Thanks to all of you who attended our last branch meeting on 7 May 2020 \u2013 it was fantastic to see\u00a0so many of\u00a0you\u00a0participating, even if we couldn\u2019t meet face to face. Your contributions were\u00a0really\u00a0valuable, and\u00a0have given us a lot to take back to the table with the University management, especially around the increased workload that non-furloughed colleagues are experiencing at the moment.\u00a0Draft minutes of the meeting are being circulated to members via email.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yesterday at the Joint Negotiation and Consultation\u00a0Committee\u00a0(JNCC) the Memorandum of Understanding between the Trade Unions and the University was ratified.\u00a0You can see the ratified text here<\/a>. We will have to renegotiate this agreement before the end of June, but for now it offers a lot of protection for our members.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following queries from several of our members, we have been pursuing refunds for those staff who are continuing to have payments for car parking or bus passes deducted from their wages as part of the \u2018flexible benefits\u2019 scheme. It seems that the system is not as flexible as we need it to\u00a0be:\u00a0the University have decided that they will not refund any of these charges. With respect to car parking, it seems that the income has already been allocated and spent, and the bus passes cannot be refunded because of the nature of the University\u2019s agreement with Stagecoach.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n We’re sorry that we weren\u2019t more successful in this regard, and we continue to pursue ways to ensure that members are not out of pocket during the pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n As well has representing you in individual cases, and negotiating on collective issues, UNISON also is able to help with financial matters.\u00a0 UNISON There for you \u2013 National welfare fund<\/a>:\u00a0There for You,\u00a0the national charity for UNISON members,\u00a0is here to help UNISON members get the practical and financial support they need.\u00a0They have established a\u00a0CoVid19 Response Fund<\/a>\u00a0to help ease immediate financial pressures for members\u00a0including those who have become more vulnerable by providing an immediate grant of \u00a3250 to help with essentials.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n For details on eligibility and application, please visit CoVid19ResponseFund<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have been successful in ensuring that those staff currently on fixed term contracts will be offered the opportunity to go on the redeployment register six months before their contract end date (was three months before contract end\u00a0date)<\/a>. We believe that this will be operational this\u00a0week, but\u00a0are awaiting confirmation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t forget you can undertake training and development whilst on furlough (or even when you\u2019re not!)\u00a0The staff development portal is the best way to find the full range of training currently offered by the\u00a0University :\u00a0https:\/\/www.lancaster.ac.uk\/staff-development\/<\/a>.\u00a0 By participating in these opportunities, you are not only contributing to your professional development but also adding to your staff training record, which is can be beneficial to your prospects with the University in the long run.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n As UNISON members, you can also access additional free online learning opportunities via: https:\/\/learning.unison.org.uk\/member-learning\/<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Trans Inclusion: Work to develop a policy and guidance to support trans inclusion for staff and students is progressing. The EDI team are\u00a0really keen\u00a0for all those with experience of trans inclusion at LU, whether personally or in delivering a service, to feed into the conversations and consultations on this.\u00a0They are holding an online drop-in consultation session on this on 20 May 2020.\u00a0If you would like to get involved, please contact the EDI team via email at\u00a0edi@lancaster.ac.uk<\/a>\u00a0 Thanks to all of you who attended our last branch meeting on 7 May 2020 \u2013 it was fantastic to see\u00a0so many of\u00a0you\u00a0participating, even if we couldn\u2019t meet face to face. Your contributions were\u00a0really\u00a0valuable, and\u00a0have given us a lot to take back to the table with the University management, especially around the increased workload that … <\/p>\nCar parking \/ bus passes <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Welfare <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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UNISON \u2013 Lancaster University Branch<\/a>:\u00a0We have a local fund within our branch to assist any member who is undergoing financial difficulties and would like some assistance. There is a short form to complete and any application is treated in the strictest confidence, in accordance with GDPR legislation. This could simply be a request for short term help such as buying food or fuel. This is available throughout the year to all UNISON members. Please email\u00a0unison@lancaster.ac.uk<\/a>\u00a0for information on how funds are allocated.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nRedeployment information\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Training\u00a0\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
EDI <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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