Dear Professor Van de Noort, Thank you for your e-mail dated 23rd September 2020, in response to my letter dated 11th September 2020. It is very disappointing that you “neither recognise nor accept your (ie my) interpretation of the University’s position or its conduct, and see no reason to ‘withdraw the S188 notice’.” Indeed, itContinue reading “Second letter to the VC”
Author Archives: readingbetweentl
Where did the £5 million go?
Executive summary The required savings stated in the “Final Proposal” – to be paid for by wage cuts and changes in terms and conditions – are £5 million more than the figure the RUCU President’s blog suggests was agreed upon by the consultation group. Why are RUCU members being asked to vote on a dealContinue reading “Where did the £5 million go?”
Save the University. We’ll sack you later
We have been threatened with redundancy at the same time as being expected to return to work under dangerous and stressful conditions. Save the University! Across the summer, we worked beyond our contracted hours to get students through remote exams and re-sits; we also responded to the chaotic admissions situation to ensure successful recruitment forContinue reading “Save the University. We’ll sack you later”
Learning Capture: on Recordings and Redundancies
The University of Reading recently released its Policy for the Recording and Digital Delivery of Teaching in 2020/21. The Policy requires staff to participate in learning capture – departing from Reading’s prior ‘opt-in’ approach – and makes failure to follow the Policy a disciplinary offence. All academic staff at the University of Reading should beContinue reading “Learning Capture: on Recordings and Redundancies”
Majority of RUCU Committee rejects proposal
Between 18th September and 9th October Reading UCU members will be balloted on whether they accept the Consultation Group’s Final Proposal. If accepted, the university will implement a three-year pay freeze and pay cuts for all employees earning over c.£18,000 per year, including part-time workers earning that on a pro rata rate. As the majorityContinue reading “Majority of RUCU Committee rejects proposal”
An open letter to the VC
Dear Professor Van de Noort, I write this open letter, as a concerned member of staff at the University of Reading (UoR) and as a trade unionist (member of the Reading UCU branch). Many of my colleagues across the University, and I, are deeply concerned about the process of consultation (under s188 of TULRCA) inContinue reading “An open letter to the VC”
Reasons to vote NO to the University Proposal
The figures are flawed Our modelling suggests that the VC’s figures are out by up to £50 million. Quite a lot for a man who prides himself on ‘transparency’, eh? Especially when the savings senior management said they aimed to make through salary cuts were just £60 million. Even the university admitted its own modellingContinue reading “Reasons to vote NO to the University Proposal”
The University Proposal: Reading Between the Lines
In June 2020, the University of Reading commenced consultation via a section 188 notice in response to a claimed financial shortfall arising from Covid-19. In a move that was unprecedented in higher education, the University put ALL staff at risk, with the threat that it would fire and rehire employees on inferior contracts, if agreementContinue reading “The University Proposal: Reading Between the Lines”
Statement on RUCU Branch Democracy
On Monday 20th July Reading UCU held an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) where a motion entitled ‘A Jobs First approach for Reading UCU’ was debated and passed by members. Both the EGM and the motion sought to determine Reading UCU’s response to the University of Reading’s decision to issue a ‘section 188 letter’ on 16thContinue reading “Statement on RUCU Branch Democracy”
Myth Busting at the University of Reading
All staff at the University of Reading have been asked to accept cuts to their terms and conditions – through a combination of pay freezes, removal from national pay bargaining, pay cuts, and cuts to the working week – to avoid 500 FTE redundancies. Given the levels of casualisation, this could mean 800-900 staff losingContinue reading “Myth Busting at the University of Reading”
