This page lists motions passed by the branch at quorate branch meetings. Motions from the current year are listed here: please see the motions archive pages for older motions.
Motion passed 5th February 2026 by quorate branch meeting
Proposer: Ruth Ballardie; Seconder: Richard Wild
Breach of academic contracts/ London Weighting/ Potential redundancies – local industrial action mandate
Given:
- That a breach of the Post-92 national academic contract regarding the maximum number of teaching hours required of fractional staff in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences was brought to the notice of the JNC in Sept 2025 and meetings to discuss this have been repeatedly postponed, including two in Jan, with no further meeting currently scheduled.
- That the low level of the London Weighing for academic staff who are paid £1248 /yr below that of all other staff groups in the University was first raised at a JNC in July 2023, leading to agreement to commence collective bargaining with UCU at the JNC 12th March 2025, but with all subsequent meetings repeatedly postponed, cancelled, etc so that no meetings were held, and with further postponement now to October 2026. NB: The uplift cost is estimated at £1.5 million. Financial surpluses have been 3 yrs x £33million, last year £27 million
- That the Management of the University can be reasonably be seen to be engaging in tactics of postponing meetings to avoid addressing these collective bargaining issues.
Furthermore, given that
- There is uncertainty about the potential impact on staffing of the new Curriculum framework currently commencing its roll-out
- The significant uncertainty related to the ‘merger’ /takeover of Kent University regarding the significant risk of further redundancies.
- The refusal of the management of the University of Greenwich to confirm that there would be no further redundancies before September 2026 at the University of Greenwich
The branch resolves to take all necessary steps towards registering and resolving a dispute over
- the demand to 1. engage within 1 week with the UCU to confirm the Management of the University of Greenwich’s continued recognition of the post-92 national academic contract and to rectify the breach identified; 2. that those staff affected be identified by HR and given immediate recognition and restitution of their contractual rights, with teaching hours amended to reflect their fractional contract and for back pay of excessive hours already worked
- UCU demand for an immediate minimum uplift in LW of £1248 to bring academics in line with the rest of the University of Greenwich, with back pay to 12th March 2025.
- The demand by the UCU for the Management of the University of Greenwich to confirm no compulsory redundancies before September 2026.
and that in the absence of a resolution, that the branch moves to take all the necessary steps towards raising a collective dispute and holding a ballot of members concerning industrial action over these issues, including but not limited to strike action in relation to this issue.