The membership of UCU at City College has trebled in the last three years, and we now have an active membership network throughout the College. Our work is varied, we:
- advise individual members about their employment rights
- represent members in meetings with management, eg: grievance & disciplinary procedures; redundancy; phased returns from periods of sickness; retirement; capability procedures
- negotiate and consult with management on a variety of issues eg. pay; conditions; gender & disability equality duties; health, safety & welfare; sessional issues
- have two representatives on the College's Health, Safety & Welfare Committee
- join and support national UCU campaigns eg: de-casualisation; anti-bullying
- maintain contact and mutual support with other FE colleges in the South East
- liaise with and support Unison members at City College on issues of collective concern eg redundancy
The above list is not exhaustive. Much of our work is invisible to management and the membership at large because we can usually resolve many of the cases that come to us without the need for any formal procedures. For example, people often just need a sounding board while thinking through choices about working patterns, retirement etc. Sometimes office politics and the daily grind put pressure on working relationships - staff get worried about line managers' demands and opinions, feel insecure about their roles and overwhelmed by workloads. Many of the issues and concerns that people bring to us go no further than a confidential chat over a coffee, and advice regarding how they can put their worries to their line manager.
In matters of College policy, too, much of our work is collaborative and 'behind the scenes'. This has included a variety of issues requiring clarification - from pay for sessional staff to attend INSET days, for example, to queries about toilet breaks for staff during lessons (yes, really!). Many of these points are handled with a quick call, email or impromptu meeting with Stephanie Shepherd or Phil Frier, who are extremely accessible and open to communication.
That doesn't mean we always agree! What is in the best interests of the College management and what is in the best interests of the teaching staff are not always the same thing, and we cannot pretend that they are. These differences tend to manifest themselves over issues such as pay, teaching hours, redundancies, equality for hourly paid / fixed term staff. Although these are usually tackled on a case-by-case basis, and therefore possibly not very noticeable, there are times when we as a branch act collectively for change. These are the high profile situations such as strikes, large meetings and mass leafleting that you are most likely to notice in terms of UCU activity at City College.
Our approach to the role of UCU here is not a conflictual one. Our union activities are generally low-key, constructive and measured responses to the issues of the day and the needs of the individual. When we are told about matters that may affect all of the staff here, we have a responsibility to pass that on to our branch members. The trade union movement has a long history in education and in particular, lifelong learning. We are often the last line of defence for these learners - if we can't fight cuts in education, who will? Our aims, therefore, are transparency, communication and where necessary, action.
Alison Kelly ak@ccb.ac.uk
UCU Branch Secretary
City College Brighton & Hove
