Selected LUCU and National UCU Wins
May 2024: Car Parking
At the Campus Trade Unions’ (UCU, Unite & Unison) request, management agreed to create staff only parking areas and install barriers.
See this article for more details.
May 2024: UCU fights and wins on an extension to USS early retirement factor change
Due to UCU pressure, changes have now been delayed to 1st October 2024.
See this article for more details.
April 2024: USS benefits restored in full
Members of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), the UK’s largest private pension scheme, have now had their benefits restored in full. The restoration comes after UCU members took 69 days of strike action in defence of the scheme and two years after employers forced through cuts that meant guaranteed benefits were slashed by 35%.
See this article for more details.
March 2024: Improvements to Sickness Absence Policy from UCU
LUCU have negotiated improvements to the University’s Managing Sickness Absence Policy on your behalf.
See this article for more details.
October 2023: UCU Members win USS Pensions Dispute
Congratulations to all our members both locally and nationally who contributed to industrial action, forcing our employers to reverse pensions cuts.
See this article for more details.
October 2022: Campus Trade Unions win commitment of LU to becoming an accredited living wage employer
After working closely with the local Unison and Unite committees on a living wage campaign, we can report that management has reiterated its commitment to paying staff the living wage and to becoming an accredited living wage employer. The Vice-Chancellor indicated his support for this in our October quarterly meeting with him, and so we expect further information on this in the coming months.
2022: Campus Trade Unions win removal of ratings from PDR
LUCU, alongside our sister branches of Unite and Unison, negotiated that performance ratings be removed from the PDR process.
2022: LUCU wins changes to new staff dress code
LUCU successfully argued against the introduction of a prescriptive dress code as part of the Employee Code of Conduct in 2022, replacing it with the simple requirement that you can do your job in what you’re wearing.
2020: LUCU gets LU to remove Occupational Health hurdle over Covid concerns
During the COVID pandemic / lockdowns LUCU successfully argued that staff concerns about exposure to other staff and students did not need to be progressed through an Occupational Health route – LUCU argued that this would deter staff by stigmatising their legitimate concerns as an individual rather than collective concern.
2019: LUCU win retention of opt out for recording of lectures
LUCU prevented the introduction of the extremely unpopular mandatory recording of lectures, ensuring that staff maintained the option to opt out of the system if they wished.
2018: LUCU improves conditions for non-EU staff
LUCU negotiated removal of the policy issued in 2017 that non-EU staff needed to report their whereabouts to HR whenever they left their office (including trips to the library, lab, lecture theatre).
2018: LUCU convince VC to make a public stand against UUK’s proposed USS changes
LUCU negotiated the VC’s January 2018 letter which critiqued UUK’s proposed abolition of USS as a defined benefit pension scheme. At the time no other University had issued such a statement. This led to the first split on the UUK side of the dispute, which was eventually successful (which has resulted in significant financial benefits to all USS members).
2018: LUCU negotiate to protect Tier 2 visa-holders’ right to strike
LUCU negotiated a local agreement during the 2018 USS dispute which protected Tier 2 visa-holders’ right to strike.
2016: LUCU convince VC to make a public stand against UCEA’s approach to industrial relations
LUCU negotiated the VC’s 2016 letter to UCEA where he criticised UCEA’s approach to industrial relations, stating that it was not “conducive to reaching a settlement without unnecessarily aggravating an already difficult situation” and noted that “to take a particularly hard line with regard to things like sanctions against those involved in industrial action will neither make the situation any easier nor be likely to lead to any faster resolution”.
Circa 2007-2008: LUCU wins changes to leave year to benefit staff
LU SMT were intending to change the end of the leave year from 31st March to end of January (in order to mitigate the impact of Easter each year). LUCU persuaded SMT to change that to end of April, LUCU’s argument being that staff could then take their leave during weather that is more likely to be warmer / drier and finer.