51福利/957听 听听14 May 2019
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, Congress delegates
Topic听听听听听听听听听听听听听 51福利 Congress, 25 May 鈥� 27 May 2019: AGENDA - Second report of the Congress Business Committee, including motions and amendments for debate
Action听听听听听听听听听听听 For debate and decision at Congress 2019
Summary 听听听听 The timetable and motions for debate at the 2019 Congress and Sector Conferences, to be held 25 - 27 May in Harrogate听听听听听听
Contact听听听听听听听听听 Catherine Wilkinson, Head of Constitution and
Committees (cwilkinson@ucu.org.uk)
51福利
CONGRESS AND SECTOR CONFERENCES 2019
25 -
27 MAY 2019, HARROGATE
AGENDA
1 听听听听听听 Second report of the Congress Business Committee (CBC)
This report from the meeting of the Congress Business Committee (CBC)
held on 10 May forms the agenda for the meetings of 51福利鈥檚 Congress and Sector
Conferences to be held on 25 鈥� 27 May in Harrogate.听 This report is being sent as part of a
mailing to those delegates who requested their papers in hard copy. In
addition, a bound, printed agenda, containing the motions set out in this
report and the relevant sections of the National Executive Committee鈥檚 report
to Congress, will be available to all delegates to collect on arrival at the
conference venue.
2听听听听听听听 About this report
Congress
motions and amendments are ordered in this report to reflect the order of
Congress business. All Congress motions are numbered sequentially. Motions that
will be debated in the HE or FE Sector Conferences are numbered sequentially
with the prefix 鈥楬E鈥� or 鈥楩E鈥�. Note that
motion numbers in all sections have changed since CBC鈥檚 first report (51福利/936).
Motions and amendments which have not been ordered into the agenda by the
Congress Business Committee appear at the end of this report, sequentially
numbered with the prefix 鈥楤鈥�. The original text of motions and amendments which
have been composited are prefixed 鈥楥鈥� and can be found at ,
and will appear in the printed agenda distributed at Congress.
Where
motions or amendments appear in this report in the name of more than one
submitting body but are not described as 鈥榗omposite鈥�, this means that the motion
or amendment was received in identical form from the submitting bodies listed.
3听听听听听听 Amendments
ordered into the agenda
CBC
received amendments from branches, the National Executive Committee and other
committees entitled to submit amendments. Amendments are printed in this report
immediately after the motion that they seek to amend, and are denoted by the
letter 鈥楢鈥� after the number of the relevant motion.
Four
Congress amendments were composited to create two composite amendments, 20A.1
and 21A.1.
Two FE
sector conference amendments were composited to create composite amendment FE28A.1
One HE
sector conference amendment was reordered as a late motion, and another
amendment ordered as an amendment to this motion; these appear in the agenda as
HE6 and HE6A.1.
The
original text of amendments which have been composited can be found at
and will appear in the printed Congress agenda.
One
amendment, to motion 81, was considered not to be competent
and appears at the end of this report as amendment B13.
One clause of one amendment was ruled out of order on legal
advice that it could not be lawfully implemented by the union. This appears at
the end of this report numbered B14.
4听听听听听听 Late
motions, including those not ordered into the agenda
The committee
considered 10 late motions submitted to Congress and two to HE sector
conference.
One late
motion to Congress was considered not to meet the criteria for late motions
(urgent, timely, requiring a decision of Congress, could not have been
submitted by the deadline.) This motion was not ordered into the agenda and
appears at the end of this report numbered B6.
One late
motion to Congress was not considered to have been approved in accordance with
the Congress standing orders. This motion was not ordered into the agenda and
appears at the end of this report numbered B11.
The
remaining late motions were ordered into their relevant agendas as Congress motions
5, 12, 16, 29, 30, 35, 65 and 72, and HE sector conference motions HE4 and
HE10.
5听听听听听听听 Other changes since the first report
One motion, numbered in this report as motion
9, was erroneously presented in the first report (numbered EQ8) as having been
submitted in the same form by two submitting branches. It was in fact submitted
with a slight difference and is now correctly presented as a composite. The
original text of the relevant motions is included in the separate appendix of
original text of composites (see paragraph 3 above).
6听听听听听听 Motions marked
鈥楨P鈥�
Delegates
will note that, as has been done for the past three years, some motions in this
report are marked 鈥�(EP)鈥�. This indicates that those motions are 51福利 鈥榚xisting
policy鈥�. The marking is purely advisory, but it is hoped that it will be
helpful to Congress and will encourage the formal movement of such motions
without the need for full speeches and debate.
7听听听听听听听 Timetable
for Congress and Sector Conferences
The
timetable for Congress and Sector Conference business as agreed by CBC appears
overleaf. Please note that Congress on 25
May starts promptly at 9:30am.听 The
Sector Conferences on 26 May and the last day of Congress on 27 May will start at
9:00am. 听CBC reminds delegates that
business is scheduled throughout Congress and urges all delegates to remain to
the close of Congress.听
Congress closes no later than 15:00 on Monday 27 May.
8听听听听听听听 Further submission of late motions
All motions received at 51福利 head
office after the deadline for the submission of motions are 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听听听听 it
is urgent or timely and requires a decision of Congress or Sector Conference; and
ii听听听 it
could not have been submitted within the prescribed time limit; and
iii听听 it
has been approved in accordance with the standing orders of Congress and the
branch/local association rules 鈥� normally by a quorate branch meeting.
In submitting a 鈥榣ate鈥� motion,
branches/local associations must
explain how the above criteria are met, including how the late motion has been
approved.
Any further urgent, late motions
should be sent to the Congress motions email address, congressmotions@ucu.org.uk,
for the attention of Catherine Wilkinson, Head of Constitution and Committees,
taking note of the information below about late motion deadlines, and providing all the required information
described above. Receipt of late motions will be acknowledged.
If CBC does not consider that the above criteria are
satisfied then the motion will not be ordered for debate. These motions may
still 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.
9听听听听听 Deadlines for late motions
Late motions
which are submitted 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 (3 May).
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.
The Congress Standing Orders include separate provision for emergency motions
to be submitted during the course of the Congress meeting. (Emergency motions
on matters which could not have been submitted other than during the course of
Congress may be accepted for consideration if submitted to Congress Business
Committee in the name of at least 10 delegations).
Any branch or local association
needing to submit an urgent, late motion should do so at the earliest possible
stage.
10听听听 Report of the National
Executive Committee to Congress
Motions are ordered against the
paragraphs of the National Executive Committee鈥檚 report to Congress, which can
be found in branch circular 51福利/928 (see ).听 Extra headings have been inserted as
necessary to allow all motions to be ordered. Delegates attending Congress will
receive on arrival a printed book containing motions and the NEC鈥檚 report to
Congress, set out to reflect sections of Congress business.
11听听听 Standing orders
of Congress
The standing
orders of Congress can be found at
and will be included in the printed agenda given to delegates at Congress.
