Industrial action, October 2021 - July 2022

Agreement Between Goldsmiths UCU and Goldsmiths Unison

29th July 2022

The College agrees: 

1. The College and Goldsmiths UCU (GUCU) agree to a return-to-work agreement in order to have the student assessments marks completed and uploaded onto the College systems. This process will be phased across a maximum three-week time frame. In doing so priority will be given to Final year undergraduate students and international students. The College agrees that there will be no penalties to staff (salary reductions) providing the threeweek deadline is adhered to, unless there is prior agreement for late marking by the Head of Department or Head of School, such agreement not to be unreasonably withheld.
2. The College agrees to implement a review of the current process of reviewing and managing academic fixed term contracts, including fixed term variations (the “Review”). The College further agrees to amend the Business Case form that accompanies A2A (authority to approve) requests on Business World, to incorporate a question to confirm the objective justification for determining whether a contract should be Fixed Term or permanent. The College agrees that in conducting the Review it will invite representatives of the Trade Unions to participate in the Review. The College will report on the outcome of the Review by 31st December 2022, unless all parties agree an extension in writing via JNCC. The College agrees that it will comply with existing policies concerning Fixed Term Contracts and variations to Fixed Term Contracts until the outcome of the Review is agreed at JNCC. The College notes the guidance on Good Practice for Managing Fixed Term Contract policies will be reviewed as discussed at the last JNCC. 
3. The College confirms that the College’s Associate Lecturer (AL) budgets will be fixed at College level for the financial and academic year 22/23, save that there will be a 10% allowance to the budget which will enable the College to make an adjustment to the budget of 10% (which may be up or down) to enable the College to address fluctuating student intakes and demand. The College will continue with the working group that has been working together over the past year in respect of the revised Assimilation Agreement as approved at JNCC, this work to be concluded by 31st December 2022, unless all parties agree an extension in writing via JNCC.
4. The College confirms that there will be no compulsory redundancies within Tranches 2 – 4 of the Recovery Programme: however, the College and Trade Unions will work collaboratively and constructively together should there be a need for a targeted Voluntary Severance Scheme.
5. Where staff who were in-scope of tranche 1 of the PSB have moved into new roles, the College confirms that those roles would not be in scope for redundancy for a period of three years. The three year period envisaged by the clause will, for each staff member affected, commence from the date that the staff member moved into their new role. 
6. The College agrees to offer enhanced severance terms to the seven APR redundancy appellants and to the other individuals who were made compulsorily redundant and who did not appeal. However, the acceptance or not of such an offer is an individual decision and beyond the scope of these principles. The principles in this agreement are not dependent on all appellants accepting settlements. There is no obligation for appellants to accept settlements nor to sign Settlement Agreements. 
7. If the seven appellants accept their respective enhanced offers, which will be negotiated individually and will take into account their salary and length of service, they will individually be required to withdraw their appeals and enter into Settlement Agreements which will be prepared by the College; upon all seven appellants signing Settlement Agreements, the College and GUCU and UNISON will make reasonable efforts to agree to wording of communications to the College community and any public communication with GUCU and the individuals concerned (including recovery programme Tranche 1 appellants). If all seven appellants do not sign a settlement, no such communication will be made.
8. The other staff who would be offered enhanced severance terms (in accordance with paragraph 6. above) would also be required to enter into Settlement Agreements which will be prepared by the College; upon all impacted staff signing Settlement Agreements the College will agree make reasonable efforts to agree to wording of communications to the College Community and any public communication with Goldsmiths UNISON and the individuals concerned.
9. The College commits to full compliance with the public sector equalities duty and all future recovery programme EIAs (including terms of reference) will be conducted with equalities representation from GUCU and Goldsmiths UNISON.
10. Following the outcome of appeals in respect of appellants who choose not to sign Settlement Agreements, and the signing of Settlement Agreements of those who have withdrawn their appeals and those who have not appealed, the College commits to work with Unions’ equalities representatives to conduct a retrospective review (including a further EIA and the terms of reference thereof) of the recovery programme tranche 1 (including the restructure). This is to inform any potential lessons learned about possible enduring impacts, identification of mitigation of any such possible impacts, and to inform all parties to collaborative working in the future. 

Goldsmiths UCU agrees:

1. To an immediate lift of the assessment and marking boycott, with a release of marks as soon as they are available as a gesture of good faith. There is an expectation that wherever possible work will be uploaded commencing 29th July 2022 and all other marking to be uploaded as soon as possible. Members of staff should agree the prioritisation of that marking with their Head of Department.
2. That there will be no strike action in Welcome Week of the new academic year 22/23.
3. To immediately request the national office of UCU to remove the grey listing (UCU Global Boycott of Goldsmiths).

Goldsmiths UCU and Goldsmiths UNISON agree:

1. To immediately withdraw their Failure to Agree notices of July 2021.
2. To make reasonable efforts to agree to wording of communication of severance with the College in accordance with paragraphs 7 and 8 above.
3. GUCU and Goldsmiths UNISON confirm their timely participation in all matters covered by this agreement including future recovery programme EIAs. Signed for and on behalf of Goldsmiths College.