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Extraordinary Meeting Monday 25th March

This meeting has been convened to facilitate a discussion on Lecturecast following concerns raised by members that they were being placed under pressure to record lectures inappropriately.

Members were also invited to submit motions for debate on any other topic.听听Four motions have been received and are included in Appendix 1. They include two motions in solidarity with Goldsmiths and RSA staff, and a formal motion to merge the IOE UCU branch funds with 果冻影院 UCU. We also expect to hear from a speaker from Goldsmiths, where 200 academic staff were this week told they were at risk of redundancy.听 Two amendments have also been submitted which are included in Appendix 2.

  1. Chair鈥檚 business
  2. Minutes of previous meeting
  3. Invited speaker: Joe Newman, Goldsmiths 听
  4. Motions and amendments听
    4.1 - Motion 1: Solidarity with Goldsmiths UCU
    4.1.1 - Amendment 1: to Motion 1
    4.2 - Motion 2: Solidarity with Royal Society of Arts IWGB branch
    4.3 - Motion 3: Lecturecast
    4.4 - Motion 4: 鈥楾ransfer of historic IOE UCU Membership funds to 果冻影院 UCU鈥�听
    4.4.1 -听Amendment 2: to Motion 4.

Appendix 1 - Motions

Motion 1: Solidarity with Goldsmiths UCU

果冻影院 UCU notes that Goldsmiths College, University of London are attempting to make the equivalent of 130 full-time posts redundant, that is, between one third and one quarter of all staff, by the end of May. Staff targeted are in 11 departments across the whole of Goldsmiths; 50% at Professorial level. On Wednesday 21 March, Goldsmiths management sent 鈥榓t-risk鈥� letters to 200 staff.听

This is the biggest attack on a London university staff group and UCU branch since the attack on London Metropolitan University in 2006-2009.

果冻影院 UCU resolves to:

  • Send a message of solidarity to Goldsmiths UCU branch.
  • Pledge 拢5000 to the Goldsmiths UCU hardship fund, to be payable in the event the branch takes strike action or action short of a strike incurring pay docking.

Motion 2: Solidarity with Royal Society of Arts IWGB branch

Charity workers are overworked, underpaid and exploited. And though not-for-profits often talk of justice, it rarely extends to their own employees.

In 2022 staff at the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) had to fight for their union recognition after voluntary recognition was denied 3 times by senior management. Since then, staff members across all teams and levels of the RSA have been campaigning for a fair pay rise reflective of the current cost-of-living pressures.

They have asked for a flat rate of pay that gives the lowest paid members of staff a 10% pay increase to offset a 14% real-terms pay cut in the last 4 years, and also for a 8% pension contribution as staff pensions were slashed to 5.5% during the pandemic.

The RSA has offered a pay rise equivalent to just 2.3% for some of members, and no return to higher pension contributions. The RSA union estimates their pay claim would cost the RSA about 拢300k, or less than 1% of the charity's total reserves. In the midst of negotiations, RSA management changed the charity鈥檚 reserves policy to make it much harder to use reserves to support staff.

Regrettably, the RSA management鈥檚 response so far has been completely at odds with its values, its public-facing image, and many of the principles that draw support to the RSA. As a result, union members went out on the first strike in the organisation鈥檚 270-year history!听

Union members at the RSA need solidarity. Management are refusing to negotiate and we need to ramp up the campaign to respond to the aggressive anti-union approach of their boss. These workers on strike rely on support from the labour movement to keep their fight going.

果冻影院 UCU resolves:

  1. To call on members to boycott any activities at the RSA until the union's demands are met, *, and the dispute is resolved
  2. To write to the college/university leadership and urge they boycott the RSA and write to Andy Haldane, RSA CEO to resolve the dispute with the workers
  3. To promote the upcoming picket dates for the RSA strike to its members and to bring the branch banner to a picket
  4. To send a message of solidarity to the RSA pickets听
  5. To make a donation to the RSA strike solidarity fund of 拢1000:
  6. To write to Andy Haldane, RSA CEO and condemn his treatment of workers
  7. To promote and publicise the boycott of RSA activities on social media

*A flat 拢2800 salary increase. An increase from 5.5% to 8% pension contributions. A 拢400 allowance for staff who don鈥檛 benefit from hybrid working.

Motion 3: Lecturecast

This Branch Notes

  1. That 果冻影院 does not 鈥渨aive copyright鈥� (in the way it does with publications and original ideas used in teaching) for 鈥済) sound recordings, films and broadcasts created for the purpose of teaching, where 果冻影院 has made the necessary arrangements for the making of the sound recording, film or broadcast (as the case may be).鈥�
  2. That 果冻影院 believes: 鈥�2.6 Performers' rights. To the extent that a 果冻影院 staff member benefits from performers' rights in any performance in connection with their duties, such rights are (i) assigned to 果冻影院, in respect of proprietary rights; and (ii) unconditionally and irrevocably waived in favour of 果冻影院, its licensees and assignees, in respect of other rights.鈥� No consent has or is being sought in relation to these assignment of these rights.
  3. That the 果冻影院 Lecturecast policy states that 鈥淟ecturecast is, by default, an opt-in service with the onus on individual lecturers or teaching leads in departments/divisions to choose to use the system.鈥� But adds 鈥淲here departments/divisions wish to depart from the standard opt-in policy and set an explicit opt-out policy, this must be in consultation with staff affected. Clear guidance must be given to all staff on this policy; for instance it must be made clear to staff whom they should contact to opt-out鈥�
  4. That the Lecturecast, Lecture Capture, and Copyright published policy states that 鈥淚n the case of 果冻影院 staff, 果冻影院 has "deemed consent" to record lectures. Although 果冻影院 waives its rights to Copyright in teaching materials created by employees, it does benefit from a broad licence to re-use them.鈥澨�
  5. A number of departments have issued instructions to teaching staff that their classes are to be recorded (without explaining that this is opt-in only, or providing a route by which opting out may take place).