51福利 CONGRESS AND SECTOR CONFERENCES, 25 - 27 May 2019
Timetable of business
Sessions of Congress and the
sector conferences are open sessions, unless marked otherwise
Saturday 25 May, 09:30-18:00:
Congress
09:30-10:00听听 Opening business, including:
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Welcome
and address from Vicky Knight, President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 Appointment
of tellers
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Adoption
of the report of the Congress Business Committee
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Adoption
of minutes of Congress 30 May 鈥� 1 June 2018 (51福利/940)
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Adoption
of minutes of special Congress 18 October 2018 (51福利/941)
10:00-12:30听听 Section
1: Business of the equality committee (motions 1-23)
12:30-14:00听听 Lunch (from 12:30) and fringe meetings
(13:00-14:00)
14:00-14:15听听 Address
by incoming general secretary (to be confirmed)
14:15-15:00听听 Debate of remaining motion from section 1: Business
of the equality committee (motions 1-23 continued)
15:00-15:45听听 Section 2: Business of the education
committee (motions 24-31)
15:45-18:00听听 Section 3: Business of the recruitment,
organising and campaigning committee (motions 32-52)
18:00听听听听听听听听听听听 Close
of first day of Congress business
Sunday 26 May: Sector conferences
Higher education sector conference, 09:00-18:00
09:00-09:30听听 Opening
business, including:
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Appointment
of tellers
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Adoption
of the report of the Congress Business Committee
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Adoption
of minutes of HE sector conference 31 May 2018 (51福利/948)
Adoption of minutes of special HE sector
conferences 21 June and 7 November 2018 (51福利/960, 51福利/949, 51福利/950)
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Report
of the Head of Higher Education, Paul Bridge
09:30-12:30听听 Debate of motions: motions HE1-HE9, pay and
pensions, to be taken in private session
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Debate of motions: motions
10-48 to be taken in open session
12:30-14:00听听 Lunch
(12:30) and fringe meetings (13:00-14:00)
14:00-18:00听听 Debate of motions to be taken in open session
(continued)
18:00听听听听听听听听听听听 Close of higher education sector conference 2019
Further education sector conference, 09:00-18:00
09:00-09:30听听 Opening
business, including:
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Appointment
of tellers
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Adoption
of the report of the Congress Business Committee
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Adoption
of minutes of FE sector conference 31 May 2018
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Report
of the Head of Further Education, Andrew Harden
09:30-12:30听听 Debate of motions: motions FE1-FE2, pay, to be taken in private session
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Debate of motions: motions
FE3-FE29 to be taken in open session
12:30-14:00听听 Lunch
(12:30) and fringe meetings (13:00-14:00)
14:00-18:00听听 Debate
of motions in open session continued, followed by:
Mobilisation of branches (non-resolutionary session)
Branches will be asked
to speak about recent successes and challenges, and what can be learnt from
these experiences to strengthen to mobilisation of FE branches going forward.
18:00听听听听听听听听听听听 Close of further education sector
conference 2019
Congress, Monday 27 May, 09:00
09:00-12:00听听 Section 4: Business of the strategy and
finance committee (motions 53-57 to be taken in private session; motions 58-75 to be taken in open session)
12:00-13:00 听 Lunch
13:00-14:45听听 Private session: Section 5: Interim report of the democracy commission and rule
changes (motions 76-94)
14:45-15:00听听 Closing business, including
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 Election results
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 Introduction of
incoming President, Douglas Chalmers
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 Closing remarks
15:00听听听听听听听听听听听 Close of Congress 2019
CONGRESS MOTIONS FOR
DEBATE
Motions have been allocated to a section of the NEC鈥檚 report
to Congress ().
Paragraph headings refer to paragraphs within this report. CBC has added some
new paragraph headings to facilitate the ordering of motions.
Section 1: 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)
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
2听听听听听听 Mental
health reps and training 听听听听听听听 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.
3听听听听听听听 LGBT+ mental health听听听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
4听听听听听听听 The far right on campus 听听听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.
4A.1 Women members鈥� standing committee
Add new
sentence after the first paragraph, adding, 鈥楥ongress notes the shocking
comments by UKIP EU candidate Carl Benjamin on rape of children and that he
鈥渨ouldn鈥檛 even rape鈥� Labour MP Jess Phillips, comments defended by UKIP leader
Gerald Batten鈥�.
In 鈥楻esolves..鈥� , add new bullet
points:
鈥�4. To
support and send women鈥檚 committee delegates to the Stand Up to Racism
international conference on 19 October鈥�.
鈥�5. To
support the Stand Up to Racism UN anti-racism day demos, now co-ordinated
globally, in London, Cardiff and Glasgow in March 2020鈥�.
5听听听听听听听 Late motion on Brexit-UKIP听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee
Congress believes:
1. 听 whatever members鈥�
views on Brexit, it is clear that Theresa May鈥檚 government has made an utter
mess of the Brexit process.
2.听 with the EU election process having been
triggered there is a great danger that the racist and even fascist right will
seek to take advantage of any 鈥楤rexit betrayal鈥�.
Congress
notes that UKIP has now aligned with far-right figures including fascist
activist Tommy Robinson (Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) and the street thugs of the
Democratic Football Lads Alliance.
Congress
calls on the NEC to consult on whether 51福利 is able to use its political fund to
help finance campaigns against UKIP in future elections.
6 (EP) Racism and
refugees听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 Fascism demonstration on 16 March.
6A.1 East Midlands regional committee
Add in the
fourth paragraph after 鈥榣ike the鈥�: 鈥楽tand Up to Racism and鈥�; add, after 鈥�16
March鈥�: 鈥榮upported by the TUC鈥�.
Add new
paragraph: 鈥楥ongress resolves to support and promote the Stand Up To Racism
international conference on Saturday 19 October and the Stand Up To Racism UN
anti-racism day protests planned for March 2020.鈥�
7听听听听听听听 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.
8 (EP) Stop the deportations now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.
9 听听听听听 Composite:
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.听听 racist
and anti-migrant sentiments are fuelled by policies such as Hostile Environment
and discourses surrounding Brexit
c.听听 there
should be no place for targeted racism and legal discrimination within our
sector
d.听听 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.
9A.1听 National executive committee
Add in Resolves section an additional point iv at the end:
鈥榬eaffirm 51福利鈥檚 support for freedom of movement and promote support for freedom
of movement on campuses and throughout the Labour and trade union movement.鈥�
10听听听听听 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.
11听听听听听 The
Stansted 15: challenging the hostile environment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.
12听听听听 Stop
the deportation of Bamidele Chika Agbakuribe, blind Nigerian student National executive committee
Congress
notes:
1. threatened deportation of Bamidele
Chika Agbakuribe, a blind Nigerian student, and his family after the University
of Dundee cancelled Bamidele鈥檚 student status, postponed from 25 March to 5
June after campaign and local MSP鈥檚 intervention
2. appeal submitted by Positive Action
in Housing (PAIH)) against ending Bamidele鈥檚 student status.
Congress
calls for an end to his deportation and an agreed settlement with Dundee
University.
Congress believes
May鈥檚 racist hostile environment and the Home Office Prevent agenda encourages
institutional racism and makes international students vulnerable.
Congress
resolves to:
a.听听 support
Bamidele鈥檚 right to stay in Scotland to complete his and his family鈥檚 education
b.听听 call
on:
i. Dundee University to reach an agreed
settlement PAIH appeal
ii. Home Office to withdraw deportation order
iii. Scottish Government, and John Swinney
MSP (Education Minister) to mediate between Dundee and PAIH to reach an agreed
settlement with Bamidele.
Equality for disabled members, paragraph 5.1
13听听听听听 Accessibility for all 听听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.
