I was hit this morning by a renewed sense of shock and disappointment at the remarkably aggressive and bullying response of my employer to the forthcoming UCU industrial action in defence of our pensions. It seems completely out of character with the history of the University of York as a friendly and collegial institution. Im perplexed at why they think an escalation of the dispute is the way forward. Here are the salient bits of an email sent to all members of staff yesterday: Action short of a Strike (ASOS) involving staff completing some of their duties but not others (assessment and marking boycott) is partial performance and is a breach of the contract of employment. Consequently staff that choose to take part in this continuous action short of a strike will not be entitled to their contractual pay. 100% of pay will be withheld on a continuous basis, either from when staff inform us that they are participating in the assessment and marking boycott, or from when it becomes evident from other information that staff are not fulfilling their expected duties in relation to setting coursework, marking and assessment. If you are a member of UCU and intend to take continuous action short of a strike on or after 6 November 2014, you must inform us as detailed below. As your employer, the University has the right to ask if you intend to or are participating in the action and you must inform us of your involvement. Failure to inform us of your participation may result in disciplinary action being taken for breach of trust. Please complete and return the Google form by 6 November 2014 at [web address] and indicate if you are or intend to participate in the assessment and marking boycott which starts on 6 November 2014. It will not be acceptable to report your involvement retrospectively. By replying in this manner you should understand that you will not be entitled to your normal contractual pay for the period in which you participate in the assessment and marking boycott - action short of a strike. Your pay will be withheld by 100% for each day you take part in this continuous action. You should read the information about how strike action will affect your pay before making your response. The obligation to undertake the duties and responsibilities of your role forms a material part of your contract of employment. Therefore any member of staff who refuses to carry out their duties and takes action short of a strike will be in breach of their contract of employment. It is not acceptable for employees to select which part of their contract they wish to fulfil. Due to the potential impact that a boycott of assessment related work will have on students and the University, we will withhold 100% of each days pay on a continuous basis from the date you inform us you are participating until such time as you inform us you have ceased your action and returned to normal duties. This will be calculated on the basis of 1/260th of annual pay withheld for each day of participation in the assessment boycott. If you take part in the assessment and marking boycott - action short of a strike but perform the rest of your duties as normal, this would be at your discretion and any services you do provide during that period will be voluntary. The University is under no obligation to pay you for any work during the period when you are participating in this industrial action. Of interest to, inter alia, Mike Otsuka, Chris Bertram, Saladin Meckled.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 09:39:52 +0000
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