Join Swansea UCU online today!

If you are a member of staff at Swansea University, whether permanent, fixed-term or hourly paid, you are eligible to join the University and College Union. In its General Terms of Appointment for Staff, the University states that it ‘welcomes staff membership of the UCU and their participation in that Union’s activities’. Recent times have seen a significant increase in the already strong UCU membership at Swansea. With the start of the new academic year and continuing changes and financial challenges and cuts across the university, now is the time to join.

Why join UCU?

Negotiating on your behalf, locally and nationally

UCU negotiates officially with the employer on pay and conditions at local and national level, including regular negotiation with university leadership over the financial sustainability programme. By becoming a member you voice will contribute to these negotiations and help to give us a stronger voice.

In recent years we have seen the deferral of the national pay award, repeated rounds of multi-million pound cuts to staff and spending, the loss of hundreds of staff through VES And the redesign, leading to serious concerns about workload for the staff who remain. We are now to face yet another round of VES and cuts. Strong and active unions are fundamental in resisting these challenges. Staff rightly feel concerned that the University’s financial situation may threaten their future employment and, though UCU cannot guarantee job security for its members, the more members we have, the stronger we are in our efforts to fight the staff corner and make sure our members’ interests are given the highest priority.

UCU have been representing the concerns of staff through the financial sustainability programme and other change programmes, helping the voices of staff to be heard and secure better outcomes for staff. Over recent years we have:

• Negotiated redundancy avoidance processes for the professional services redesign, including VES for those at risk of redundancy
• Sought a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies from SLT
• Supported over 30 members through individual redesign consultations
• Represented the views of all staff through collective consultation
• Created the Fixed Term Staff Charter
• Represented members in the curriculum transformation project and changes to timetabling, continuing to feedback concerns and push for improvements

Membership of UCU guarantees you access to advice, support and personal representation in this and on a wide range of other employment issues that may arise (see below). This is only available to members and we cannot take on cases that have arisen before someone becomes a member. 

Support with other employment issues

Recent issues we have successfully assisted individual members with have included:

• Defence against student complaints
• Bullying and harassment
• Extension of fixed-term contracts
• Workload and flexible working
• Probation
• Maternity and paternity leave
• Sickness absence
• Pensions and taxation problems

Some examples below (among many others) of messages by Swansea members to local UCU volunteer case workers:

‘Just a note to thank you very much for the support and representation you gave me on my workload issue that was causing me such great concern. You were a tremendous support and I am sure that, without your help, I would not have achieved the outcome we got and the whole thing would have been far more difficult (and stressful!) for me.’

‘Thank you again for your support and help it was great to know that you understood and stepped in.’

‘I am sure you are helping people like you always do. Many, like me will never be able to express what that support meant.’

‘I thought I would just extend a huge thank you to you for your support over this past period of turmoil . I EVENTUALLY had a meeting last Tuesday at which time I was told that they were going to recommend that I have passed probation. Anyway, just thought I would let you know as I would not have been able to have sanely gone through this process without your support and guidance. Many thanks!’

‘I would just like to express my sincere thanks for the support and reassurance that you have shown me. I am very grateful and appreciative of the significant role that you and your UCU colleagues play in advocating for staff’.

‘Think it is now safe to say that we won the appeal. Thank you again for your time and all the support you offered during this whole process.’

‘Just writing to say thank you so much for your support and advice. I really appreciate it.’ 

‘Anyway, I just want to thank you for all the time you are spending and have spent on this, and with me.’

‘Thank you for all your help with the grievance.’

‘I hope you have a great summer and thank you for everything.  I am so, so grateful to you!’

‘It would have been difficult to have done it without your support. Thank you again!’

‘Once I have this ordeal behind me, I’m going to look at getting involved in the UCU. It’s been very difficult and I’d like to support people in a similar position.’  

‘Many thanks again!  I owe you a huge cup of coffee’

‘I should like to thank the UCU.  On first being informed that my fixed-term, part-time contract would not be renewed, my situation seemed hopeless. I was facing unemployment within a very short time.  I felt this was wrong and I was very upset about the whole thing.  But I did not feel I could go to my own department since I might have been seeking the support of people who did not or could not oppose the decision.  I therefore went to the UCU who helped me gather together all the evidence, advised me and made a case which enabled me to be offered a new contract.  Without the UCU I am certain the outcome would have been very different.  Very many thanks to all concerned.’

‘Thanks for all the support during what has been an incredibly stressful time, but which has been made easier to deal with because of your help.’

How to join

The simplest way to join is via the online form on the UCU website (http://www.ucu.org.uk/join If you need further information or advice, you can contact our membership secretary, Teresa Phipps via info@swanseaucu.org If you join, your UCU subscription, payable monthly by direct debit, is tax-deductible (so effectively up to 40% less depending on salary).

FAQs

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Free membership for PhD students who are also engaged in paid teaching or similar work for their host university

UCU is offering free membership for up to four years in two categories of staff : Who qualifies?

• In higher education, registered PhD students who are also engaged in paid teaching or similar work for their host university. These people are sometimes called Graduate Teaching Assistants or PhD tutors but can also be described in other ways. Join online
• Postgrads in HE, and FE instructors, assessors, trainers or coaches, should choose ‘standard full membership’ to activate the free membership offer option.

Or join over the phone: 0333 207 0719*

*Lines open 9.15am-4.45pm Mon-Fri. Calls are charged at standard rates; if you have inclusive call minutes or an allowance calls to this number are usually included (please check with your provider).

Leaving Swansea : Precarious members

Over 30% of our members are not on permanent contracts and may move on at some stage. If your employment at Swansea comes to an end you will need to act to transfer or end your membership centrally. You will need to log into myUCU with your membership number and password to do this, or you can email membership@ucu.org.uk or telephone 0333 207 0719

Yorkshire and Humberside branch have created a useful video for updating your details on myUCU

If you are looking for another post within the sector, you can keep your membership open at no charge by transferring to attached unemployed membership, and keep your benefits for up to a year. Other options to change your subscription including retirement and parental leave are detailed on the main site.

Please keep your membership details up to date : it’s a great help to us.