13A.1 51福利
Scotland
After
bullet point 1 add:
2. that
51福利 with input from disabled members sitting committee and disabled members
produces guidelines for minimum and desirable accessibility standards and
publicises to branches
Original
bullet points 2 and 3 then become bullets 3 and 4.听 Then add two new bullet 5 and 6 below:
5.听 that 51福利 campaigns for removal of barriers of
access to STEM, including abuse of health and safety and negative attitudes,
publicises good practice and names and shames 'bad' institutions
6.听 that 51福利 publicises the DISC project 51福利
Scotland is participating in and its recommendations and other outcomes when
available.
14 (EP) 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 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
15听听听听 No
more excuses: Close the LGBT+ data gap听听听听听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.
16听听听听 Lyra
McKee legacy Yorkshire and Humberside
regional committee
Congress:
1. sends solidarity to the National
Union of Journalists on the death of Lyra McKee, a journalist killed when doing
her job, and condolences to her partner and family.
2. congratulates trade unionists who
organised protests after the killing. This reaction shows the mass of Northern
Irish people do not want to return to political violence. Trade unionists in
NI, like Lyra, courageously campaign against sectarianism, paramilitarism and
repression.
3. celebrates Lyra as a powerful
advocate for LGBT+, civil, and human rights. Her journalistic work showed
empathy with the marginalised, documenting how many have been left out in
Northern Ireland's political process.
4. notes Lyra, a young gay woman in NI,
was denied the right to marry the person she loved. In honour of Lyra, Congress
commits 51福利 to do what is in our power to make equal marriage available in
Northern Ireland.
5. resolves to donate 拢500 to the
GoFundMe Lyra legacy fund.
Equality for women members, paragraph 7.4 (guidance on gender
based violence)
17 (EP) 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)
18听听听听 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 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.
18A.1 London regional committee
Add new congress resolves 鈥榚鈥�: 鈥淭o require relevant bodies to produce clear and detailed guidance for NEC members, regional and branch officers on how best to support and advise members reporting sexual harassment, including cases in which the alleged perpetrators are other 51福利 members, officers or staff.鈥�
18A.2 Anti-casualisation
committee
Add to the
end of Congress resolves part d:
These
guidelines need to recognise sexual harassment, and the threat of sexual
harassment, which can be present particularly in the lives of many casualised,
vulnerable and mainly female staff and PhD students, who may often feel obliged
to keep quiet and not 鈥榬ock the boat鈥�, because they risk losing teaching hours
or supervisory support.
19 (EP) Accountability of colleges
and universities: Sexual harassment听听听听听听听听听听听听 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
20听听听听 Gender
identity after the 2018 Gender Recognition Act (GRA) consultation 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.
20A.1 Composite: Women members standing committee, University of
Leeds, National Executive Committee
In the
second paragraph, after the first sentence which ends in 鈥榥ot a biological
one鈥�, remove full stop and add new sentence, 鈥�and modern evidence indicates that neither are
binary鈥�.
After the
last sentence in the last paragraph, take out full stop and add, 鈥�and formal
recognition of non-binary status for data gathering purposes and for
options for non-binary and no gender indication options on passports and other
documents that indicate gender鈥�.
21听听听听 Respectful
dialogue on gender/gender diversity鈥� 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�
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�
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.
21A.1 Composite: University
of Leeds, LGBT+ members standing committee
In
Congress notes 1, delete from 'potentially profound consequences鈥�' to end of
clause. Replace with 'the potential to significantly improve trans people's
lives'.
In 3.
insert 'trans and other' between 'feminist' and 'scholars'.
In Congress
believes a. add at end after 'equality': 'under the Equality Act 2010 and other
legislation, and supports proposed changes to the 2004 Gender Recognition Act
that support trans people and their rights.'
In Congress
believes c, delete 'potential conflicts of rights鈥� insert 鈥榯he rights of
oppressed groups鈥�.听
In
'Congress calls on 51福利 to ii; add 'and trans people' after 'academics'.
In Congress
calls on 51福利 to ii, at end, delete 鈥榓nd gender鈥� insert 鈥榞ender and gender
identity鈥�.
In final
sentence (iii), add at end 'underpinned by solidarity with all oppressed groups
and promote unity in action of women and trans people in the face of attacks on
either group.'
New paragraph, Justice for women
facing retirement, after paragraph 7.7
22
Seeking justice for women facing retirement 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
23听听听听 Extension of
Equality Act protection to single people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.
Section 2: Business of
the education committee (section 4 of the NEC report to Congress)
Introduction (principles of education), paragraph 1.2
24听听听听 Education
policy and campaigning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.
25 听听听听 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.
25A.1 North West regional committee
Add to end:
d. That student reps are invited to
51福利 events to increase the every day solidarity that exists between staff and
student unions, further encouraging students to take their places at the top
table.
25A.2听听听 LGBT+ members standing committee
Add to Congress resolves:
d. A
national education policy, developed by Government, which
i.
guarantees the primacy of critical thinking
& equality in the classroom,
ii.
prohibits religion being used as grounds to deny or
limit the equal treatment of vulnerable minority groups such as LGBT+ people
iii.
prevents religion being used to limit the
positive, progressive inclusion and visibility of LGBT+ people and relationships
in all teaching curricula and all learning materials across the full
curriculum.
Developing clear policies, paragraph 2.1
26听听听听 Public
money public code campaign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.
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
28听 听听 Composite: Schoolchildren鈥檚
strike and education for green jobs听听听听听听听听听听听听听 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.
28A.1听 University of
Manchester
Add after
鈥榚quitable way鈥� at end of paragraph 4
Congress
welcomes the attention drawn to the climate emergency by Extinction Rebellion,
and Greta Thunberg's call for a general strike to demand dramatic, immediate
action.
Add points
4 and 5:
4.听听 campaign for
universities, USS, and equivalent institutions to divest from carbon-heavy
industries and implement carbon reductions and offsets in travel to help become
carbon neutral by 2030.
5.听听 support and
promote calls for a general strike for action on climate change, and call on
the TUC to organise this.
29听听听听 Extinction
Rebellion/youth strikes 听听听听听听听听听听听 National
executive committee
Congress
1. offers its solidarity to those who
have taken part in Youth Strike for Climate and the Extinction Rebellion
actions
2. believes that the current climate
change emergency justifies the action taken
3. welcomes the call by Greta Thunberg
for a general strike to highlight climate emergency and demand urgent measures
by government and employers to tackle climate change.
Congress
a. defends the right of school, college
and university students to take part in protests and opposes any disciplinary
action taken against them
b. encourages 51福利 branches to work with
Extinction Rebellion and Youth Strike for Climate activists to support and
promote their actions
c. calls on 51福利 branches to campaign for
climate emergencies to be declared on university and college campuses
d. asks members to engage individually
and collectively at their institutions to achieve as many positive climate
related changes as possible.
30听听听听 鈥楾hanksgiving鈥�
for nuclear threat to existence听 听听听 National executive committee
Congress
deplores the Thanksgiving service on 3 May for 50 years of nuclear weapons and
recently announced US proposals to use nuclear reactors on the battlefield and
notes a recent NGO report on Trident replacement overspend and delays.
