AGM 2023 – Motions

Finance motions

Finance motion 1 - Increasing the local levy

Proposed by: UCU Glasgow Committee

UCU Glasgow notes:

1. UCU members pay both a national subscription that goes to UCU national (current
rates available here) and a local levy that branches set themselves which goes to the
local branch directly.
2. UCU Glasgow currently has a levy that is significantly lower in absolute terms
compared to similar branches and is currently a flat rate for members earning over
£22,000 (all local levies available here).
3. UCU Glasgow has not increased the local levy since financial year 2008/2009 and the
flat rate does not reflect our proportional or progressive branch values.

UCU Glasgow believes:

1. Healthy local finances will enable us to run effective campaigns and grow our branch
in the most sustainable way.
2. Union subscriptions should be proportional and progressive, with those on higher
salaries paying more than members on lower-paying contracts.

UCU Glasgow resolves:

1. To change the local levy to the following proportional rates (approx 0.0075% per
month of the lower annual salary for each band).

Current levy per month Proposed levy per month

F0 - £60,000 and above £2.00 £4.50

F1 - £40,000 - £59,999 £2.00 £3.00
F2 - £30,000 - £39,999 £2.00 £2.25
F3 - £22,000 - £29,999 £2.00 £1.65
 F4 - £15,000 - £21,999 £1.20 £1.13
F5 - £5,000 - £14,999 £0.45 £0.38
F6 - below £5,000 £0.10 £0.10

Retired members nil £0.10

Attached members nil £0.10

Finance motion 2 – Committing an annual transfer from general account to local hardship
fund
Proposed by: UCU Glasgow Committee

UCU Glasgow notes:

1. UCU Glasgow has two separate bank accounts, one general account and one local
hardship fund.
2. Every month, UCU Glasgow receives the local levies from members directly to our
general bank account.
3. The local hardship fund has been supporting members during the UCU Rising action,
particularly during the Marking and Assessment Boycott.

UCU Glasgow believes:

1. A proportion of the money we receive via the local levy should always be reserved
to explicitly support members in need, once all running costs of the branch are
covered and retaining 1 years estimated running costs at all time.

UCU Glasgow resolves:

1. To transfer 50% of the remaining total comprehensive income at the end of each
financial year from the branch general account to the local hardship fund, during
years when all running costs are covered and when 1 years estimated running costs
remain in the general fund.
Rule change motion (require a 2/3 majority to pass)

Rule change motion 1 – Updating local rules to reflect local practice

Proposer: Richard Reeve

Seconder: Vladimir Unkovski-Korica

UCU Glasgow notes:

1. Currently, UCU Glasgow rules do not reflect how UCU Glasgow business is run on a
day-to-day basis.
2. The rules were written before any branch business was conducted online, and now
e.g. calling, holding and voting at meetings electronically is common practice.
3. General Meetings often run out of time, and it's often the same members who speak
during meetings.
4. It is local practice for the new Committee to take position from the day after the
AGM.
5. There are some other formatting errors in the local Rules, such as duplicate wording,
gendered language, etc.

UCU Glasgow believes:

1. It is important that our local rules reflect how the branch is run, and facilitates the
participation of as many members in the Branch as possible.
2. Conducting branch business online
3. Shorter speaking times during meeting will shorten meetings and enable more
different members to speak to issues.

UCU Glasgow resolves:

1. To change the local rules according to the document ‘Rule change motion 1 –
Proposed changes’, to the following effects:

a. Enable branch business such as calling Committee or Geneal Meeting,

submitting motions, nominating members for the Branch Committee or
delegate positions within UCU structures to be conducted online;
b. Enable electronic voting during hybrid and online meetings;
c. Shorten speech times at General Meetings, with proposers able to speak for
three minutes, and all other speakers for two minutes;
d. Add Subcommittees to the local Rules, to comply with local practice in 7.5;
 e. Remove gendered language from the local rules by replacing his/her with
their;
f. Change 9.5. Terms of Office to reflect local practice with new Committee
starting immediately after the AGM, rather than in September;
g. Remove duplicated sentence in Rule 21;
h. Remove instructions from Model Rules from the local rules in Rule 22.

Rule change motion 2 – Committee positions

Proposer: Richard Reeve

Seconder: Vladimir Unkovski-Korica

UCU Glasgow notes:

1. UCU Glasgow currently has five Branch Officers roles.

UCU Glasgow believes:

1. Adding more positions to the Branch Officers will facilitate sharing responsibilities
and workload amongst more members, as well as adding expertise to the daily
running of UCU Glasgow Branch.

