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Reposted by University of Hertfordshire UCU

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 6h

🚨 GETTING THE VOTE OUT ACROSS THE UK! 🚨
This Thursday, join us LIVE as branches from every corner of the country share how they’re driving the YES vote home. 💪📮

🗓 Thursday 13 November, 7PM
📺 Watch on UCU X and YouTube

VOTE NOW. VOTE YES.
#WeAreTheUniversity #UCULive

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Reposted by University of Hertfordshire UCU

QM_UCU @qmucu.bsky.social · 1d

We need a mandate, because managers and their consultants have pivoted the purpose of our institutions from research & education to prioritising financial gain over everything.

Enough.

Staff and students need to be central in the decision-making processes and priorities again.
#SaveHE #WeAreTheUni

We are the university. Staff need each other; staff need visibility; staff need a voice. We need a seat at the table.

Managers are actively playing divide and rule – leaving individual staff fearful for their jobs and entire departments anxious about their futures. We've proven we're stronger when we work together.

This ballot is to go out with all unions in the sector.

Staff are treated as a ‘payroll problem’, not the people who make institutions. We’re pushed aside because the harm to our livelihoods and wellbeing does not register in the metrics used to measure the ‘success’ of the sector.

Action makes us visible.

External consultants & senior managers hopping between institutions have distorted universities’ priorities. They are changing what a university is and have actively shut out staff from the decision-making processes and information on which governance is based.

We reprioritise by retaking the initiative.

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 8h

Meanwhile, at last report, the University had cash including short-term deposits of £139.4 million.

For all these reasons and more, vote YES in UCU’s national ballot – a strong mandate is the only way VCs will begin to take fair pay and conditions seriously.

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 8h

refuses to make a hardship payment this year; and
refuses to disclose what his salary is until next year’s financial report, claiming this is “full transparency.”

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 8h

To compound matters even more, the VC also:

refuses to reverse the hugely unpopular 50% parking charge rise;
refuses to pay Outer London Weighting (though the Royal Veterinary College in Hatfield pays it to the tune of £4,065);

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 8h

The pay offer this year is a mere 1.4% though inflation is 3.8%, meaning our pay has fallen 20–30% in real terms since 2007–09, a catastrophic cut.

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 8h

UH members will have received an email from the VC this morning announcing a 72% cut in the staff bonus to a miserly £100 from last year’s staff bonus of £350.
If we add in last year’s grade-related hardship payment of £100-£300 negotiated by UCU, the cut is 78-85%.

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 12h

solidarity with colleagues at Leicester

Angela Last @mutablematter.bsky.social · 1d

Human Geography at Leicester is facing closure. Staff contracts are to end in June 2026; students are to be relocated to other universities, or taught out by a maximum of two (!) teaching-only staff. Other departments and subjects are facing closure, too. Please join the demo!

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 12h

solidarity with colleagues at Nottingham

University of Nottingham UCU branch @uonucu.bsky.social · 1d

It's not just music and language courses- it's 48 courses across the university.

But here's the thing- our UCU colleagues at other universities (like @Cardiffucu.bsky.social) have faced the exact same threats, fought back, and won. So we can too.

A screenshot of a BBC story with the headline "University to suspend music and language courses"

A screenshot of a BBC story with the following headline "University scraps plan to cut music and languages"

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 7d

If you haven’t voted, vote today and vote YES. A strong vote is the only way of getting VCs and universities to take our pay and terms and conditions seriously.

ballot papers 20 Oct; ballot closes 28 Nov

University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 7d

Unison, the union representing our professional colleagues, is balloting at the same time with a view to joint industrial action to get university employers back to the negotiating table with serious proposals for all staff and the sector.

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 7d

At UH we face significant breaches of national agreements, their local versions and our contracts regarding appraisals and teaching observations.

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 7d

As UCU General Secretary Jo Grady has explained, this is about “the continuing disregard some institutions have for the protection of national agreements” between employers and unions regarding our terms and conditions of work.

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 7d

Universities have announced cuts of over 15,000 jobs in the last year in a real crisis for the sector. UCU is balloting to halt redundancies at all universities. Redundancies are currently taking place at UH, though not currently on the scale elsewhere

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 7d

We think it only fair to ask: is this the thanks we get for our “hard work, dedication and commitment” (VC email ‘Herts achieves top 50 UK university ranking’ of 13 September)

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 7d

📢The refusal by senior management to pay any hardship payment this year unlike last year

📢The refusal of the VC to say now how much he’s paid. Instead, he says we’ll have to wait until next year’s financial report 2025-26 to find out but calls this “full transparency”

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 7d

📢The refusal of the new VC, Professor Woodman, to reverse the hugely unpopular 50% parking charge rise

📢The refusal of the VC to pay any Outer London Weighting (OLW) – though the Royal Veterinary College in Hatfield pays its staff over £4,000 OLW per year

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 7d

The importance of voting YES in the UCU national ballot.
📢some reasons:
The pay offer this year is a mere 1.4% but inflation is 3.8% which means our pay’s gone down since the recession of 2007-9 by 20-30% in real terms, depending on whether you use CPI or RPI measures.

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 9d

We advise members to read the VC's written answers to the Q & A that have been published on HertsHub.
We trust you will use your judgement on how clear and transparent these responses are, in the light of the staff survey and the UCU national ballot.

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 9d

members are also reminded to read last week's email about a recent attempt to remove a member on a permanent UH9 contract.
As always, please always check the details of your contract if you are asked to change or alter your role.

University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 9d

Members are reminded to read today's email about three-semester teaching.
If you think this applies to you, please get in touch with your School rep or with our confidential email address.

Reposted by University of Hertfordshire UCU

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 9d

In just over 24 hours we will be live talking about winning the vote in the workplace!

Be sure to join us!

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 12d

📣 Every convo counts. Every vote matters. 💥

Join us Thursday 30 Oct, 7PM for UCU LIVE: Winning it in the Workplace 🗣️💪
Let’s talk about how we WIN THIS BALLOT together! 🗳️

📺 Live on X or YouTube @ucuorguk

www.youtube.com/live/NynAXdu...

#WeAreTheUniversity #VoteYES

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Reposted by University of Hertfordshire UCU

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 9d

We couldn’t agree more Paul. This is exactly why we need to ballot.

Remember to vote yes! 🗳️

Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 9d

Just in case anyone is listening, please note that UK universities cannot operate successfully on the basis of continuous reduction of academic staff and academic staff pay. No amount of staff wellness sessions will change this.

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Reposted by University of Hertfordshire UCU

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 10d

We’re into week two of the ballot, time to get back to basics.

Why vote? Because your voice is the only way to change what’s happening in our sector:
📉 Falling pay
⚠️ Rising insecurity
💬 Broken national agreements

Every vote counts.
Vote YES. Post your ballot.

#WeAreTheUniversity

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University of Hertfordshire UCU @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social · 12d

Members may wish to see the VC's responses to questions from his Q & A, now posted up on HertsHub, "VC Welcome – your questions answered".

We are disappointed that there is no specific commitment to maintaining the promotion pathway from UH8 to UH9.

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