Congress
reaffirms policy of committed opposition to nuclear weapons and nuclear power
and that nuclear power is not the solution to climate change.听
Congress
resolves to
1.听 produce and
distribute campaigning and organising materials on opposition to nuclear
weapons and climate change as two major threats to continued existence
2.听 encourage branches
to organise meetings and other activities on nuclear weapons and climate change
3.听 encourage members
to engage with their students on these issues, including in their teaching
4.听 campaign, including
by supporting broadbased demonstrations and other events, a public statement
and encouraging members to write to MPs, for an immediate end to the Trident
replacement programme.
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.
Section 3: Business
of the recruitment, organising and campaigning committee (section 5 of the NEC
report to Congress)
Paragraph 1.2 (priorities and Get the Vote Out)32 (EP) Participation, GTVO and priority campaigns听听听 National executive committeeCongress 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.
32A.1 University of Brighton, Grand Parade
听听听听听听听听 Add at end of 5: This should include addressing funding disparities between institutions within the FE and HE sectors by collating and circulating financial data on universities and colleges comparing levels of surpluses, reserves, capital spending, pay levels of senior staff etc. and providing training to branches on understanding these disparities for campaigning purposes.32A.2听听 London Regional Committee
听听听听听听听听 Add point 66. To secure support from members to fight over pay 51福利 must be able to counter the employer鈥檚 narrative that they can鈥檛 afford above inflation pay rises. To do so 51福利 is instructed to organise training days entitled 鈥楢lternative accounting鈥�.听 Many of the 51福利 FE branches have been successful with this approach when they have campaigned around the slogan 鈥榯he money is there we want our share鈥�.Paragraph 1.3 (local and national campaigns)
33听听
听听 Campaigning against
victimisation of UCL 51福利 branch secretary Tony Brown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)
34听听听听 Citizenship
stripping/immigration measures听听听听听听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.
35听听听听听 Christchurch
and Prevent听听听听听听听 Black members鈥� standing
committee
In the
aftermath of the terrible attacks at two Christchurch mosques on 15th March,
conference notes:
The attempt
to rehabilitate the Prevent programme as a means of preventing similar
far-right attacks in the UK.
Conference
believes that promoting Prevent as a tool to combat Islamophobia is cynical and
lacking credibility, given the role of Prevent in institutionalising
Islamophobia. Conference believes the media campaign to rehabilitate Prevent is
designed to further entrench the repressive apparatus of Prevent in
universities, colleges and other public bodies.
Conference Resolves:
1. To oppose any expansion of Prevent,
and to prepare campaign materials reiterating our call for its abolition;
2. To support branches in developing
local campaigns against Prevent alongside students.
Paragraph 1.6 (anti-casualisation day of action)
36 (EP) Anti-casualisation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.
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 policies2.听 staff who legally should have received a permanent/open-ended contract but are still on casualised contracts3. 听 staff who have a mixture of permanent/open-ended and casualised contracts4.听 casualised staff who have lost their jobs as a result of policy changes.And to:a.听 name and shame the worst employersb.听 publicise good practice, including through case studiesc.听 campaign for improved collective agreements, including through tribunal cases, where appropriate.38听听听听 Developing negotiations to increase job security 听听听听听听听听 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.
39 (EP)听听听听听听 Equality and
casualisation听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National
executive committee
Congress notes:
39A.1 Open University
Add at
end:
d.听听 to organise a national meeting on the intersection of protected
characteristics with low pay and lack of job security, with branch
representatives and individual activists able to register and take part. This
meeting should include workshops and plenary sessions, and feed back to the
NEC, ACC and equality committees.
e.听听 that the NEC will plan local and national
campaigning on the issues raised in this motion, in conjunction with the
anti-casualisation and equality committees.
39A.2 Disabled members鈥� standing committee
Add to
Congress resolves:
d.听听 for NEC to create with DMSC and anti-casualisation committee a
campaign pack that branches can use to make campaign on and make claims in
relation to disability and casualisation.
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 UKb.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)
41听
听听 Women and casualisation听听听听听听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)
42 (EP) 听听听听听 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.
43 听听听听 Tory anti-trade union legislation 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.
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.
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
46听
听听 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.
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.
48听 听听听 Food
waste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
49听 听听听 Reps鈥�
network听听听听听听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.
49A.1听 National
executive committee
Add, at
end: 鈥楥ongress further instructs NEC to bring forward proposals for the
embedding of self-care and mental health protection in union training, in
particular for, but not limited to, reps and branch officers.鈥�
New paragraph, Defend the welfare state, after paragraph 1.12
50 听听听 Casuals,
benefits and the welfare state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
51听
听听 Managerialisation and
financialisation of higher and further education听听听听 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.
51A.1 Academic
related, professional staff committee
Add at end of
first paragraph after 'conditions' - 'Congress notes that HEIs have never
implemented the national agreement for academic related professional staff,
which exacerbates these detriments.'
Add a point 3 to
'Congress calls on the NEC to' - '3. produce a report of any good practice
regarding the implementation of the national agreement for academic related
professional staff, and produce a model claim for branches to submit to address
this issue.'
New paragraph, campaigning for retired members, after
paragraph 1.12
52 (EP) 听听听听听 Social care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.
Section 4: Business of
the strategy and finance committee (section 1 of the NEC鈥檚 report to Congress)
Motions 53-57 to be
taken in private session
Finance and property, paragraph 3.1
53听听听听听 Appointment of auditors听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 approves the appointment of
Knox Cropper as the union鈥檚 auditors for the year ending 31 August 2019.
54听听听听听 Audited financial statements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.
55听听听听听 Budget 2019-2020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
endorses the budget for September 2019-August 2020 as set out in 51福利/932.
56听听听听听 Subscription rates and bands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.
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.
Motion 58 onwards to be taken in open session
58 听听听 Efficient
membership data management 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.
59 (EP) Composite: Protecting
employment rights and Brexit听听听听听听听听 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.
59A.1 Croydon College
Add at end:
5.听听 to organise with
other trade unions and anti-racist organisations like Stand up to Racism a
series of regional forums to support EU Nationals, offer legal advice and
campaigning support
6.听听 To organise a
national campus day of action to defend the rights of EU nationals
European and international work, paragraph 5.1
60 (EP) 听听听听听 International campaigns and solidarity
work 听听听听听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.
60A.1 Disabled members鈥� standing committee
Add new final paragraph: Congress instructs NEC to work with DMSC to step
up involvement in fighting for the rights of disabled people internationally
and in particular in defending the right of access to integrated education.
61 听听听 Composite:
Solidarity with Brazil: fighting the far right听听听听听听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.
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.62A.1 Newcastle University听听听听听听听听 Third paragraph, after 鈥樷�heir right to protest鈥�, add 'and organise unions'听听听听听听听听 Fifth paragraph, end of first sentence, replace 'Sudan' with 'Al-Bashir's regime'.Delete penultimate paragraph (beginning 鈥楥ongress asks all trade unions to鈥︹��). Replace with:听听听听听听听听听听听 Congress instructs NEC to:听听听听听听听听听听听 1.听听听 meet Sudanese trade unions to discuss solidarity.听听听听听听听听听听听 2.听听听 write to the UK governmenta.听听 supporting a democratic, civilian transitional authority in Sudanb. 听 demanding an immediate end to military sales to and security cooperation with individuals and groups in Sudan responsible for human rights abuses.
63 听听听听 Fairtrade听听听听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.
64 (EP) 听听听听听 Stop Trump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.
