H.E. Pay 2022 - Update

The joint trade unions (UNISON, UCU, Unite, EIS and GMB) met with UCEA for the second pay negotiating meeting of the new Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (new JNCHES) on Monday 25 April 2022.

 

Our meeting took place in the context of over 10 years of real terms pay cuts for our members working in Higher Education, and in the midst of the biggest cost of living crisis for 30 years. Our members have worked tirelessly to keep the sector going over the last two difficult years and we hoped that  employers would acknowledge the need for real recognition and reward for that work.

 

Following the first meeting on 30 March, the joint trade unions received an initial offer in writing from the employers on 21 April. This offer fell well short of our joint pay claim. It involved an offer of a 2.75% sub-inflationary rise on the majority of pay points, with bottom loading on pay points 3 - 19 ranging from 6% at point 3 to 2.8% at point 19, to accommodate the legal requirement to meet the new national minimum wage. The offer included a rise in all other pay related allowance by the same percentage points, and an offer to continue talks to progress all other elements of our joint claim.

Current LJMU Pay Scales

https://www.unisonljmu.org.uk/news/salary-scales-2021

Currently as Proposed Pay Scales

https://www.unisonljmu.org.uk/news/proposed-salary-scales-2022

 

At the second meeting the joint trade union side pressed the employers hard on the current cost of living crisis and the impact of this on our members, and on the need to address and eradicate poverty pay. We stood by all elements of our claim and reiterated that we are seeking real progress on those issues in relation to the compression of the pay spine, pay inequalities, workload, stress, insecure employment, outsourcing, redundancies and Scottish JNCHES.

 

We made it clear to the employers that we are aware that low pay is making it increasingly difficult for universities to recruit to their lower paid jobs and some others, and that demoralisation amongst staff at all levels is now a massive issue, with a knock-on effect on health and wellbeing.

 

We pointed out that the adjustments being offered at the bottom of the pay spine were not generous and no more than was necessary in order to accommodate the rise in the national minimum wage, and that this offer was a pay cut, in real terms, not a pay rise. We pushed the employers to make a more substantial offer, and they came back to say that they could offer another 0.15% on the pay bill overall. This means the majority of staff are being offered 2.9%.

In the context of the real suffering we know our members are currently experiencing, we found this to be a woefully inadequate response.

 

We are expecting a revised offer from the employers in writing within the next few days and the third pay negotiating meeting of the new Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (new JNCHES) will take place on 5 May 2022.

We Demand Better

https://tuc.org.uk/demandbetter

Out in UNISON

https://www.unison.org.uk/about/what-we-do/fairness-equality/lgbt/

Cost of Living Crisis

Join UNISON to take action!

The country is in the middle of a massive cost of living crisis and the government is failing to act – so join us in June to get the message across

Last week, inflation hit a 30-year high. It’s no longer just gas prices or petrol prices that struggling families are having to worry about. The cost of living crisis is affecting every part of our lives and pushing more and more people into extreme poverty and hardship.

UNISON is calling on members to join the union and the rest of the union movement on a national day of action at events across the UK on Saturday 18 June.

Organised by the TUC, the national demonstration will culminate with a rally in Parliament Square and is an opportunity to tell the Westminster government that it needs to do more to support people through this financial maelstrom. But there are events happening across the UK.

As UNISON’s assistant general secretary Jon Richards said just last week: “Prices are racing ahead, leaving wages far behind. Struggling households can no longer make their money stretch to cover the basics. Wrong-headed tax increases this month have added to the misery.

“Ministers with little idea of living on a tight budget must do more to support hard-up families. That means boosting benefits and public sector wages to levels that will help families keep the wolf from the door.

“Above-inflation pay rises won’t just ease financial hardship for employees in the NHS, schools, care, councils and police. Decent wage increases will protect essential services too, by ensuring experienced staff stay and new recruits keep joining.”

So join UNISON on Saturday 18 June, as the whole of the trade union movement takes to the streets to demand action on the cost of living, a new deal for working people and a pay rise for all workers.

The government needs to act now. Let’s come together on 18 June and make them listen.

UNISON@LJMU - JOIN TODAY!

