The University Workforce Strategy is aimed at ensuring that we have the people and working environment we need to deliver the University Strategy. Following a request from the local branch of the University and Colleges Union in relation to those who deliver teaching and research, the following statement has been agreed.
Statement of intent regarding staff in the Education and Research job family
The University of Bath and UCU are united in their commitment to reducing casualization; that is avoiding the use of casual worker contracts or other insecure forms of employment for delivering and supporting the core business of teaching, research and assessment.
The University seeks to provide the greatest level of employment security possible for its, highly-valued, staff. Fixed-term engagements and hourly paid contracts are appropriate in certain circumstances but have less security than open-ended contracts. We agree that staff should be offered more secure forms of contract, with employee status and associated employment rights, unless there is a clear and justifiable case not to do so.
To this end, the University and UCU agree to a joint review of policies and practices, building on the good progress already made in the last two years in relation to fractionalisation of hourly-paid Teaching Fellows. UCU and the University will enter into negotiations in order to agree a timescale for that review and implementation of any agreed outcomes. The aim will be to complete these negotiations, with an agreed action plan being in place, by the end of April 2019.
The University of Bath agrees to provide leadership and to commit sufficient resources to implement the review outcomes and agreed actions with the objective of providing security of employment for staff. Both the University and UCU are committed to a jointly agreed action plan, and to regularly monitoring and reviewing the achievement of that plan.
Prof Bernie Morley
Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Dr Michael Carley
President, University of Bath UCU