65听听听听听 Venezuela听听听听听听听听听听听听 National
executive committee
Congress notes:
1. the Tory government鈥檚 support for the
Trump administration鈥檚 policy of 'regime change' in Venezuela, illegal under
international law
2. comments from Trump and others have
included threats of military action and supported attempts at a right-wing
military coup
3. the US sanctions (鈥榚conomic warfare鈥�)
on Venezuela, which the UN estimates have already killed around 140,000 people.
Congress
believes:
a.
Venezuela鈥檚
future is for Venezuelans to determine
b. Venezuelan oil is the key motivating
factor for the US and supporting nations
c. US interventions have a bloody
history in Latin America, including previous US-backed coups and military
juntas such as in Chile under Pinochet
d. the UK government should support the
current democratically elected government of Venezuela.
Congress
resolves:
i. to campaign against U.S. intervention
in Venezuela for 'regime change' and against UK support for this
ii. to invite a speaker from the
Venezuela Solidarity Campaign to a future event
iii. to affiliate to the Venezuela
Solidarity Campaign.
New paragraph, Legal matters, after paragraph 6.4
66 听听听 51福利
legal scheme should provide legal consultation opportunity听听听听 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.
66A.1 Anti-casualisation committee
Add at end
of the second paragraph, after 鈥榳ithin 21 days鈥�:
Casualisation
or equal pay claims are often complex, and inadequately covered by the
statutory provision at present.听
Casualised workers may not be aware of legal support available to them,
due to either perceptions of ineligibility or lack of access to union campaigns
and resources.
Add new
paragraph at the end:
Congress
resolves that the legal scheme regulations be revised to provide targeted
support specifically for casualised members taking pay claims and
discrimination claims under the part-time workers鈥� regs.
67 听听听听 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.
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.
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.69A.1 The Manchester CollegeFinal paragraph, after 鈥楥ongress hereby鈥�, delete 鈥榗alls upon FE and HE institutions in the UK to publish aggregated information on the use of NDAs annually鈥�;Replace with 鈥榗alls on 51福利 to put in an annual Freedom of Information request and publish information on the use of NDAs鈥�70 听听听 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.
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.
72听听听听听 Members on-line conduct听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 South West regional committee
听听听听听听听听听 Congress
notes:
1. the importance of 51福利 building on the
successes of the USS and FE fights back disputes to galvanise and build
membership
2. the subsequent divisions and tensions
at Congress 2018, which spilled onto social media, publicising those tensions
to our managers, members and government ministers
3. 51福利鈥檚 commitment to encourage
activism and engagement in elections and all aspects of 51福利 decision-making.
Congress
resolves:
a.听听 to condemn
open and public hostility towards members, staff or election candidates from
members using social media
b.听听 to remind
members of their responsibility to engage in election and activism discourse in
a comradely manner
c.听听 to instruct
members who create on-line platforms, including anonymous accounts, and posts
as a mechanism to despoil a candidate鈥檚 or member鈥檚 reputation, to remove such
posts and platforms
d.听听 to remind
members to review 51福利鈥檚 Rule 13 and its expectation of conduct.
New paragraph, Workload, health and safety, after paragraph
6.4
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.
73A.1 51福利 Scotland
Add new
points 3-6 after bullet points 1 and 2 and renumber.听 Existing bullet point 3 will become bullet
point 7:
3.听 to campaign for
national and local agreements on workload and stress reduction and against the
ab/use of capability procedures, particularly in the case of mental health
issues,
4. 听 to campaign for
joint union/employer investigations when suicides occur.
5. 听 to identify and
publicise good practice e.g. joint staff-student suicide prevention training at
Glasgow.
6.听 to name and shame
institutions which do not take serious measures to improve conditions and
reduce the risk of suicide.
74 听听听听 Campaigning to stop unreasonable workloads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.
74A.1 Academic related, professional staff committee
End of first paragraph, add, after 'widow' - 'Congress notes that in
many HEIs academics are covered by workload models, but academic related
professional staff are not.'
Add to end of Resolves 2 - ' and all staff including academic related
professional staff are covered.'
74A.2 National executive committee
听听听听听听听听 End
of point 1 (under 鈥榬esolves鈥�), replace 鈥榠n both FE and HE鈥� with 鈥榠n FE, HE,
prison education, ACE and other institutions where 51福利 is recognised鈥�
New paragraph, Corbyn, Labour and general election, after
paragraph 6.4
Congress notes the: 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.
75A.1 Yorkshire and Humberside
regional committee
Add 4th
point to 'Congress notes the':
4.听听 international
law violation constituted by Israeli settlement institutions on occupied land;
Add two
sentences to 'Congress believes that':
ii.听听 declaring
illegal and morally repugnant the practices of Israel is not, of itself,
antisemitic.
iii.听 cooperating with occupying settlements renders UK institutions
complicit in those practices.
And number as i. the first sentence under 鈥楥ongress believes that:听 (ie the sentence starting with 鈥榓 Corbyn-led
government鈥︹��)
75A.2 National executive
committee
Add 鈥�1.鈥� Before听 鈥榯hat a Corbyn-led
鈥︹��
Add after 鈥榝oreign policy鈥�
鈥�2. in the importance of combating antisemitism听 and that the fight against it is a crucial
part of the antiracist movement.
3. that this abuse of allegations of antisemitism makes it more difficult
to campaign against antisemitism.
4.听 that campaigning against
antisemitism and for Palestinian rights are complementary.鈥�
In Congress resolves add after point a and renumber:
鈥榖.听 To campaign more vigorously
against antisemitism and ensure that all 51福利 antiracist activities involve
action against antisemitism鈥�.
75A.3 National executive
committee
听听听听听听听听听 Paragraph
a:
1. delete
鈥榚xplain and counter鈥�, replace with 鈥榓ddress鈥�
2. after
鈥樷�ith the PSC and BRICUP鈥�, add 鈥榓nd other appropriate organisations such as
Jews for Justice for Palestine鈥�
听听听听听听听听听
Section 5: Interim report of the democracy commission, and
rule changes - to be taken in private session
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.
76 听听听 Interim report of the
democracy commission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 which relate to topics in the interim report of
the democracy commission
Democracy commission
report, paragraph 4.9 鈥� composition of Congress
77 听听听听 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.
78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�embers elected from sector committees in鈥�, delete 鈥楨nglish
regions鈥�. After 鈥樷�ranches with fewer than鈥�, delete 鈥�100鈥�, replace with 鈥�250鈥�.
Rule 17.2 (Congress delegate
entitlement), first sentence, after 鈥樷�hall be one for every鈥�, delete 鈥�400
members (or part thereof)鈥�, replace with 鈥榝ull 250 members鈥�.
After 鈥樷�n 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�ector 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:
iv. to submit motions and amendments to
Annual Congress and Sector Conferences, in line with rules 16.7.5 and 16.7.3
v. 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)
79听听听听 Congress
standing order change: 38 and 39: voting process听 South west regional committee
Standing
order 38: after 鈥樷�old 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)
80 听听听 Rule
change (democracy commission recommendation 2)听听听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)
81听听听听 Election
of Deputy General Secretary听听听听听听听听听 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)
82听听听听 Rule
change (democracy commission recommendation 6) 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)
83听听听听 Rule change: inclusion of migration status
in rule 2.5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.
84听听听听 Rule
change: Inclusion of migrant representatives in the equality structures 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.
