Aberdeen Universities UNISON

STRIKE! RGU Dates Announced

STRIKE - Take Action! 

Dates have now been announced for industrial action at the Robert Gordon University over the derisory 3% pay award this year. 

We are asking all members to take strike action and not attend the workplace on the following dates:

• Monday 19th September
  Monday strike action is no longer taking place due to State funeral.
   
• Tuesday 20th September
• Wednesday 21st September
• Monday 3rd October
• Tuesday 4th October

As you will have seen in earlier communications, almost 80% of members rejected this year's 3% pay award.  This offer is worth only £65 a month for many of our middle grades, and even though lower grades had a higher percentage applied to the national pay spine, those grades are already so low that the larger increases would have minimal effect due to us already paying above the pay spine points due to the fact that we, along with most other universities, already pay the real living wage rate.

With energy bills skyrocketing, and interest rates going up, that amount simply is not enough, especially as it come after years of below inflation pay awards (including 0% in 2020).

ALL MEMBERS JOIN THE STRIKE ACTION!! 

Only by standing together to reject the pay offer will anything change.  Enough is enough, and HE members simply can't absorb another below inflation pay rise.  It is time to take a stand and ensure that the university knows that the current pay award is unacceptable.

Further information and FAQ on industrial action.

Categories: Branch | Campaigns | Pay | RGU | Strike

RGU Agrees 35 Hour Week and Increased Holidays

Members at the Robert Gordon University will have seen the email from the Principal, Prof Steve Olivier with regard to harmonising working hours and leave entitlement.

UNISON are delighted that we have managed to achieve this agreement at RGU after many years.  To be clear for all staff, the 35 hour week and harmonisation of holidays with academic staff is directly due to the efforts of UNISON and other trade unions.  The principal of fairness in holidays and the 35 hour week was a key part of the framework agreement back in 2006, and was to be implemented across the Higher Education sector.

UNISON at RGU have continually raised this issue with the University, however until recently little progress had been made.  With the onset of the pandemic and the rise of hybrid working, we raised this issue once again with the University, particularly in the context of further benefits applying to some staff - i.e. those who have the option of working from home, whilst staff who do not have that option could not.  At the same time those staff still suffered the significant inequality where holidays were not only less than academic staff, but also less than professional and support staff on higher grades.

We were encouraged therefore when we had one of our first meetings with Prof Olivier, and raised the issue of working hours and harmonisation of holidays.  In that meeting Prof Olivier was clear that he also shared the concern over this inequality and was keen to do something about it.  This then culminated in a meeting earlier this month where UNISON was very happy to agree to the proposed changes through our collective bargaining agreement, on behalf of all staff.

Those changes met our expectations in full and mean that:

• All P&SS staff will reduce hours from 37 to 35 per week, with no loss of pay, and no detriment – part time staff will reduce hours pro-rata – hourly rate will increase.
• All P&SS staff will increase holidays to match academic staff (36 days + 10 fixed days).  That means our lowest paid staff will receive an addition 8 days holiday a year (from 28+10 previously).

I'm sure you will all agree that this is a great result for all staff, and will welcome the news in the same way that we did.

Categories: Benefits | Information | Members | RGU