Caseworker

BUCU provides one-to-one support for our members when they face issues at the University of Birmingham. This can include a range of issues including concerns around discrimination, bullying, members facing disciplinary action, or supporting staff who raise a grievance with the University. We have a small team of caseworkers who provide this vital support for our members. These are ordinary UCU members employed at the University of Birmingham and they volunteer to provide this support.

Please contact the casework coordinator if you are able to volunteer to become a UCU caseworker. Full training and ongoing support with cases is provided, and the University will provide you with half a day per week in your workload as it is required by law to provide paid time off work for trade union duties.

Departmental rep

For members, the departmental rep is the public face of the union within your department, and the first person that they see or turn to when there is a problem: problem-solving is a lot of what reps do. In practice, this can mean mediating in a dispute between two members, talking informally to a line manager, helping a member to submit a written grievance, accompanying a member to a formal meeting with management or referring a problem to the branch committee. It’s important to have a good understanding of the issues members are facing in your direct workplace, so it’s also important to meet as a group regularly. This helps bring to light collective issues that might present themselves in an individual form.

Please contact the branch administrator if you would like to volunteer to become a departmental rep. Full training is provided, and the University will provide with half a day per week in your workload as it is required by law to provide paid time off work for trade union duties.

Health & safety rep

Health and safety representatives help to improve the quality of our members working
lives. They do this by ensuring that the workplace is as safe and as risk free as possible,
and adequate in terms of facilities for the welfare of members of staff. Their appointment is
underpinned by a set of legal regulations that give trade union appointed safety
representatives a number of statutory functions, and enable the union to build a more
effective workplace organisation.

Please contact the branch administrator if you would like to volunteer to become a departmental rep. Full training is provided, and the University will provide with one day per week in your workload as it is required by law to provide paid time off work for trade union duties.

Working groups

We have the following working groups currently running. Please contact the group lead if you would like to contribute to a group:

• Workload (Shirley Ye)