85听听听听听 Rule change: Inclusion of migrant
representatives in NEC听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 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).
85A.1 National executive committee
End
of proposed new rule 18.11.4, delete 鈥榓nd can remain on the committee for three
years after receiving ILR鈥�.
Democracy commission
report, paragraph 7.5.2 (National recorded hustings)
86听听听 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.
86A.1听听 University of Liverpool
听听听听听听听听听听听 15.11 Change 30 days to 'sufficient notice'
86A.2 University
of Sheffield
In 15.9, add 鈥� to ensure that all members and candidates have access to a fully accessible hustings event.鈥� following 鈥渨ill be held,鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听 delete 鈥榤ade available鈥� and replace with 鈥榚dited before distribution鈥�In 15.10.1, add 鈥楥andidates who are disabled, impaired or have a long term health condition will be able to make this known and have their adjustment needs accommodated to avoid any disadvantage by reason of disability.鈥�
Other
rule changes
87听听听听 Rule change motion re subsector
conferences听 听听 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�y
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�ot 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�ho 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�roportionate 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
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.
89听听听听 Rule change: Congress membership 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).
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.
91听听听听 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.
92 听听听 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.
93听听听听听 Amend Congress standing order 18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.
94 听听听 Congress
standing order change: Speaking times at Congress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.
95听听听听听 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 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.
HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR CONFERENCE
MOTIONS FOR DEBATE
Motions HE1-HE9 to be
taken in private session
HE pay and equality, paragraphs 2.1-2.4
HE1 听 HE pay 听听听听听听 Higher education committee
HE Sector conference notes the report and approves the recommendations
of the national negotiators contained in 51福利BANHE/56.
Conference notes that1.听听 the recent industrial action ballot on pay and equality did not reach the 50% required threshold2.听听 the iniquitous trade union laws are stacked against industrial action3.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 resources4.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.
HE2A.1 University of Birmingham
Add new
sentence at the end of paragraph beginning 鈥楥onference believes that members鈥︹��:
Branches
would also benefit from disaggregated ballot result data pertaining to their
institution. Therefore all ballot result data in the future should allow for
local branches to examine the local turnout and outcome from any overall data.
HE3听听 Future
pay claims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.
HE3A.1听听听听听听听 University of Birmingham
To
add after point d:
Furthermore,
HESC resolves that 51福利 should:
i.
ensure
that any such ballots on future pay settlements conducted in 2019/20 are
conducted on a disaggregated basis
ii.
ensure
that any such ballots include specific national demands on pay-related issues
of equality, casualisation, and workload
iii.
give
full guidance on how to bring a local claim within the context of a
disaggregated ballot, including legal advice on including pay-related issues
within the nationally agreed framework.
HE3A.2 Higher education committee
鈥楬ESC notes鈥�, point 2, delete 鈥榠n
one-year pay claims鈥�. Point 3, delete all.
Add new point 2:听
2.
the equality gains of the 2004 Pay Framework have been eroded by grade drift
Add
new point 4
4. the current risk to the sector
from contraction and cuts
Add
at end of point currently numbered 4, add, 鈥榖ut the final uplift was
accidental鈥�.
Add new point 6:
6听听听 however, the
failure to take industrial action in the years following 2008 wiped out
these gains.鈥�
鈥楬ESC
therefore resolves鈥︹��, start of point a, add 鈥榬egaining鈥�.
Point b, delete 鈥榯he details of a multi-year pay鈥�;
replace with 鈥榓鈥�.
Point c, delete all.
Add new points c and d:
鈥榗. the trade-off between
aggregated and disaggregated ballots鈥� and
鈥榙.
the type of strategy and action required to address falling salaries, and鈥�.
End of existing point d, add
鈥榮trategy and鈥� before 鈥榗laim鈥�.
Renumber points as necessary.
HE4听听 HE pay and
equality campaign 2019-20听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 University
of Brighton, Grand Parade
Conference notes:
1.听听 the HE employers'
'final' pay offer for 2019-20 of 1.8% which does not meet current inflation let
alone provide a catch-up element
2.听听 the employers'
refusal to engage meaningfully to reduce the gender pay gap and levels of casualisation.
Conference believes that:
a.听听 this offer falls far short of the joint union
claim and the 51福利's goals
b.听听 that members
have shown a strong willingness to fight over pay and equality even where
ballots have failed to reach the 50% threshold
c.听听 that a
persistent failure to defend levels of HE pay undermines the viability of the
51福利.
Conference
resolves to initiate a concerted campaign to win industrial action ballots for
a fight over pay to commence in the autumn.
Pensions 鈥� USS (paragraphs
3.1 鈥� 3.5)
HE5听听 USS 听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/57.
HE6 USS employee contributions听听听听听 Higher education committee
Conference notes USS letters to members in March 2019 notifying them
of increases in employee contributions up to 11.4%, with 8.8% from April 1 and
a possible 10.4% from October 1.
Conference resolves to:
1. call on UUK to pick up any additional employee
contributions from 1 October 2019 and not pass them on
2. enter into dispute and prepare for an industrial
action ballot if the employers do not agree.
HE6A.1
University College London听听听
Point numbered 1, after 鈥榓dditional employee contributions鈥�, add 鈥�(including contingent contributions)鈥�Point numbered 2, after 鈥榩repare for an industrial action ballot鈥�, add 鈥榠n 2019鈥�
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.
HE7A.1 Compositing
amendment听听听听听 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.
HE7A.2 University College London
听听听听听听听听 鈥楥onference notes鈥�, point 3: delete all after 鈥榗ontributions鈥�. Replace with "have already led to some research contracts being substantially reduced in length from the time period originally costed, offered, and accepted - from 5 years to 4 in one case - damaging research projects, and passing employer costs onto staff."鈥楥onference resolves鈥�, add new point c:c.听听 to call on employers to protect research projects and staff by picking up additional pension costs.
HE8听听 Composite:
USS dispute 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.
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.HE9A.1 听 University of Leeds听听听听听听听听听听听 Add at end: 听听听听听听听听听听听 Conference agrees: 听听听听听听听听听听听 1.听听听 51福利 must do work with aligned groups in pursuit of defending our pensions wherever possible听听听听听听听听听听听 2.听听听 to draw up a full report on legal options open to 51福利, via meaningful consultation with Academics for Pension Justice (and associated legal advisors), NDC and SWG.听听听听听听听听听听听 3.听听听 this report will make recommendations which will inform HEC鈥檚 consideration regarding next steps in pursuit of any possible legal challenges over the actions of USS.
HE10 Defending the 'no detriment' position in our
USS dispute听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 University of
Liverpool
HESC notes:
1.听听 The multiple failings of the
USS 2017 and 2018 valuation documents
2.听听 USS has
calculated the full implementation of the JEP proposals in the 2018 valuation
leads to a 拢0.6 billion technical provisions surplus, requiring a contribution
rate of 25.5% which vindicates 鈥榥o detriment鈥�
3.听听 USS is
imposing large 'cost sharing' increases in contributions, to 8.8% in April
2019, 10.4% in October 2019 and 11.4% in April 2020, whose rationale has been
extensively debunked听
HESC
believes these increases are unnecessary and violate 51福利鈥檚 position of 'No
Detriment'.
HESC calls
on UUK to join 51福利 in resisting any contributions increases and to refuse to
implement the October 2019 and April 2020 increases.
