Last Friday, IWGB Branch Secretary Catherine Morrissey sent in IWGB members’ collective response to the proposed reorganisation of the University of London International Programmes (UoLIA). IWGB’s comments were acknowledged by the Dean of the International Programmes, Dr Mary Stiasny, who promised to read them with care.

Staff have been assured that no job losses will occur as a result of the reorganisation, but there are still a number of questions and concerns surrounding the plans.

As well as speaking to individual members, IWGB organised an open meeting for UoLIA staff to put forward their views and collated them into a single document, which you can read here. Thanks to everyone who took the time to participate and share their ideas and opinions!

We held our AGM on 25th April and it was a massive success! There was a large turnout at both the branch meeting and the whole union meeting and the party afterwards was thoroughly enjoyed by all!

The following officers were elected:

Branch Chair: Sonia Chura

Vice-Chair: Maritza Castillo Calle

Branch Secretary: Catherine Morrissey

Recruitment Officer: Robinson Baldeon

Education Officer: Usman Tayyab

Treasurer: Yvette Bailey

Second Treasurer: Alison Hunter

Communications Officer: Rebecca Dooley

Campaigns Officer: Wilson Ayala Romero

We received the following email from UNISON members asking us to support workers at London Met who are at the risk of severe job cuts. Please sign the petition to help Save London Met!

Dear friends,

In 2009 we started a ‘Save London Met Uni’ campaign against 550 proposed job cuts.

We’ve re-launched our joint union campaign to resist the continuing spiral of decline as yet another round of job cuts are on the table: 165 posts due to go this summer.

Please sign our petition here:

https://www.change.org/p/london-met-uni-no-more-jobs-cuts-stop-the-spiral-of-decline

See here for background:

http://savelondonmetuni.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/oppose-jobs-massacre-stop-spiral-of.html

If you are a student union rep, please sign this statement and fwd to others:

http://www.thestudentassembly.org.uk/news/save-london-met-university-stop-the-165-job-cuts-defend-education

More updates to follow soon – please fwd to your networks.

In solidarity,

Max Watson, London Met UNISON

Secretary of the University of London branch of the IWGB Catherine Morrissey has written to senior members of the University regarding the planned changes to the SAUL pension scheme.

See Catherine’s email below:

Dear All

I am writing on behalf of IWGB members at the University of London, and in support of all members of the SAUL pension scheme.

We understand that negotiations are currently ongoing between employers and the unions over potential changes to the scheme.

The majority of SAUL members are low-paid University employees, who have seen years of real-term pay cuts. It is unacceptable that their pensions should suffer as a consequence of:

a) a valuation which is extremely subjective, and which is merely a snapshot, not a prediction of the long-term viability of the scheme;
b) the extensive contribution holiday taken by the employers in the 1990s;
c) a breach of faith from the previous negotiations, whereby members who were keeping the final salary scheme signed up to a new deal on the basis that that would be preserved in the future.

The IWGB will be calling on its members to reject any proposed changes to the scheme that remove the final salary link and which do not substantially increase the employer contribution. We will also be calling on other unions to do the same.

It is vital that employers and their representatives recognise the human cost of their decisions, and also the strength of feeling among employees who feel that they are facing a further pay cut, this time to a retirement income which they had been previously encouraged to believe they could depend on.

Yours

Catherine Morrissey
Secretary, University of London IWGB
https://iwgb.wordpress.com/

The IWGB are holding a protest at the Royal College of Art from 1pm today, 22nd April.

This is in response to the RCA agreeing to implement the London Living Wage in September, expecting outsourced workers to live in poverty until then.

Please join to protest for a London Living Wage now!

IWBG President Jason Moyer-Lee has written to the Director of the Royal College of Music to demand that its outsourced workers receive better pay and conditions.

There is particular emphasis on sick pay, holidays and pensions, the 3 Cosas that the IWGB has successfully won for outsourced workers in other organisations.

Jason has given the Royal College of Music until 26th May 2015 to implement these changes, otherwise the IWGB will launch a full scale 3 Cosas campaign.

We await the response of the Royal College of Music.

Jason’s letter to the Royal College of Music can be found here.

Staff at the National Gallery facing privatisation have announced a new wave of strikes and called for support from other unions.

