UNI STAFF SET TO STRIKE
STAFF at Coventry University could be set to take strike action during students’ graduation ceremonies.
The University and College Union (UCU) has announced five days of strike action and a boycott of appraisals and refusal to assess students’ work - unless the university responds to union members’ concerns.
Three one-day walkouts are planned on Thursday, November 21, Tuesday, 26 and Friday, 29, followed by a two-day strike on Tuesday, December 3 and Wednesday 4.
Union members will also begin action short of a strike on December 5, which will see them boycotting the university’s new appraisal system and refusing to undertake any marking or assessment of students’ work.
A spokesman for Coventry University said that the strikes will affect some graduation ceremonies and that they are working to minimise disruption.
The union says a new appraisals system forces staff to jump through ‘ludicrous hoops’ to achieve an annual incremental pay rise which is said to be standard at other universities.
Staff must get their line manager to submit a business case to HR for approval before a pay increase is awarded, the spokesman added.
But the university says the appraisals system ‘has not fundamentally changed’ for over a decade and that they are striving to maintain an ‘open, honest and transparent’ conversation with union members.
UCU regional official, Anne O’Sullivan, said: “Strike action is never taken lightly but the university has repeatedly refused to negotiate properly with us on its approach to appraisals. The current process is even worse than the one it replaced and forces staff to jump through ludicrous hoops to secure what should be standard pay increases. Not only does it hold down pay, it creates a load of unnecessary paperwork for already overworked staff.
“Coventry University has preyed on the goodwill of staff for too long. If the university wants to avoid significant disruption to students in the run up to Christmas, it needs to scrap the current system and work with us to agree a fairer approach to appraisals that would see staff receive pay increases along similar lines to other UK universities.”
A spokesman for Coventry University said: “We are disappointed that Coventry UCU have announced strike action to coincide with some students’ graduation ceremonies and will work collaboratively as a university to minimise disruption to our students and the staff who aren’t taking part. We will continue to engage in an open, honest and transparent dialogue with Coventry UCU.
“We note the concerns of Coventry UCU and understand, given the commitment of our staff, that the members who have voted in favour of strike action will not have taken this decision lightly.
“Our approach to performance and appraisal has not fundamentally changed since 2006 and the basis of our pay process aligns to the National Framework Agreement. We believe that CORE, the revised online process, has delivered a number of benefits and addressed many of the concerns that staff shared with us about the paper process that it has replaced. Through a survey last year most staff agreed they were fairly paid and felt a sense of pride when rewarded for going the extra mile.
“The focus, commitment and passion of our academic and professional services staff has ensured we have established a reputation and achieved recognition for delivering outstanding teaching and learning. Working to build an inclusive and vibrant learning community, that serves both our students and wider society, is at the heart of what we do.”