HESC resolves
to immediately begin campaigning for an industrial action ballot commencing
October 2019, should UUK refuse to confirm by 1 July 2019 that they will not
impose contribution increases on members from October.
Pensions - Teachers鈥� Pension Scheme
(paragraphs 3.6-3.8)
HE11 Teachers Pension Scheme (TPS)听听听听听听 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.
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)
HE13 Discussion on developing negotiations to
increase job security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.
HE14 Actions
against short contracts听听听听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.
HE14A.1 (EP) Academic related,
professional staff committee
Add new point 5 in 鈥楥onference notes鈥� - '5. the benefits to the employer of retaining institutional knowledge and skills, and to the individual of providing career development opportunities, through continuity of employment.'Add at the end of 鈥楥onference demands鈥� point b - 'and provide career progression opportunities to academic related professional staff.'HE15 Minimum contract lengths for teaching and research 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.
HE16 Post-contract
support for academics on precarious contracts 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.
HE16A.1
Anti-casualisation committee
In
鈥楥ongress notes鈥�, insert a new number 3 and renumber accordingly:
3. 听 the
predominantly BAME and female precarious outsourced, non-academic workers鈥� call
for a boycott of the University of London, to pressure it to end its
discriminatory practice of outsourcing
Insert
a new paragraph before 鈥楥ongress resolves鈥�:
Congress
believes the fight for casualised staff in HE is directly connected to 鈥� and
empowered by 鈥� the struggle of female outsourced workers for equality and
justice at our universities.
Add
an extra point (e) at the very end:
e.听听 to call a boycott
of events at the University of London鈥檚 central administration until workers
are brought in-house.
Gender pay and other equality issues (paragraphs 5.1-5.3,
re-titled)
HE17 Addressing the gender pay gap听听听听听听听听 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.
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.
HE19 Eradicating
workplace racism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.
HE20 Not disposable: Standing up for LGBT+ staff and
studies听听听听听听 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.
HE21 Racist
activity on campus and free speech 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.
HE22 LGBT+
confidence in higher education听听听听听听 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.
HE23 Sexual harassment听听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)
HE24 (EP) Challenging workloads: a
national health and safety issue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.
HE25 Workload models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.
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.HE26A.1 Academic related, professional staff committeeAdd to the end of the motion - 'covering both academic and academic related professional staff.'
HE27 (EP)听听 Job losses/workload/work-related stress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.
HE27A.1听听听听听 Anti-casualisation committee听
Insert
after second sentence, before 鈥業ncreasing workload鈥�:
Conference
also recognises that as a result of cuts and redundancy programmes in HE, work
that is left behind often strategically becomes more casualised.听 This is detrimental to the sector.听 Both the casualised and the permanent staff
work significant unpaid hours resulting in damage to health.听 The campaign recognises that both staff
groups are put at risk and seeks to campaign for secure jobs and a fair
allocation of work for everyone.
HE28 Workload
campaign: disabled workers and carers鈥攕tep up the action 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.
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.
HE30 Lecture capture (LC)听听听听听 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.
HE31 Questionnaires
to elicit student feedback on teaching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.
HE32 (EP)听听 Academic freedom to discuss sex and gender听听听听听听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.
HE32A.1
Higher education committee
Add at end:
iii.听
reaffirm that the rights of trans people and women are complementary
iv.听
reaffirm the right of minority groups to self-identify
v.听 recognise
the importance of the central involvement of trans, non-binary people and women
in sex/gender studies/debates and campaign for the resources for this
vi.听 calls for joint
Women鈥檚/LGBT+Standing-Committee session at Cradle to Grave conference and
guidelines with Women鈥檚/LGBT+ standing committee input on gender
self-identification and cis women鈥檚 and trans rights enhancing each other.
HE32A.2 LGBT+ members standing committee
Add to
resolves to iii and iv:
iii.听 condemn any
harassment of feminists and/or trans people for expressing views on sex, gender
and gender identity;
iv. construct spaces in
which gender diversity can be explored through respectful dialogue underpinned
by solidarity with all oppressed groups and the promotion of unity in action by
women and trans people in the face of attacks on either group.
HE33 Mental
health services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)
HE34 Love
Our ARPS听听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)
HE35 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.
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.
HE36A.1 Higher education committee
Second paragraph, first sentence,
after 鈥榗onsult with members to produce鈥�, delete 'minimum standards'; replace
with 'essential and desirable standards'.
End of point numbered 1, add 'and the negative impacts on
individuals, departments and research'.
Add at end:
5.听 appropriate
measures for including staff carrying out interdisciplinary research and
creating an environment conducive to interdisciplinary research.
HE37 No REF submissions for redundant staff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.
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.
HE39
Composite: REF 2021 codes of practice听听听听听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.
HE40 REF
and performance management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)
HE41 (EP)听听 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)
HE42 International
branch campuses in the Middle East 听听听听听听听 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.
HE42A.2 LGBT+ Members鈥�
Standing Committee
Add to HESC notes that:
Add to HESC resolves to:
c.
call
on Universities to consistently implement LGBT+ equality vigilantly promoting and protecting
rights when working with and within other countries no less than
in the UK
d.
with
LGBT+ MSC produce guidance about working where LGBT+ is illegal and
raise awareness of LGBT+
equality and human rights violations internationally.
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.
HE44 Halt
the changes to DSA 听听听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.
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.
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.
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 workers2.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.
HE48 Supporting international students threatened with deportation for
fee shortfalls 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.
FURTHER EDUCATION SECTOR CONFERENCE
MOTIONS FOR DEBATE
Motions FE1-FE2 to be
taken in private session
FE1听听听 FE England pay听听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/17.
FE2 (EP)听听听听 FE England
pay campaign听听听听听听听 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.
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.
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.
FE4A.1 North West regional FE committee
听听听听听听听听听 Conference
requests:
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 (EP)听听听听 Secure the future 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.
FE6A.1 (EP) The
Manchester College
Replace:
1. increase funding in FE
with:
1. continue to lobby the government
to urgently increase funding in FE
FE7 (EP)听听听听 Launch a campaign to end incorporation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
vi. 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.
vii. call a march and national lobby of
parliament in the autumn.
FE8 (EP)听听听听 Large classes in FE听听听听听听听听 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.
FE8A.1 (EP)
The Manchester College
Add, under 鈥楥onference
recognises that鈥�: 3. larger classes are being used as a mechanism to make staff
redundant
FE8A.2 Disabled members standing committee
Add at end of 鈥楥onference recognises鈥� point 1, 鈥榙isabled students in
particular find FE to be a place where they can integrate and achieve鈥�
Add to conference 鈥榗alls on 51福利 to鈥�:
c.听听 campaign
to ensure that class size increases do not disadvantage disabled staff or
students. This includes that teachers adjustment needs should be considered and
adequate increases in LSA staff made when students are added to a class
FE9 (EP)听听听听 Gender pay gap in FE听听听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:
c. to
develop an action plan to pressurise colleges to end the gender pay gap
d. 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 (EP)听听 FE race pay gap听听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.
FE10A.1 (EP) Further education committee
听听听听听听听听 Replace:
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
with:
Conference
resolves to:
1. 听 continue working with the Department for
Education and relevant stakeholder bodies to develop a comprehensive &
reliable data collection process for FE in England
2. 听 work with relevant stakeholders in Wales &
Northern Ireland to implement a similar data collection process for FE in Wales
and Northern Ireland
FE11 (EP)听听 Supporting branches to pursue national priorities through local
collective agreements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 (EP)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:
viii. 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
ix. 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.