Become a member of UNISON@LJMU and join today.

Check out our branch website for more information and benefits available to members. 

https://www.unisonljmu.org.uk/become-a-member

UNISON Service Group Elections 2022

 

The Return of the Wirral Viking’s

Come and meet the Wirral Viking’s.

Bank Holiday Monday May 2nd at Ashton Park.

http://wirralvikings.org.uk

There For You

 

Getting more involved in your Branch

UNISON@LJMU Branch needs more members of the branch to get involved in being part of the committee.  This is so much more important during these new ways of working and being so distant from each other. It’s harder for the branch to find out what is happening in each department unless you tell us.

There are many roles within the branch that is available for members to participate in. All the roles can be shared so that you are not doing them on your own. Full training will be given by the UNISON North West Regional Education Team.

You read much more information on each of the roles in an E-News Branch Special - Issue 35. You can view or download it from the Branch E-News Archive HERE.

UIA Home Insurance

NEW Deals for you, to help protect your home and valuables. Check out the deals for your Home Insurance from UNISON partner UIA Insurance.

Domestic Abuse

You can also check out the local resources available to your postcode via Hub of Hope.co.uk

100% Free Advertising

City of Liverpool the Way Forward

We want everyone who lives in Liverpool to have their say on how the city is governed in the future.

Why now?

The current term of office for Liverpool’s directly elected Mayor ends in May 2023. This means that it’s a good time to consider whether to continue with having an elected Mayor or change to one of two alternative ways to run the council. If the Council does not make the change before May 2023, any change can’t take place until 2027.

We are therefore consulting Liverpool residents on ‘How would you like the council to be run?’

What are the options?

There are three possible ways to run the Council:

• An elected Mayor is directly elected by voters. This is how the council is run now.
• A leader is an elected councillor chosen by the other elected councillors.
• By one or more council committees made up of elected councillors.

Detailed information on how each model of governance works and the consultation process can be found at liverpoolourwayforward.com If you do not have access to a computer or tablet, you can use the IT equipment in local libraries.

How do I have my say?

We want to hear what you think about a change and your preferred model, if you have one.

You can either:

• Complete the online ‘our way forward’ survey - liverpoolourwayforward.com It only takes two minutes to complete. All survey responses must be submitted by 5pm on 20th June 2022.

• Alternatively, you can email your response to us at governanceconsultation@liverpool.gov.uk

You can also write to us at:

Electoral Services, Liverpool City Council, Cunard Building, Water Street, Liverpool, L3 1AH.

Your Privacy

The survey asks for your full name, address and postcode so your choice is only counted once.

You can also give us your views to support the option you choose. Please see our full privacy notice for further details liverpoolourwayforward.com

UIA Travel Insurance

NEW Deals for you, just in time for your Easter and Summer get aways abroad. Check out the deals for your Travel Insurance from UNISON partner UIA Insurance.

Time to Send a Message

In early May, voters across the UK will get the chance to vote in local elections. It's the first chance since 2019 to show the government how strongly people feel about the state of the country, says, UNISON acting head of policy David Arnold, so let's send a strong message.

In just a few weeks, on Thursday 5 May, UNISON members across the UK will get a chance to cast their votes in elections. All in all, local elections will take place in the following:

• 21 unitary authorities in England
  
• 33 metropolitan boroughs in England
• 60 non-metropolitan districts in England
• 33 London councils
• all 32 councils in Scotland
• all 22 councils in Wales

On the same day, Northern Ireland will be holding elections for the legislative assembly. Although not everyone gets a vote in England, a significant number will - particularly those living in cities and towns.

You can find out whether you get a vote in England from the electoral commission website at bit.ly/3Dcr7A5.

Most of the council seats up for election were last contested in 2018. The political landscape of the UK has undergone huge changes in the past four years. From parliamentary gridlock around Brexit to the 2019 general election Tory landslide; from the pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis, this is now a different and, in many respects, more challenging world.

Send a Message

Many of the issues that can decide local elections remain the same, such as bin collections, the state of neighbourhood parks and pavements, and access to libraries and other local public services. These issues are important for UNISON because it's our members who deliver such services and who've seen up close how over a decade of Tory cuts have taken their toll on the ability of councils to deliver.

