Dear BUCU members,

This is to update you of the latest developments in our industrial dispute over pay and working conditions (equalities, casualisation, workload), and how we will proceed here in our University of Birmingham branch of UCU (BUCU).

In yesterday’s Extraordinary General Members’ Meeting, we heard a report from branch president. This detailed the advances that had been made in our local negotiations with the University management during the short space of time since the option of calling off the strikes was announced last week.

This includes the following commitments:

1. No pay deductions for those who participated in the MAB in July, August or September. 

2. to remove the additional nursery fees that are currently applied to staff members as a result of the salary sacrifice scheme.

3. to discuss ‘bridge funding’ for research staff, which would help avoid redundancies for research staff funded by external grants.

4. to discuss a review of the University’s support for employees with disabilities.

5. to discuss union facility time arrangements for those on small fractional contracts.

6. to prioritise an increase in the representation of minority groups, including black employees, at senior levels of the University.

The view of the BUCU committee was presented to the meeting. These advances were welcomed, but more was needed to be done by the University management to provide more concrete improvements. Concerns were also raised about the treatment of support staff at the University of Birmingham, and their union, UNISON, who are taking strike action today, tomorrow, and Wednesday to Friday next week.

Discussion then turned to the national strike strategy and several members raised concern about the effectiveness of the national strike strategy.

The result of the subsequent vote was a decision to call off next week’s strike.

The UCU strikes planned for next week will not therefore proceed at the University of Birmingham.

Unfortunately, we also received several reports of bullying behaviour in the members’ meeting. BUCU committee are absolutely resolute that we will not tolerate bullying, aggressive or hectoring behaviour in our branch meetings.

We are committed to recognising the power relations that arise from the racialised, gendered and class-based divisions that afflict our union, as part of this university and wider society. Please contact us if you wish to discuss this issue in a safe environment. In line with UCU guidance, we are currently investigating and collating witness statements so that all the evidence is contemporaneous.

20 September 2023