In accordance with the fifth resolution of the amended motion presented at the December EGM (Motion EGM1224_01) and subsequently passed via digital vote, CCCU UCU wrote a letter to the CCCU Remuneration Committee, requesting they reconsider their decision to award the Vice Chancellor and members of the Senior Management Team a pay rise. This committee sets the pay of senior staff at the University who sit outside of the National Pay Framework. The letter, sent on 21/02/25, can be found here.

CCCU UCU asked for the decision to be reversed, or at the very least, given that the first instalment of £900 has already been paid, that the second instalment due on 1st March 2025 is not awarded to them.

All staff within the National Pay Framework are set to receive a pay award on 1^st March 2025 to equate to a 2.5-5.7% increase due to the imposed pay award from UCEA, for most staff this is only a further £200-350 payment. CCCU UCU welcome the commitment of the Remuneration Committee to not award pay increases above the national pay award for senior leaders, however, the second instalment for the VC and SMT is likely to be several thousand pounds each, in comparison to the paltry award for most other staff. For example, the VC’s second pay increase instalment will be almost £6,500.

We will update members when we receive a response.

All CCCU UCU members should have received a template letter to send to their local MP, urging intervention in the higher education crisis and highlighting job losses and economic impacts at CCCU and Kent. The letter asks MPs to:

1. Meet with UCU representatives.
2. Support and amplify our campaign to save jobs.
3. Write to the Minister for Skills, Baroness Smith of Malvern, calling for action.
4. Champion post-16 education in Kent.

In accordance with the first resolution of the amended motion presented at the December EGM (Motion EGM1224_01) and subsequently passed via digital vote, CCCU UCU, via our Regional Office, wrote a Failure to Agree  letter to the Vice Chancellor over “Failure to Rule out Compulsory Redundancies for both the current (2024/25), and next academic year (2025/26)” on 19/12/24. A deadline of 10/01/25 was given for the VC to provide assurances that there would be no compulsory redundancies, but unfortunately he failed to do so in his response to UCU on 06/01/25. CCCU UCU then issued formal declaration of dispute on 10/01/25.

UCU reserves its right to now progress this matter, but the institution is aware of the action needed to resolve this issue and we remain open to meaningful negotiations.
This dispute will continue until such time as all the above issues, and any issues related to any industrial action called for by the union in support of the dispute, have been resolved to UCU’s satisfaction.

In response, we are pleased to report that CCCU management have increased the frequency of the Joint Negotiation and Consultation Committee to fortnightly during January and February, and CCCU UCU welcome the opportunity for further discussion to resolve the dispute to the satisfaction of its members. In addition, at the first of these more frequent JNCC meetings on 16/01/25, CCCU UCU requested an extension to the deadline for the Enhanced Early Exit Scheme (EEES), and for the proposed redundancies in the School of Humanities and Education Studies (SHES) to be on an enhanced basis, rather than on statutory terms.

We will update members as soon as we have an SMT response to these requests.

UPDATE February 2025:

• CCCU UCU’s proposal to extend the deadline for the EEES was REJECTED by SMT
• CCCU UCU’s proposal to extend the EEES deadline for colleagues placed at risk of compulsory redundancy in SHES was AGREED by SMT but only until 17/02/25 despite the consultancy period not ending until 28/02/25.
• CCCU UCU’s proposal that SMT honour the promise that was made during earlier redundancy consultation that any redundancies un 2024-25, including those currently proposed in SHES, would be on an enhanced basis was REJECTED by SMT.

Hello Branch Members,

Our Annual General Meeting and elections will take place on 13 June 2024 at 1pm. Please see the attached guidance for how to apply to the executive positions, all of which are up for election. Our returning officer will be Zulfi Ali, and all nomination forms should be sent directly to him by email.

Nominations close on 10 May 2024, so please do put yours in soon!

UCU CCCU Annual General Meeting 2024amended (details)

UCU CCCU Annual General Meeting 2024amended Nomination form (nomination form)

CCCU Branch statement on Israel-Palestine

The events in Israel and Gaza are deeply distressing. The Canterbury UCU branch want to extend our support and solidarity to all members of the university community affected by this situation, and importantly to state our unequivocal condemnation of any forms of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, or ethnic discrimination. All members of our community deserve a safe and inclusive environment in which to work and learn together, and as a union branch we are committed to ensuring the vision of an inclusive university is a reality. If any member experiences discrimination or abuse, please reach out to UCU@Canterbury.ac.uk, the branch will support you.

Dear members,

We’re currently reballoting to extend the mandate in the #UCURising dispute and CCCU members will likely be contacted by an exec member about voting. If you need to order a replacement ballot, that can be done here.

And it is worth reading a bit more on the state of the dispute here.

Hello branch members,

There’s lots of information that is relevant to a branch hardship fund. Attached here you will find two documents: a resolution to be considered 13 July, and a longer outline of the proposal for a fund, how it will run, and so on. Happy reading.

Resolution on branch subscriptions for Jul

Hardship fund proposal

Please find attached here the resolution passed overwhelmingly at our branch AGM a few weeks ago. We write now to the National executive asking them to “de-prioritise” Motion 5 from Congress, which this branch has now condemned as full of false equivalencies which deny Ukrainians the right to defend themselves from imperial aggression.

Resolution on Ukraine