However, such elections are also a really important opportunity for voters to send a message to the prime minister and the government about how effectively they are handling the issues of the day, and how they are conducting themselves in office.

This will be the first big electoral test for Prime Minister Boris Johnson since the revelations about parties held at 10 Downing Street during the pandemic.

These gatherings took place at a time when many of our members were on the COVID frontline, and when the vast majority were faithfully following the rules that Mr Johnson himself had explained at government press conferences.

It will also be the first opportunity many will have had to respond to the government's priorities in the face of the cost-of-living crisis.

As we've learned over recent days, people in the UK now face the biggest decline in their living standards since records began in the 1950s.

Who the government shields and protects in the face of this tells us much. And as we've also seen, the policy choices that the government is making are, as is always the case under the Tories, hitting the worst off the hardest.

Many charities have been quick to point out that below-inflation increases in universal credit are going to push many more families into poverty.

Furthermore, as was revealed in post-spring statement comments from the chancellor, the government's proposed pre-election 2024 cut to income tax is premised on two years of public sector discipline:

Getting Involved

There are three activities described here. Hopefully, we will all be able to do at least one thing.

First, foremost and easiest - make sure you vote and encourage friends and family to do so too. Even give people a lift to and from the polling station. Local elections are notorious for low turnout. Low participation is a bad enough thing in itself, but it also helps the Tories.

If you're going to be working a long shift or be on holiday, make sure that you have a postal vote. Your local council will have details on its website about how you can do this.

Second, talk to your friends and local community about the issues at stake. Word of mouth, or even social media posts, can be powerful.

Many are more likely to listen to and trust people they know than l official voices on political issues.

Finally, you can help out with local Labour Party campaigns. If you've not done this before, don't worry. There will always be a welcome for newcomers and a range of tasks so that everyone can help in a way that best suits them.

Your local UNISON Labour Link officer will be able to help put you in touch - and signpost the priority seats that the union is concentrating on.

NB: Members who live within the Liverpool City Council boundaries will have local elections in May 2023

Original Article from March/April 2022 UNISON Activist Magazine

Cost of Living Crisis

 

UNISON Service Group Elections 2022

The Election for the SGE’s of our union is underway.

What is happening, and when, and why is voter turnout important?

 

Why is this happening?

The Service Group Executive (SGE) is elected by our members every two years.

The election timetable and procedures were agreed by the union’s National Executive Committee (NEC) at a meeting on 1st December 2021.

Who is eligible to vote?

All full members who were on the union’s membership register as of 28th January 2022, will be entitled to vote in this election.

Ballot paper(s) will be sent to members’ home addresses and the online ballot will be emailed to members’ email addresses as shown on our membership system.

Members have the option to vote online or by post. Members will be provided with a pre-paid envelope for the return of the ballot paper to the independent scrutineer, and unique security identifiers for voting online.

When is it happening?

The candidate application period runs from 10th January 2022 to 5pm on 11th February 2022.

The nominating period for branches and other nominating bodies runs from 10th January 2022 to 5pm on 11th February 2022.

The member ballot will open on 28 April 2022 and closes on 25th May 2022. The results will be announced on 10th June 2022.

If you don't receive your ballot papers in the post by the 5th May 2022. You will need to contact the UNISON Voting Helpline on 0800 0857 857 

Who is running the election?

The Member Liaison Unit runs the election. Civica Election Services (CES) is the returning officer and the independent scrutineer.

Why is this election important?

UNISON is run for and by its members through its democratic and lay structures.

All of our elections are important, as they allow the union to function in the best interests of our members.

The SGEs you elect will make important decisions about the future of our union, so it’s important that as many members as possible have their say.

 

Nominations for Service Group Elections 2022

At a recent quorate branch meeting in the attendance of UNISON North West Regional Officer Andy Rutherford. The UNISON@LJMU Branch Committee voted to endorse the following candidates for the following seats, in the up and coming service group elections. If successful they will hold the post for a term of two years (2024).

