Principal’s Letter: Change to ASOS policy

[March 5 2018]

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last few days, I’ve talked with a number of you, and others have written thoughtfully, on the matter of the current industrial action.

Two particular areas of concern have been raised, and I wish to address these with you.

First, a statement made in my message of 20 February to the community has been presented as having an unfair or even sinister meaning. I have spent my entire career working for diversity, equality, and access. I would never set up a ‘trade’ between  employer pensions contributions and employees’ workplace rights. What I wanted to do was be honest and open with you. If a solution is reached in this new phase of negotiations that requires the University to make a larger contribution to pensions, of course we shall find a way to do so. As a community, we would have to determine our priorities in those circumstances. This university has never been opposed to the principle of paying more to safeguard our staff’s futures and I will always be guided by my precepts of fairness, excellence, and inclusivity.

 Second, many of you have raised certain aspects of ASOS. Having considered all matters in the round, I believe that our current policy to deduct pay at 100% for failure to reschedule classes cancelled due to strike action is inconsistent with this University’s values and the store we place on our shared sense of community.

 This has been a longstanding policy at St Andrews and other universities, motivated by a desire to minimise disruption to our students from any industrial action. As such, our Human Resources Department had a duty to inform staff before action began. However, I believe that in our current circumstances the policy itself is unfair and clearly counter-productive, and I am sorry for the distress it has caused to our staff, students, and alumni.

 I have accordingly asked our HR Department to amend our ASOS policy with immediate effect, to make it clear that pay will not be deducted for Action Short of a Strike in this regard.

 Negotiations aimed at resolving the national dispute over pensions will continue this week. We recognise that pensions are absolutely integral to how our staff plan their futures. We are encouraging the consideration of any proposal which looks after our staff’s futures and is sustainable for universities; which is fair to students; and which recognises the pressing need to reform USS governance.

Sally Mapstone

Principal and Vice-Chancellor