FE12A.1
Anti-casualisation committee
In
鈥楥onference requires鈥�, insert new number ii, then renumber ii as iii:
ii.听听 compile and keep
up-to-date a database of agreements made in some branches, detailed enough for
use in negotiations
Add a new
number iv:
iv.听 provide training
for reps to help them:
鈥�听 identify members
suffering from stress or mental health problems
鈥�听 help members record
extra hours worked and claim pay for them
鈥�听 negotiate with
managers and HR for sick pay
鈥�听 identify hidden
charges, such as having to pay for a DBS check, and help members claim them
back.
FE13 (EP)听听 Fighting casualisation in ACE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.
FE13A.1 (EP) Anti-casualisation
committee
To 鈥楥onference notes:鈥�, add number 4:
4 听听 where branches, regions
and 51福利 officers have prioritised the work needed to improve contracts in an
institution, they have often been successful.听
These successes can be mirrored in ACE, if members in the ACE sector are
supported and experiences are shared across the FE sector.
In 鈥楥onference resolves to鈥�, at the end of b, delete the full
stop and add:
and encourage pairing of FE branches who have had successes
in improving contracts with ACE members, through anti-casualisation branch
officers.
FE14听 (EP) 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听 (EP)
Gender and workload听听听听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 (EP) Workload and
contact hours听听听听听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 (EP) Winning for members in prison education 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听 Reasonable
adjustments in prisons 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.
FE18A.1 Further
education committee
First sentence, before 鈥榙isabled
members鈥�, delete 鈥榦ur鈥�. After 鈥榠n prisons鈥�, insert 鈥榗an鈥�.
Conference instructs point 4, delete all and replace with 鈥榙evelop a
campaign and claim for branches to use with employers, particularly in the
prison sector.鈥�
FE19听 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听 Workplace racism听听听听听听听听听 Black members standing committee
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听 GEO (Government equalities office) LGBT report
and action plan - impact for FE 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听 Enabling understanding and visibility of LGBT+
in FE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.
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:
x. 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
xi. to campaign against increase in
attendance monitoring by lecturers.
FE24听 Composite:
End compulsion in GCSE English and maths听听听听听听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 (EP) 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.
FE25A.1 Disabled
members standing committee
Add new paragraph:
In relation
to disabled students we express concern about practices that see students with
ECHP funding entitlement simply as economic assets, that neglect adjustment needs
of students and staff and urge 51福利 to work with DPOs and NUS to develop and
lobby for a truly inclusive policy so that disabled students, including those
with learning disability, can participate on an equal basis in FE.
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.
FE26A.1 South East regional committee听听听听听听听听 In 鈥楥onference resolves that鈥�, add new ii after i and renumber accordingly:
ii. ROCC to reissue the appropriate
documents circulated for the works/reports produced by Matt O'Leary in 2013 and
2014 concerning lesson observation.
FE27听 Work experience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 (EP) OFSTED听听听听听听听听 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.
FE28A.1 (EP) Composite听
Yorkshire and Humberside regional FE committee, New City College
Redbridge, Chesterfield College
Add at end of the final paragraph: 鈥楥onference reiterates 51福利鈥檚 policy to
call for the abolition of OFSTED, which is not 鈥渇it for purpose鈥�. Conference
resolves to lobby the Labour Party and other political bodies to implement
abolition, and to include the abolition of OFSTED in their next election
manifestos.鈥�
FE29听 FE participation
in 51福利 conferences/events听听听听听听听听 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
To be accepted as a late motion after the
original motion deadline, motions must be urgent, timely, requiring a decision
of Congress or sector conference, and could not have been submitted by the
deadline.
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 听听听听听听听听听 South
Thames College
Text
identical to motion 38.
B4听听听听 Electronic voting at
Congress and sector conferences 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 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.
B6听听听听 Gaining
recognition for workers in private provider HE pathway colleges听 University of Sheffield International College
Significant
increases in private 鈥榩athway鈥� providers at universities across the UK, are
threatening the working conditions of all 51福利 members 鈥� staff are on zero
hours, poor pay/conditions with no Union support or recognition.
The
University of Sheffield International College (part of Study Group), the newest
branch of 51福利, gained recognition through the encouragement and care of our
University branch.听
Study
Group, one of two dozen companies using similar business formats 鈥� 鈥榝lexible
staffing鈥� (largely casualised labour, teaching big class sizes and long hours 鈥�
some colleges opening weekends and evenings until 9pm).听 There鈥檚 an awful lot of profit in International
students 鈥� university managers recognise this.听
Congress
believes established university branches, should be recruiting and supporting
new members to build their own branches in the private pathway colleges.听
Congress
resolves:
a.听听 to organise
campaigns through local branches to recruit private providers鈥� staff and
support them in building new branches
b.听听 offer membership
subsidies for zero-hours staff
Submitted to HE
sector conference
B7听听听听 Relating to the
pensions dispute听听听听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.
B8听听听听 Support of outsourced workers at the
central University of London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
Congress and sector conference motions (including those submitted as late
motions) must be properly approved in accordance with Congress standing orders 3.1-3.2 鈥� which usually
means approval by a quorate branch meeting.
Submitted to
Congress
B9听听听听 Solidarity to
Stansted 15听听听听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.
B10听听 Opposing Prevent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.
B11听听 Tackling inter-generational fairness Northern retired members
听听听听听听听听听 Congress
1. notes the publication on 25 April
2019 of the House of Lords Select Committee report on inter-generational
fairness and provision
2. welcomes the report鈥檚 emphasis on
successive governments鈥� failure to provide adequate housing, proper
apprenticeships, and effective funding of both FE and HE, all of which impact
disproportionately on the opportunities and wellbeing of younger people
3. believes that the report鈥檚 proposal
of significant detriment to older people as partial solution to these problems
is both unfair and likely to be ineffectual. Reductions in the winter fuel
allowance, free bus passes, and post-75 free TV license are largely totemic,
pandering to populist opinion and perpetuate the lie that millions of retirees
are living in luxury.
Congress
instructs NEC to review this and other related reports on supposed
intergenerational unfairness and to produce a critique in conjunction with its
RMBs which reaffirms the unity of a cross-generational approach to lifelong
funded learning.
Submitted
to HE sector conference
B12听听 Online degrees听听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.
III 听听听 听听Not
ordered into agenda for other reasons
Amendments submitted to
Congress:
B13 not considered to be a competent amendment (i. amendment appears to
have no effect; ii. amends purpose, not rule change)
B13听听 Amendment to
motion 85听听听听听听听 University of Liverpool
In final paragraph, 鈥楶urpose, paragraph, amend to say 鈥榠mmediately' after
鈥楾he rule change can come into effect鈥�
B14 ruled out of order on the
grounds of legal advice that the union could not lawfully implement the
amendment.
B14听听 Part of amendment
submitted to motion 75听听听听听听听听 Yorkshire
and Humberside regional committee
Final
clause (the rest of the amendment has been ordered):
听听听听听听听听听 Add at the end of 鈥楥ongress
resolves a.鈥�:
and will write to universities and branches urging no recognition of
Ariel University degrees.
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