Higher Education Service Group

North West - Female Seat

Linda Holden

Manchester Metropolitan University Branch

 

Higher Education Service Group

North West - General Seat

Andy Beech

Liverpool John Moores University Branch

Register to Vote for May 2022

 

Deadline for Registering to Vote 2022 Elections

Register by 11:59pm on 14th April to vote in the following elections on 5th May:

England Elections:

• local government
• combined authority mayoral
• mayoral
• parish council

Wales Elections:

• local government
• community council

Update your registration

You can also use the ‘Register to vote’ service to:

• change your name, address or nationality
• get on or off the open register

To do this, you need to register again with your new details (even if you’re already registered to vote).

Become a Safety Rep

 

We know that being safe while you are at work matters to you. That’s why UNISON has thousands of health and safety reps across the UK working hard to keep you safe and healthy at work.

We know that while you are focused on dealing with the current crisis caused by coronavirus – health and safety have never been more important.

We can never have too many safety reps at work. So if you already doing the additional role of Safety Officer, Fire Evacuation Coordinator or Fire Warden, why don't you join the team at UNISON@LJMU and become a Safety Rep. You are already doing the work.

Click on the image of the document for more information or ask one of the Branch Safety Reps or the Health and Safety Officer for more information.

Year of Disabled Workers

UNISON has made 2022 the Year of Disabled Workers.

UNISON want to use these 12 months to highlight the experience of our disabled members, the value they bring to our union and to the workplace, and to call for better enforcement of legal rights including the right to reasonable adjustments at work.

UNISON has around 200,000 disabled members and is the union for disabled workers. Over the 12 months, we aim to:

• Raise awareness of the social model of disability and the importance of changes to the workplace and working practices
• Explain what the disability pay gap and disability employment gap mean and how they can be addressed
• Increase our members’ confidence to self-define as disabled
• Increase the number of disabled activists in our union

Find out more

Sick Pay Survey

Complete the survey and enter our £100 prize draw

UNISON is campaigning hard to make sure our members get proper sick pay. The pandemic has shown how important it is that all employers have a sick pay scheme that doesn’t place workers under pressure to attend work when they should be recovering from illness. We need to know what the situation is in your employer, in your sector and in your region. With this information, we can show the government, employers and key decision-makers what the situation is really like for the workforce. Complete this survey by Friday 15th April and be entered into the prize draw.

Complete the survey

LGBT+ Members Networks

 

The National UNISON Bi+ Network Meeting and the National Trans Network Meeting will be taking place in person again this year at UNISON HQ London.

Both Meetings will take place on Friday the 15th of July 2022.

The Bi+ Network Meeting will start at 10:30am until 1pm.

The Tans Network Meeting will start at 2pm until 4:30pm.

If you identify as a Bi+, Trans, Black LGBT+ or Disabled LGBT+ member, you are invited to our upcoming network days. They are a great opportunity to find out how to be more involved in UNISON LGBT+ campaigning and events. For more information about the network meetings and a registration form please send us an email. out@unison.co.uk 

If you would like any further information you can also contact the Branch LGBT+ Officer who will happily provide you with more details of what happens and also assist with the booking of train tickets. UNISON HQ pays for the train tickets. 

UNISON Members get the paid time from work to attend these meetings and therefore you don't have to use your Annual Leave or Flexi Leave to attend. If you have any issues with your line manager/team leaders with regard to attending these meetings the Branch LGBT + Officer can also advise or contact them on your behalf, especially if you are not out at work.

H.E. Pay 2022 Update

Delays to university pay talks are ‘unacceptable’ say unions

The UCEA’s decision not to present a pay offer ‘sends a message that employers don’t understand the urgency of the issue’

Joint education unions, including UNISON, have voiced their ‘outrage’ at the university employers’ decision not to present a pay offer for members in the first meeting of the 2022/23 pay round, last week.

The five unions, who are part of the Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (JNCHES), released a statement yesterday, condemning the decision by the Universities and Colleges Employer’s Association (UCEA) that they were “not yet in a position” to present a pay offer.

The UCEA was presented with the unions’ fully evidenced pay claim at the end of February and had over a month to consider it and prepare an offer.

