.     Prevent deals in the realm of 鈥榚xtreme鈥� ideas and 鈥榩re-crime鈥�, not crimes or violence

2.     safeguarding is an established process that well precedes Prevent

3.     prevent distorts safeguarding by turning as welfare process into one of national security

4.     the recent moves to capture the far-right under the purview of Prevent only help to legitimise Prevent and gloss over the deep issues Prevent has on universities, and to mask the impact on Muslim and racialised communities it has historically targeted.

In this context, the proposed review of Prevent is in danger of further institutionalising authoritarian and racist practices, in universities and in British society more widely.

Conference resolves:

a.     to form a working group mobilising for the repeal of Prevent in the context of its proposed review and beyond

b.     to develop training workshops for branches on resisting Prevent.

Submitted to HE sector conference

B10听听 Online degrees听听听听听听听听听听听听 Goldsmiths University of London

Conference notes that the increasing deployment of online degrees and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) threaten to undermine existing terms and conditions.

Conference calls on HEC to extend relevant provisions of HE25 and HE34 (passed at Congress 2018) addressing lecture capture to cover online offerings and to ensure that:

1. 听 participation in online programmes is voluntary

2. 听 programme development does not entail excessive workloads

3. 听 academics oversee final quality control, to prevent reputational damage to themselves or their institutions

4. 听 academics have no contractual obligations to third party providers, only to their employing HEI via negotiated contracts.

5. 听 academics retain moral and performance rights to their content

6. 听 academics have a say in how their content is used and should receive a fair share of revenue from commercial exploitation of their content

7. 听 films and other recordings are not used during industrial action in lieu of classes.

 

 

Acronyms and abbreviations used in the motions in this report

ACC 鈥� Anti-casualisation committee

ACE 鈥� Adult and continuing education

ARPS 鈥� Academic related, professional staff

BMSC 鈥� Black members standing committee

BRICUP 鈥� British Committee for Universities of Palestine

CBC 鈥� Congress business committee

CCCG 鈥� Capital City College Group

CDBU 鈥� Council for the Defence of British Universities

CEIA 鈥� Commission on effective industrial action

CPD 鈥� Continuing professional development

DfID 鈥� Department for International Development

DMSC 鈥� Disabled members standing committee

DPOs 鈥� Disabled people鈥檚 organisations

DSA 鈥� Disabled student allowance

EAT 鈥� Employment Appeals Tribunal

EDI 鈥� Equality, diversity and inclusion

EHRC 鈥� Equality and Human Rights Commission

EI 鈥� Education International

EIA - Equality impact assessment

EMA 鈥� Education maintenance allowance

ESOL 鈥� English for speakers of other languages

ETUCE 鈥� European Trade Union Committee for Education

EU 鈥� European Union

FE 鈥� Further education

FEC 鈥� Further education committee

FESC 鈥� Further education sector conference

FHE 鈥� Further and higher education

FOI 鈥� Freedom of information

FSFE 鈥� Free Software Foundation Europe

FST 鈥� Formal scheduled teaching

GEO 鈥� Government Equalities Office

GJA 鈥� Greener Jobs Alliance

GRA 鈥� Gender Recognition Act

GTVO 鈥� Get the vote out

HE 鈥� Higher education

HEC 鈥� Higher education committee

HEI 鈥� Higher education institution

HESC 鈥� Higher education sector conference

JEP 鈥� Joint Expert Panel

JNCHES 鈥� Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff

LC 鈥� Lecture capture

LGBT+ - Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or any other non-heterosexual or non-binary identity

LGBT+MSC 鈥� LGBT+ members standing committee

MENA 鈥� Middle East North Africa

MH 鈥� Mental health

My51福利 鈥� the on-line portal that allows member to access and update their membership record

NDC 鈥� National dispute committee

NDA 鈥� Non-disclosure agreement

NEC 鈥� National executive committee

NES 鈥� National Education Service

NEU 鈥� National Education Union

NSS 鈥� National student survey

NUS 鈥� National Union of Students

OFSTED 鈥� Office for standards in Education

PSC 鈥� Palestine Solidarity Campaign

REF 鈥� Research Excellence Framework

RMB 鈥� Retired members branch

ROCC 鈥� Recruitment, organising and campaigning committee

SEND 鈥� Special educational need

SFC 鈥� Strategy and finance committee

T&R 鈥� Teaching and research

T&S 鈥� Teaching and scholarship

TEF 鈥� Teaching excellence and student outcomes framework

TPS 鈥� Teachers pension scheme

TUC 鈥� Trades Union Congress

TVET 鈥� Technical and vocational education and training

UKRI 鈥� UK Research and Innovation

UNCRPD 鈥� United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

UNESCO 鈥� United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation

USS 鈥� Universities Superannuation Scheme

VP 鈥� Vice president

WMSC 鈥� Women members standing committee

WRAP 鈥� Waste and resources action plan