To be discussed at GUCU Branch meeting, 18.12.2019, 12.30-2pm, RHB Cinema
Since January 2019 UCU has been involved in reviewing the Assimilation of hourly paid Teaching and Scholarship role profile holders to the Framework Agreement across the college with HR. The report should be completed in the coming weeks and includes a series of recommendations on future conditions and practices relating to hourly paid staff and will be submitted to Goldsmiths Council for approval. Based on evidence gathered from questionnaires and focus groups involving hourly paid staff and Departmental Business Managers, the Report shows that most departments are not adhering to the AA. UCU’s position is that the Review has revealed that there are clearly practices in Departments which do not align with the Agreement. In view of these findings, UCU recommends that further resources are not allocated for an external audit and that HR engage with DBMs where the findings reflect non-compliance with the Agreement, establish the basis for these divergences and advise accordingly.
Beyond what the AA already sets out, our additional recommendations include:
– paid training for all hourly-paid staff on pastoral support including supporting students with mental health issues, also sexual harassment and anti-racist training.
– paid attendance at lectures
– hours of all permanent hourly paid lecturers and fractional staff who were previously assimilated are reviewed as soon as possible and outstanding back pay cases reviewed.
– HR to develop portfolio of documents that is sent to all HPLs each year. This will include an up-to-date Agreement, FAQs on what to expect, explanation of the CHC, contract template, details of how to access Agresso and payslips, pay and progression etc.
On top of these recommendations, which basically fall within the purview of the AA, UCU anti-casualisation reps recommend that the branch raise the following issue in the next JNCC.
According to paragraph 12 of the Assimilation Agreement, “hourly teaching multiplier, administration and marking calculations will be monitored to ensure equivalence with full-time salaried academic staff” and “this review will take place no later than two years after assimilation in the first instance.” Since 2013, when the CHC was brought into use, the hourly teaching multiplier for seminar preparation, administration and marking calculations for assessments have not been monitored. Evidence from both the questionnaire and focus group from the AA Review suggest that the majority of hourly paid lecturers think that the time allocated for administration, marking and seminar preparation is completely inadequate. During the strike period 70 associate lecturers signed a letter sent to students demanding that these hourly calculation criteria be renegotiated. There is clearly a strong feeling among hourly paid lecturers that GUCU bring this issue to JNCC and push for re-negotiation of these hourly calculation criteria. UCU anti-casualisation reps recommend that this be raised in the next JNCC with the full support of the branch.
GUCU anti-casualisation posters and leaflets – contact gucu-admin@gold.ac.uk if you want some for your department!