Without one, higher education members are being left in limbo at a critical moment for the sector, with workers facing a massive cost-of-living crisis after years of below-inflation pay increases.

Furthermore, the decision to delay the pay process comes in the middle of an ongoing dispute about the 2021/22 pay round which has resulted in industrial action mandates for nine UNISON branches, seven of whom have taken strike action in the last fortnight alone.

In the statement, the unions said: “These are unprecedented times, and we can’t underestimate the impact on our members. We would expect UCEA representatives to act with urgency in putting an offer on the table.”

The employers have now committed to providing an offer in writing before the next meeting of the JNHCES on 25 April.

***** JOINT STATEMENT

On 30 March, representatives of the five trade unions of the New Joint Negotiating Committee for the Higher Education Sector (JNCHES) met with representatives of the Universities and Colleges Employers’ Association (UCEA) in the first meeting of the 2022-23 bargaining round. This occurs in the middle of an ongoing dispute and industrial action over the 2021-22 round, and a live ballot from three of the five trade unions.

These negotiations take place at a critical moment for our sector, in which our members face spiraling inflation and unhealthy working conditions. 

Our claim https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/12528/HE-unions-claim-2022-23/pdf/TUJNCHESclaim202223FINAL.pdf was prepared over three months, and the headline demands were given to UCEA on 28 February.

Having had these headline demands for over one month, and having consulted their member institutions, UCEA representatives were well placed to table an opening offer to address both the serious cost of living crisis facing our members and the deep-seated discontent in the higher education sector. These are unprecedented times and we can’t underestimate the impact on our members we would expect UCEA representatives to act with urgency in putting an offer on the table.

Instead, early in the negotiations, UCEA informed us that they were ‘not yet in a position to present their offer to our members. Delaying serious negotiations is unacceptable given UCEA’s responsibility to staff, students, and to the employers who are their members. The joint trade unions are committed to the process of collective bargaining, and the clear benefits that sector-wide standards for pay and working conditions offer higher education in the United Kingdom.

Following just under five hours of discussions, ending with a powerful presentation on the insulting and derisory nature of a decision to frustrate negotiations, the trade unions were forced to conclude that UCEA had no intention of negotiating seriously.

Given the immense pressure that is facing HE institutions and staff from continued industrial action, and the prospect of more joint action in the near future, we must question UCEA’s judgment in delaying meaningful negotiations, and whether they did in fact have a mandate to delay from their constituent member institutions.

Our members have stood by universities over the last 2 years when they were told there was financial uncertainty due to Brexit and COVID which did not materialize. They have been on and off furlough, changed roles, adapted to working on and off-campus, and taken on additional responsibilities.  Our members will rightly feel that the last 2 years have disproportionately impacted some of the lowest-paid workers and equality groups in our sector.

We are aware that members will share our outrage at the behavior of our employers’ negotiators, and call on employers who share this displeasure and who wish for an end to the unhealthy industrial relations in this sector, to ask whether their representative’s acting in this way is in the best interests of employers, staff, and students. Trade union representatives view the conditions facing our members and the sector with the utmost seriousness and will continue to seek a resolution that will lead to a healthy and flourishing sector focusing on a shared commitment to education and discovery of knowledge.

A joint statement agreed by all five HE trade unions, March 2022.*****

Ruth Smith, UNISON senior national officer for education, said: “It’s a great disappointment that the UCEA negotiators have decided not to present an offer, especially at a time like this, and it sends a message that the employers do not understand the urgency of the issue.

“Last year, most members only received a 1.5% increase, and the year before there was a pay freeze. Now, with spiraling inflation and members facing massive increases to their gas, energy, and food bills, the last thing they need is more uncertainty.

“The employers must understand the genuine hardship that many of our members working in higher education are currently suffering.

“Members were hoping for some good news from this new round of talks, but they will be bitterly disappointed that the employers had nothing to say on pay, at this critical time.”

Mythbusting the Spending Review 2022

Mythbuster:

the spending review

Branch E-News - Issue 43

 

Dear Members,

You can find the - E-News - Issue 43 HERE

Many Thanks,

UNISON @ LJMU

You can access our E-News Archive HERE