Stand by working

Are you ever working on "stand by"? In various departments "stand by" working is the norm (evenings/weekends). Admin and academic staff may be on stand by during exam or registration periods. We need to hear from you as AU are working on a new policy and payment structure. Please email us if you have any views.

Update From ABER UCU

Update from UCU Aberystwyth: July 2012

Local membership subs will be reduced by £2.00 as agreed at the AGM.

•       The reduction of subs is as a result of the Executive's decision not to replace the administrative officer and to ensure that the work of the local association is undertaken by volunteers (academic, administrative and retired members).

•       We have built up enough reserves over the last 18 months to reduce membership rates.

•       In the near future we may have to reconsider the subscription rate again. We may even need to contemplate employing another member of staff in the office if we don’t have more volunteers to assist with the running of the local association.

•       Many of the current executive members have served over two years and it is only fair for them to be replaced by ‘new blood’ at the next AGM in 2013.

At this critical time, we need more help from the wider membership.

•       Following on from the AGM there are still a number of vacant posts on Exec. At the moment the work is being done by a small dedicated team. However, the team are over-worked and under supported by the membership.  We need help in several areas and members can assist in many ways (either behind the scenes or at meetings with Management).

How YOU could help:

•       Our treasurer is due to retire next year..... It would be a great if someone could 'shadow' him for the year and take over at the next AGM. This involves a monthly visit to the office to update the accounts and preparation of the annual accounts

•       Our Hon Sec needs assistance. This could involve taking minutes at the monthly exec meetings, attending negotiations or helping with policy research; updating members

•       We need a Vice President:  this is someone to deputise for the President at meetings with members or at meetings with management.

•       We also need ‘ordinary’ members on the executive. These members help with personal cases, policy discussions or membership/recruitment.

•       Assistant to our Health and Safety Rep…someone to help with the health and safety concerns of our members.

•       Become a departmental rep – help to distribute leaflets in your department and put up posters

The effort can be as much or as little as you wish to put into it.  At the moment we are dealing with a lot of issues for our members:  (SDPR, Departmental Re-alignments, Redundancies, Policy Negotiations, Health and Safety Assessments).  Any help you can give to the executive would we welcome. Please contact us on ucu-aber@hotmail.co.uk if you can help.

Situation at Salford

@HEontap: UCU members at Salford University held lunchtime protests against the university's plans to cut jobs http://ow.ly/cpFR6 | UCU

Subs reduction

Local subs reduced by £2.00 but we need more aber Ucu members to help out the local committee. Check your emails for more info.

Academics have sleepless nights

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=420621#.UAgIB1chvGc.twitter

A Model Employer??? Try the ACAS test

Free and easy to use, the Acas Model Workplace helps you to check how good your organisation is at people management - from recruitment to performance management.

Presented in short modules, you can complete as few or as many sections as you want to. And after completing a module, you'll be a given a rating for how effective your current practices are, along with useful advice and links to resources.  http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2806

USS members – What you should and should not be doing!

You can click here to find a reminder list of what you should and should not be doing as part of UCU’s work-to-contract in the USS dispute and to get all your questions answered:
http://defenduss.web.ucu.org.uk/2012/a-reminder-on-working-to-contract/

Warm tributes paid to 82 year old graduate who passed away shortly after graduating

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-18835254

68 is too late to work: sign the petition

http://68istoolate.org.uk/

Your chance to shape Estates Strategy

UCU will be representing the three recognised campus trades unions on the Estates Strategy Development Steering Group. There is a meeting of this group on the 30th July. In order that members concerns and priorities are recognised and addressed, we need to know what members want from Estates – what they value about our current campuses and buildings, what needs attention and what are the strengths and weaknesses of the existing Estates strategy. We have been asked to tell the meeting what are the aspirations for Estates and what are the key high level projects that we would like Estates to be working on.

With this in mind I have drafted my own list of priorities and I would welcome comments on these and suggestions for other priorities:

1.       The Estates Department needs to be more customer focussed. It needs to be responsive to issues that staff raise and it needs to keep staff updated on progress with those issues. It needs Service Level Agreements in its dealings with individuals and other departments.

2.       There needs to be a clear and transparent policy to achieve a significant drop in the carbon footprint of the university. This involves benchmarking and publishing current figures, and setting out the steps to (ideally) a carbon neutral establishment. Progress towards this aim needs to be monitored and published.

3.       As part of this there needs to be a green transport policy which achieves its ends more by carrots (incentivising positive steps) than sticks.

4.       A building by building / team by team approach to energy and other waste needs to be taken, with clear path for staff to be able to feed suggestions upwards – and then action to be taken to eliminate waste.

5.       Biodiversity should be nurtured and encouraged on our campuses. As part of this there should be no more sacrificing of woods, gardens or open spaces for new build. Consideration should be given to appointing a biodiversity officer or making this part of the duties of a suitable staff member.

6.       Allotments or communal gardens should be piloted for staff and students to work together on.

7.       More benches and picnic tables should be provided on all campuses, to allow staff, students and visitors places to rest, relax, enjoy and appreciate the university’s environment.

8.      Steps towards a pedestrianised campus should continue (as long as disabled access is not compromised).

9.      In light of the rejuvenation of the Llanbadarn campus, what is the long term plan for transporting staff and students across both sites?

That’s a start. I wonder what other members think of these ideas. Have I missed something glaringly obvious? Are there issues that are far more important to you? What about the physical state of the buildings? Is there a need to re-furbish and improve? Is this more important than the issues outlined above?

Please respond to this blog / email by leaving a comment or emailing/phoning the UCU Health Safety and Environment Representative to help us formulate policy in this area. If you don’t express an opinion you can’t really complain if your opinion is ignored. Now we have a chance to influence things. It’s easy to be cynical and say that nothing will change; it won’t if we don’t make our voice heard.

Geoff Constable – ccc@aber.ac.uk<mailto:ccc@aber.ac.uk> - 2475

Goggerddan Nursery

From Joe Ironside, UCU Aber President: 

Would you please let me know if you are a user of Gogerddan Nursery? I hope that the situation regarding the Nursery will be resolved sensibly but if there is a need for action then it would be useful to know how many UCU members will be affected. If you have any specific concerns regarding nursery provision (or childcare in general) that you would like to make us aware of or any actions that you would like us to take on your behalf, please let me know.  Jei@aber.ac.uk 

Face Book

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