Consultative Ballot 2023

At the Annual General Meeting on 5 May 2023, members unanimously passed a motion to hold a consultative ballot on industrial action as a response to the ongoing issue of poor pay at Richmond. This consultative ballot is a vote to gauge your willingness to participate in industrial action, including strike action and action short of strike. While it is non-binding and consultation will continue, the outcome of the vote will inform Branch actions (see Richmond UCU Consultative Ballot FAQ and below). The Ballot will be held between July 4 and July 21.

As Richmond’s University Executive Team (UET) chooses not to be a part of national HE pay negotiations, our members have not been able to participate in national UCU ballots on industrial actions on pay that occurred over the past few years. Instead, our Branch negotiates at a local level. We thus also have the opportunity to independently ballot and take action. You have now asked us to do this because of inadequate pay offers by the UET in 2022/23 and again in 2023/24, 1.84% and 2% respectively. These pay offers were significantly lower than the already extremely disappointing outcomes of national HE pay bargaining. 

This year we have again actively engaged in negotiations with UET for a meaningful pay uplift for January 2024. We have argued that all employees deserve a pay increase. It was clear in your pay survey responses that we can no longer bear the brunt of the University’s struggling financial situation, let alone the cost-of-living crisis. It is also evident that there is a loss of goodwill towards the University, not only because of poor pay, but because of increasing workloads and declining working conditions. If left unaddressed, these issues will impact our teaching quality and the University’s reputation for excellence, that rests on the shoulders of its employees. All of this, we have argued, is a result of priorities at the University. 

Despite our years of insisting that a meaningful pay rise is necessary, the UET’s only offer remains at 2%. We view this as punitive and derisory considering inflation is at 8.7% and still rising. Our employers are in effect asking us to take a pay cut, year on year.  

As it is clear we both need and deserve a meaningful pay uplift, we urge all UCU-Richmond members to vote YES to both questions in the consultative ballot.

  1. Are you prepared to take industrial action consisting of strike action in response to pay at Richmond? 
  2. Are you prepared to take industrial action consisting of action short of strike action (e.g. working to contracted hours, marking and assessment boycotts)? 

 Your voice and participation are essential to securing fair pay compensation for UCU members at Richmond.  

 

FAQs on Consultative Ballots

Q: What is a consultative ballot?  

A: A consultative ballot, within the context of the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU), is a voting process used to seek the opinions and preferences of UCU members on specific issues. In this case, it is to determine how members feel about taking industrial action over the issue of pay. The consultative ballot will allow members to express their views and influence decision-making within the union. However, it’s important to note that consultative ballots conducted by UCU do not have legally binding outcomes. 

Q: What is industrial action including action short of a strike (ASoS)?  

A: Industrial action refers to collective actions taken by UCU members to address issues related to their employment conditions, pay, pensions, or other matters affecting their professional lives. This can include strikes, where members withdraw their labor, and action short of a strike (ASoS), which encompasses various forms of protest or disruption, excluding a full strike. This may include an assessment marking boycott for example. 

Q: Who is eligible to vote? 

A: UCU members who are directly affected by the issue being voted upon. This includes academic staff, and other professional staff within the University who are part of the union. Membership criteria and eligibility details can be obtained from the UCU directly. 

The industrial action ballot electorate by default includes: 

  • full members (standard membership or standard free membership) 
  • joint union members. 

The industrial action ballot by default excludes: 

  • student members 
  • attached/unemployed members 
  • fully retired members 
  • members whose membership lapsed (please note that standard free membership expires after a period of time—members are warned well in advance if this is happening—and those standard free members can upgrade their membership via MyUCU) 
  • members whose workplace is outside of the United Kingdom 
  • members who have cancelled their membership or resigned from the union 
  • members with a ‘ballot exclusion’ in place (e.g. parental leave, long-term absence). 

Remember that you can check your membership category by logging into MyUCU. If you are not yet a UCU member, and wish to participate in future industrial action ballots, you can join UCU online right away. 

Q: What questions will appear on the ballot paper? 

A: The ballot paper will have two questions: 

  1. are you prepared to take industrial action consisting of strike action?
  2. are you prepared to take industrial action consisting of action short of strike action (which for this purpose is defined to include overtime and call-out bans)?

UCU urges everyone to vote YES and YES to both questions.  

Q: What happens next?  

A: Following a consultative ballot conducted by the Richmond UCU Branch, the results will be analyzed to understand the views and preferences of our members. Although consultative ballots do not have legally binding outcomes, the UCU takes the results into account when making decisions, formulating bargaining positions, or engaging in negotiations with employers or other stakeholders. The outcomes can influence the direction of UCU’s actions, campaigns, and future discussions related to the issue in question. 

Results of the consultative ballot may indicate members’ wishes for the Branch to conduct a ballot on industrial action.  

It’s important to familiarize yourself with the specific guidelines and procedures outlined by the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) when participating in a consultative ballot. The UCU will provide detailed instructions and information about the ballot, including timelines, voting methods, and the implications of the results.  

Q: What are the ballot requirements for industrial action? 

A: All industrial action ballots must have a minimum 50% turnout of those entitled to vote, with a majority voting in favour.