Agreement on holiday

 At today’s meeting with College management (the Joint Consultative Committee) they agreed to our proposal on how and when staff should take holidays.

 Our proposal was:

  • Holiday should normally be taken out of term time (as in contract)
  • Holiday should be spread through the year, so that generally no more than 4 weeks remain to be taken in the summer holiday period
  • Holiday should be booked in negotiation with your line manager and, where necessary, in liaison with other members of your team to ensure that key duties (such as enrolment) are performed
  • Managers should ensure that staff are encouraged and enabled to take their full holiday entitlement.

This has still to be disseminated to Programme Managers but they should shortly be working from these guidelines.

This is a significant achievement after months of discussion and shows the effect of continued pressure from branch members and reps.

 

Rachel Terry (Branch Chair)

Jan Holden (Branch Vice-Chair)

28/03/12

 

IFL – update from Sally Hunt

27 March 2012 | To: FE members | Topic: IfL interim report

Dear colleague

Earlier this year I reported that we had met the independent inquiry team commissioned by government to look at the future of the Institute for Learning (IfL).

I am pleased to say the inquiry has now produced its first report which, among other things, recommends that membership of IfL be made voluntary rather than compulsory.

This is a tremendous victory for our campaign. Thank you for your help and support.  

Please share this news with others and, if they are not already members, encourage them to join the union: http://join.ucu.org.uk

Thanks again.

Sally Hunt
UCU general secretary

More details:
Independent report:
UCU response: http://www.ucu.org.uk/iflreview
UCU original submission: http://www.ucu.org.uk/iflfee#submission

 

 

To UCU activists in Yorkshire and Humberside Region

 Dear Colleagues

 TPS dispute and 10th May

 On 28th March UCU and NUT members in the London Region took strike action in defence of TPS.  Since then there have been further discussions about how to build united public sector union action in defence of pensions.

 On Thursday 10th May PCS and UNITE (in the Health Service and Ministry of Defence) will be out on strike to defend public sector pensions. 

 

The UCU NEC is meeting on Friday 27th April to discuss future action in respect of the TPS dispute. I am writing to you now to alert you to the possibility that the NEC may vote in favour of UCU members in FE and post-92 HE joining the strike action on 10th May.  Since the time for preparation will be relatively short, if we are striking on 10th May, with a bank holiday weekend before then, I thought it would be helpful to give you as much advance information as possible.

 

I request all TPS branches in Yorkshire and Humberside to organise a branch or branch committee meeting in the week beginning 30th April so that you have a meeting scheduled, if needed, to mobilise members for 10th May.  Please also make other necessary preparations, e.g. placards, official picket armbands, picket rotas etc.  It would also be good to make contact with other unions in your town or city, especially PCS and UNITE, to discuss local rallies and demonstrations on 10th May.  I request USS branches  in the Region to consider what forms of solidarity they can supply, if the rest of UCU is out on strike on 10th May, including twinning arrangements between branches and solidarity messages.

 Best wishes

Elizabeth Lawrence

UCU Regional Secretary Yorkshire and Humberside