Vicky Knight, President-Elect of UCU spent a day with Newcastle College UCU Branch meeting members, hosting Tea and Cake events, meeting with management and celebrating the latest win with the members of the Workload Working Group and Assistant Principal, Lisa Hamilton-Murray.
The branch reps with the Workload Working Group have managed to secure a limit of 6 weeks on absence cover which takes lecturers above the normal weekly hours. Cover on top of normal teaching workload was becoming unmanageable and the Unions and, to give them their due, senior management saw this as a Health and Safety concern. An automatic review of workload will kick in where cover gets to the 6 week mark.
Those extra hours delivering to students will also be deducted from the annualised total.
Simplified timetables clearly identify student contact time, admin/prep/marking and meeting times enabling managers to quickly respond to changes, identify workload risks and manage intervention before there is an issue.
Vicky Knight said “Congratulations – this is real progress. Strong, organised and active branches deliver for members, so well done to all concerned on this outcome”.
Lisa Hamilton-Murray working with UCU on this ongoing workload project, “I really value the open communication with UCU. This is a new way of working and I appreciate the openness and the efforts to make this a real working relationship; working to improve practice for the benefit of staff and students in our organisation.”
UCU Newcastle College Branch’s Workload Working Group. Left to right: Vicky Knight President-Elect UCU, Donna Walton, Kerry Lemon, Anya Cook Branch Chair, Lisa Hamilton-Murray Assistant Principal, Christine Burdon
