Southampton UCU is currently consulting members about entering formal disputes with the University of Southampton on two separate matters, as summarised below.

Proposed dispute over Modernising the Governance changes

• This relates to changes to the University Charter, governance and employment procedures (e.g. disciplinary, grievance, capability, redundancy etc.) that were imposed on all staff on 1 August 2023, against the objections of 2 of the 3 campus trade unions.
• Southampton UCU has the following concerns:
  – The changes weaken protections for academic freedom by removing references to international standards. This coincides with a rise in members’ concern about the suppression of academic freedom for political, financial and recruitment reasons.
  –  The changes generally (i) remove council oversight of decisions taken using various employment procedures, and (ii) lower the seniority of managers who may be in a position of taking decisions that could have considerable consequences for the staff concerned.
  – Timescales. There is no firm commitment to ensure that e.g. disciplinaries and grievances are handled in a timely manner. There are insufficient safeguards to ensure that staff subject to procedures have enough time to access union advice (bearing in mind the caseworker shortage at Southampton).

Proposed dispute over Marking and Assessment Boycott (MAB) Grievances

• This proposed dispute IS NOT about whether you agreed with the UCU’s decision to hold a MAB, it IS NOT about whether you participated in the MAB, and it IS NOT about whether you think the pay deductions that the University applied to staff participating in the MAB were fair or unfair.
• This proposed dispute IS about whether you believe a member of staff submitting a grievance has a right to have that grievance heard, as employment law requires.
• The University of Southampton has refused to hear MAB-related grievances that have been submitted by UCU members. Southampton UCU considers this to be a clear breach of members’ legal rights under the ACAS Code of Practice.
• This sets a very dangerous precedent that could have an enormously detrimental impact on the employment rights of all staff at the University of Southampton.

Consultation Questions and Branch Executive Committee Recommendations

• Question 1 asks members if they would like to enter a formal dispute over the Modernising the Governance Changes. The Branch Executive Committee advises members to vote ‘yes’.
• Question 2 asks members what action they would like the Branch to take if members vote to enter a formal dispute over the Modernising the Governance Changes.
• Question 3 asks members if they would like to enter a formal dispute over the University’s refusal to hear MAB grievances. The Branch Executive Committee advises members to vote ‘yes’.
• Question 4 asks members what action they would like the Branch to take if members vote to enter a formal dispute over the University’s refusal to hear MAB grievances.

NB1: The Branch has explored all available options to avoid entering a dispute on these matters, but we now have no other option but to ask members to vote to enter formal disputes.

NB2: This consultation is not a vote for industrial action, and a ‘yes’ vote does not authorise industrial action.

Further details about the dispute can be found at https://southampton.web.ucu.org.uk/2023/12/20/southampton-ucu-local-disputes-online-consultation-2023-24/.