The UoL IWGB will be taking the branch banner down to the demo on 1 May at 2pm – if you can spare the time to come down with us that would be fantastic – drop Catherine a line (catherinemorrissey@iwgb.org.uk) for more details.

Full info on the campaign follows:

Further strikes at National Gallery 20-24 April & 01 May

Escalation planned if halt to privatisation not agreed

Pickets 9-11am (Friday also 5-6.30pm) 

Collection Day Friday 20 April –help raise money for our strike! 

 May Day Demo 1 May 2pm National Gallery

Our last strike saw our action go national with demonstrations in support of our campaign against privatisation in Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Cardiff as well as solidarity action in Bristol, Birmingham and Sheffield.  See all the latest support here https://ngnotforsale.wordpress.com/support. Watch film maker Ken Loach speaking here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk6p6q14nvA.

National Gallery a National Election issue

There has been an important step in the political campaign too. The Labour Party have issued a statement calling for talks to resume to end the dispute and calling for the Gallery Trustees to ensure that all staff are paid the Living Wage. The Green Party have called for the Gallery to put tendering on hold until after the election. https://ngnotforsale.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/party-statements.docx

Call for a moratorium

The National Gallery plan to put services out to tender just two days before the General Election. But since these plans have now become an election PCS has called for a moratorium to halt the plans and believes a new government should have a chance to review the proposals as should the new director.

Sign the open letter to Director Nick Penny here and ask your election candidates to add their names too https://bit.ly/NGopenletter

Escalation

PCS members are discussing escalating their action if the National Gallery do not agree to this. Thank you to everyone for the amazing solidarity that has raised thousands of pounds so far.

Financial support will be crucial for us to step up our action. So please join our day of action on 24 April by collection money from your workmates and friends.

How you can support

Sign the open letter here and ask your election candidates where they stand Sign the letter to Director Nick Penny calling for a halt to the plans and ask election candidates to do the same https://bit.ly/NGopenletter

Support the national collection day on Friday 24 April

A collection sheet and leaflet are attached

Click to donate by Paypal https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=KYYEWKXCU2Y4Q

Donate to  sort code 08/60/01 and account no: 20169002 Cheques to PCS Culture Media and Sport Association, c/o PCS North West Region, Jack Jones House,1 Islington, Liverpool L3 8EG

Invite National Gallery strikers to your town or meeting to spread the campaign

More ways you can help and more information here https://ngnotforsale.wordpress.com/

You can read our People’s Inquiry into the National Gallery here https://www.pcs.org.uk/peoplesinquiry

Read Polly Toynbee calling on Gabriele Finaldi to intervene now to cancel the privatisation plans http://gu.com/p/46nac/sbl.

LABOUR PARTY STATEMENT

The National Gallery is one of this country’s most important museums and receives £25 million a year in Government Grant-in-Aid.

Whilst it is not for politicians to tell the Board of Trustees how to run the Gallery, the Labour Party is concerned by the on-going dispute, which is damaging the reputation of the Gallery, is undermining the morale amongst staff and is inconveniencing the public.

We urge both sides of the dispute to get talking again as soon as possible so that the dispute can be resolved.

We urge the Board of Trustees to review their employment practices so that all staff are paid equitably and are on at least the Living Wage.”

GREEN PARTY

STATEMENT

The Green Party opposes the privatisation and calls for the Culture Select Committee and the next government to investigate the situation. The gallery should stop the tendering process until after the election when a new government can review the situation. 

We will meet up as individual branches at 3pm for our own branch AGMs. We will then come together at 5pm to hold the union-wide AGM. Then there’ll be a party afterwards in the SOAS bar. Crèche facilities will be provided, so feel free to bring your kids.

Come along to have a say in how the union is run, and meet other members. Union supporters are welcome to join us at for the afterparty.

Branch AGMs will start at 3pm, and will be as follows –

• Cleaners and Facilities Branch meet at SOAS, JCR
• Couriers & Logistics Branch meet at IOE, Room S16
• Security Guards Branch meet at IOE, Room S13
• University of London Branch meet at IOE, Lower-Ground Floor

The Main AGM and will start at 5pm, at SOAS in the JCR

Afterparty at SOAS Bar until late, free for members.
£5 for non-members. Food & drink available.