UCU Glasgow resolves:

1. To change the local rules according to the document ‘Rule change motion 2 –
Committee positions’, to the following effects:

a. Add Anti-Casualisation, Sustainability and Equalities Officers to 8.1, Officers of

the LA (Local Association);
b. Rename the Membership & Recruitment Secretary to Organising Officer;
c. Remove ex officio members of the Committee as Branch Officers;
d. Update responsibilities of Branch Officers to reflect local practice in 8.1.1;
e. Enable members other than the President to be able to chair meetings in 8.2;
f. Update job descriptions for Organising Officer, Equalities Officer, Anti-
Casualisation Officer and Sustainability Officer in 8.5 - 8.8;
g. Update all Committee positions accordingly in 7.3;
h. Enabling members the possibility to run for Equalities, Sustainability and Anti-
Casualisation Officer without the extra responsibilities of being a Branch Officer
in 7.3.
 2. To work with the 2023/24 Committee to implement these changes to Committee
and Officer roles as soon as possible after the 2023 AGM.

Rule change motion 3

Proposer: Marion Hersh

Seconder: Helen Hardman

UCU Glasgow resolves to:

Replace rule 1 by

The name of the Branch is ‘The University of Glasgow Branch of the University and College
Union’, subsequently referred to as the Branch.

Subsequently replace LA by Branch.

Local motions

Local Motion 1 - Sexual Harassment Working Group Motion – Survivor-centred approach

and Emily Test
Proposer: Chrismas Sanachan
Seconder: Matt Mahon

UCU Glasgow notes:

1. The Ross Report published 2022 by Morag Ross KC

2. University of Glasgow Staff and Student Codes of conduct
3. University of Glasgow’s current provision of training and support to address GBV,
harassment and other forms of abuse on campus
4. The Emily Test GBV Charter for Higher Education, named for Emily Drouet.

UCU Glasgow believes:

1. A survivor-centred approach is essential to collectively address GBV
2. The University’s current policies and provision of training and support on campus do
not centre survivors

UCU Glasgow resolves to:

1. Support members with a commitment to survivor-centred practice
2. Work with Emily’s family to support wide-scale adoption of the Charter and call on
the University to affiliate to the Emily Charter immediately
3. Continue to engage meaningfully with University management to implement
survivor-centred practice in all relevant forums, including negotiations, individual
casework and through the work of our Sexual Harassment Working Group

Local motion 2 - People and Planet USS Legal Challenge

Proposer: Marion Hersh
Seconder: Helen Hardman

UCU Glasgow notes:

1. The potential impact of making USS directors accountable to USS members and
preventing them abusing their powers and leading to USS withdrawing from fossil fuels. The
risks of full benefit restoration being derailed with be reduced.

2. Financial and other support agreed by Congress 2022 has not been made.
3. There is a date for the Court of Appeal of 13 June.
4. Good progress in raising the £350,000 required, but not there yet.
UCU Glasgow agrees to make a donation of £700 to the legal challenge and to write to
members to encourage them to also make donations, even a very small one.

Local motion 3 - Solidarity with City of Glasgow College

Proposer: Marion Hersh

Seconder: Helen Hardman

UCU Glasgow notes the proposed 100 compulsory redundancies and indefinite strike action
to start at the end of May.

UCU Glasgow agrees to

1. Send a message of support and solidarity to EIS at City of Glasgow College.
2. Send a donation of £400 to the strike/hardship fund.

3. Encourage members to attend picket lines.

Local motion 4 - Resist Threatened Redundancies at the University of East Anglia (UEA)

Proposer: David Featherstone

Seconder: Diarmaid Kelliher and Lazaros Karaliotas
UCU Glasgow notes with extreme concern threatened redundancies at the University of East
Anglia. We call on the branch to support campaigns in defence of these jobs, to publicise the
threats to these jobs and to call on UCU nationally to link different struggles against
redundancies and to see them as a sector wide issue and threat.

UCU Glasgow calls on the union to greylist UEA, for external examiners at UEA to resign and
for the branch to donate to the UEA UCU branch hardship fund.
Local motion 5 - Resist regressive promotion criteria changes

Proposer: Vladimir Unkovski-Korica

Seconder: Jenny Morrison

UCU Glasgow notes:

1. The attempted changes to the professorial promotion criteria (A1, A2 and C) this year.
2. The union’s response in February, noting failure to agree.
3. SMG’s consequent withdrawal of the proposed changes.
4. SMG’s stated determination to bring back these changes for consultation over the
summer for next year’s promotion round.

UCU Glasgow believes:

1. The attempted changes to the professorial promotion criteria were unfair, unreasonable
and potentially discriminatory, and constituted an attempt at performance management.
2. The attempted changes to the promotion criteria should not be subject to consultation,
but negotiation.
3. Where required, negotiated changes should give individuals sufficient notice to plan their
careers accordingly.

UCU Glasgow resolves:

1. To resist any similar changes to promotion criteria to those attempted this year,
declaring a local dispute and industrial action if necessary.
2. To seek trade union representation in an observer capacity on college promotion
panels.