UCU – an introduction Your rights Getting improvements Hourly-Paid Workshop

UCU – an introduction Almost 120,000 members including academics, lecturers, trainers, researchers, computer staff, administrators and postgraduates in colleges, universities, prisons and adult education The largest post-school education union in the world

UCU – an introduction Negotiate pay and conditions locally and nationally Provide individual advice and support (backed up by our legal scheme) Campaign, negotiate and lobby for improvements for our members Anti-casualisation issues (including hourly- paid and fixed-term contract issues) are a priority

Greater job security Equal pay (including being paid for all hours worked) Permanent pro-rata contracts Eliminate zero hour contracts Fair treatment UCU Aims

The right to be treated no less favourably than comparable full-time workers / permanent employees (unless such treatment is objectively justified). Part-Time Workers’ (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002

Employer cannot treat a fixed-term employee any less favourably than a comparable permanent employee unless such treatment can be objectively justified. The use of successive fixed-term contracts will be limited to four years, unless the continued use of a fixed-term contract is justified on objective grounds. Fixed Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002

Same legal rights (part-time or open-ended):  Dismissals must be for a ‘fair’ reason  No unfair selection for redundancy  There must be consultation about dismissals (collective and / or individual) (Lancaster case)  The employer is under a duty to seek ways of avoiding redundancies  After 2 years’ service there is the right to redundancy pay Redundancy Avoidance

A written statement of terms and conditions Equal pay - any term that affects pay (overtime, holiday entitlement, travel allowance) Legal responsibility for your health and safety. Includes mental well-being eg stress Positive duty on employer to promote equality Employment Rights

Zero Hours Contracts Allow variations in hours – down to zero May not guarantee work (or income) Can lead to exploitation When there is no work the legal position in relation to the right to redundancy pay etc is unclear Even if redundancy pay is agreed, reduced hours mean reduced redundancy pay

Employment Status Employee – most rights Worker Self-employed?

Legal Successes UCU member Sue Birch challenged her hourly rate of pay ( £10,000 less than a comparable full-time colleague) and won – receiving compensation and a permanent full-time contract Lancaster Univ v UCU – won fixed term contract redundancy consultation rights

UCU Successes Northumbria Univ – more than 80 hours teaching a year, or work more than 1 year, offered a fractional lecturing contract Coventry Adult Education branch - no variable hours contracts. All tutors offered fractional contracts with guaranteed hours CONEL – campaign/collective grievances Aberdeen - Postgrad TAs campaign Sheffield – contacting hourly-paid staff

What Can You Do? Join UCU ( ) Encourage colleagues to join / set up a network Contact your branch: get involved Hourly-Paid Survival Guide UCU Hourly-Paid Network