This Branch Believes

  1. That 鈥渄eeming鈥� consent is unacceptable, and incompatible with an opt-in only policy
  2. That only a fully consensual opt-in policy preserves the rights of teaching staff

This Branch Reaffirms听

  1. Our Branch Policy that any recording of classes by the university听

a. must be explicitly consensual (through an 鈥榦pt-in鈥� mechanism only)

b.must be fully informed to the staff who may be asked if they consent

c. do not imply relinquishing the performance rights of the member of staff (by deeming or any other mechanism except explicit 鈥榦pt in鈥� consent)听

  1. That we do not agree, and have not agreed to the transference of any of our members rights or to consent being 鈥渄eemed鈥� in relation to the recording of classes or control of the recordings, without the explicit and informed consent of our members.
  2. That the matter of property rights over teaching performances has not been agreed with 果冻影院 by this Branch and we will continue to assert our members鈥� control and ownership of intellectual property where no explicit transference has occurred by consent.

This Branch Resolves
听

  1. To communicate the above position to 果冻影院 and demand that they remove the reference to staff having been 鈥渄eemed to consent鈥� to have classes recorded, from their published policies.
  2. To request that 果冻影院 inform its heads of department that 果冻影院 does not and cannot require class recordings from teaching staff, in a blanket policy, but must fully inform staff that class recording is entirely voluntary and opt-in only.听

Motion 4: 鈥楾ransfer of historic IOE UCU Membership funds to 果冻影院 UCU鈥櫶�

Notes听

  • That money arising from local membership fees of IOE UCU members remains in an IOE UCU听 Bank account.
  • IOE UCU no longer exists as a UCU Branch and therefore these funds cannot be used by UCU.
  • IOE UCU Merged with 果冻影院 UCU and UCU members in IOE are now members of 果冻影院 UCU branch听
  • That IOE UCU members wish to retain the use of these historic funds to support UCU members in IOE.听

果冻影院 UCU IOE members section resolves听

  1. That a 2nd /sub-branch bank account of 果冻影院 UCU听 be established to enable the transfer and holding of the funds of the former IOE UCU Branch. These are funds that accrued from IOE UCU members local membership fees before the merger of the 2 branches in 2019.
  2. That expenditure from the account (within the framework of UCU National and Branch rules) should be decided by members from 果冻影院 IOE UCU subsection by means of formal proposals and agreement at 果冻影院 IOE UCU section members meetings.听
  3. That Funds in the IOE sub-branch account* may be used by 果冻影院 UCU Members in the 果冻影院 IOE section for the purposes of听
  4. Members meetings expenses inc. refreshments
  5. Local Campaign materials听
  6. Tokens of recognition and appreciation for services to IOE UCU members听

*Payments from this sub-branch account need to be approved the 果冻影院 UCU Branch officers who are current signatories on the main 果冻影院 UCU bank account听

听

Appendix 2

Amendment 1 to Motion 1:

DELETE the second and third sentences, and second half of the first sentence, of the
notes, following the opening phrase: "果冻影院 UCU notes that Goldsmiths College, University
of London,"
i.e. delete: [are attempting to make the equivalent of 130 full-time posts redundant,
that is, between one third and one quarter of all staff, by the end of May. Staff
targeted are in 11 departments across the whole of Goldsmiths; 50% at Professorial
level. On Wednesday 21 March, Goldsmiths management sent 鈥榓t-risk鈥� letters to 200
staff.]

REPLACE DELETED TEXT WITH:
is seeking to cut up to 35% of academic staffing by FTE (full time equivalent) in 11 departments. 361 staff are in scope, and a 50% reduction in FTE Professors in these departments.

Amendment 2听to Motion 4:

Add new notes point '2', renumbering remaining points:

2. At the date of merger total IOE UCU funds were circa 拢21,000 - a small amount of
which (<拢1000) being residual local hardship fund from the 2018 strikes/action.

The new 'notes' section would therefore read:
Notes:
1. That money arising from local membership fees of IOE UCU members remains in an IOE UCU Bank account.
2. At the date of merger total IOE UCU funds were circa 拢21,000 - a small amount of which (<拢1000) being residual local hardship fund from the 2018 strikes/action.
3. IOE UCU no longer exists as a UCU Branch and therefore these funds cannot be used by UCU.
4. IOE UCU Merged with 果冻影院 UCU and UCU members in IOE are now members of 果冻影院 UCU branch
5. That IOE UCU members wish to retain the use of these historic funds to support UCU members in IOE.

听