Friday 18-02-2022 - 14:32

Durham SU joint Officer update:

Today we wrote to the Vice Chancellor asking her to do all she can to end this current wave of industrial action, recognise and act on the concerns of staff, and get students back learning. We want a university community where staff are treated fairly and students are educated. You can read our full letter below and once we receive a response, we will share it with the student body.

 

 

Dear Vice-Chancellor, 

 

We are writing to you today as student leaders, on behalf of the student body, to ask you to do all you can to stop the current industrial action and to recognise and act on the legitimate issues presented in this dispute. Students are concerned about their education and want to get back to learning. 

Durham University prides itself on being a collegiate community of extraordinary people, but to sustain that reputation all those within the community must be able to thrive. 

It is clear that many of our staff are not thriving, and that their current working conditions mean that some are barely surviving. We understand that industrial action taken by staff is a last resort and that they don’t take the decision lightly, but until there is real change for staff in relation to pensions, pay and working conditions, students will continue to experience disruption to their education. 

The university still has a long way to go if it wants to achieve what was outlined in the 2020 Joint Statement on Casualisation in regard to casualisation, workload, reducing the disproportionate gender and ethnicity pay gap and fair pay, issues all sharply felt by many of the postgraduate research students we represent.   

Although we appreciate that the ongoing USS pensions dispute ultimately rests with Universities UK, we believe that as the leader of Durham University, you have a responsibility to encourage the sector to re-enter meaningful negotiations with UCU.  

Students want to be part of a university community where staff are treated fairly by their employer and therefore we are writing to ask you, as Vice-Chancellor, to create a university we can all be proud of. 

 

We ask that: 

·        The university works with UCU locally to address issues raised in the Four Fights dispute and progresses the work outlined within the Joint Statement on Casualisation. 

·        As Vice Chancellor, you use your influence within Universities UK and the Universities and Colleges Employer Association to re-enter meaningful discussions with UCU nationally regarding the USS pension scheme. 

·        The university removes its punitive 25% pay deductions in relation to staff not uploading lesson materials for teaching that happened during the strike period.  

·        Where postgraduate students are working as GTA’s, they are afforded the same employment rights and conditions as other teaching staff. 

 

We welcome a response to this letter we can share with the study body, and hope that your leadership of the institution can bring about a constructive sea change in this ongoing dispute. 

 

Sincerely, 

 

Seun Twins, Charlie Procter, Declan Merrington, Jonah Graham & Jack Ballingham 

Durham Students’ Union Sabbatical Officer Team