A correction to In The Loop issue 291

Figures on UCU membership presented in last week’s In the Loop were incorrect. The article on strike action stated that

‘There are 437 members of UCU amongst academic and professional staff at St Andrews, 250 of whom voted to strike. The University has a total staff complement of 2100.’

There were 437 members of UCU on the last day for the issue of ballot papers in the vote on industrial action over UUK proposals to reform the USS pension scheme. That was 12 January 2018. UCU membership at St Andrews is now, just six weeks later, over 600, and growing every day.

The article in In the Loop presents UCU membership next to the full staff complement. The full staff complement is not the relevant group against which to compare UCU membership. There are three campus unions, UCU, Unison and Unite. Employees are free to join any union they wish, but they normally join the union that works on the issues that affect them as a group, called a bargaining group. The shorthand way of identifying UCU’s bargaining group is by grade. Most of our members are grade 6 and above, the same grades as are eligible to become USS members. There were 1424 staff in those grades in April 2017. No doubt there are more now.

I am not here claiming that UCU represents a greater proportion of eligible staff than the numbers above suggest. That’s because UCU is proud also to represent hourly-paid academic staff. These colleagues are not even given the status of employees by the university, though they deliver a significant part of the university’s teaching. I would rather UCU represents the people who need support in their fight for fair conditions of work than claim a larger share of eligible members.

More than one colleague has told me they thought the presentation of these numbers misleading; I doubt it has done the University’s claim to be accurately presenting the numbers relating to the valuation of the USS pension fund any good at all.

Tom Jones, President of the UCU St Andrews