Tomorrow is pay day and we are asking members and colleagues who are not taking part in the boycott to donate the equivalent of a net day of pay to support those who are facing deductions for taking part in the Marking and Assessment Boycott.

The first deductions will be taken out of May’s pay and for a number of members these will be substantial due to the unnecessarily harsh stance taken by Heriot-Watt University.

Participating members will be deducted at the punitive rate of 50%, which is far in excess of the time allocated for marking. The deductions will be applied from one week before the marking was due and will run open-ended for 7 days per week (except for when leave has been booked) until the marking is done or the dispute is settled.

This action is being taken to improve pay and conditions for everyone, so lets give generously to support our colleagues. We cannot let our own members be bullied into undoing their own actions by these excessive and unfair deductions.

Details of how to donate can be found on the branch website at https://heriotwatt.web.ucu.org.uk/donate/ and the more people who donate the lighter the load on each of us.

Please circulate this among non-members and remind them of the value of collective action and sacrifice which has already seen significant movement in the restoration of our USS benefits.

You can also contact to your MP/MSP and urge them to write to the Principal and demand that he withdraw his threats and work with the unions to reach a settlement.

Guidance for donations

1. No member should put themselves into debt or hardship in order to donate.
2. Members who are boycotting, student members, those on casualised contracts and/or employed part-time at G6 or full-time G5 (and below) are not expected to donate.
3. Members on fractional (part-time) contracts should pro rata any donations in line with their contract. So, “a day’s pay” on a 0.5 contract would be half a day’s pay.
4. Those wishing to support the MAB financially are encouraged to:
   • Donate a day’s net pay on 31st May, equivalent to what they would lose if they had been on strike for a day, to the Branch hardship fund.
   • Pledge at least 3 further day’s pay in June (circa.10% pay) to be donated if required, and then the same each month for the full duration of the boycott. We will set up a form for pledges in June.
5. Amounts pledged will only be called in if deductions are made and calls are made on the hardship fund, such that they are required. The suggested net daily donation per grade is as follows:
   

   G6	£56
   G7	£72
   G8	£85
   G9	£96
   G10	£105

6. This guidance will be updated if threatened deduction amounts are changed.

Draft text for writing to MSPs on MAB deductions

 Dear

You will be aware members of the University and College Union (UCU) are currently campaigning for long overdue improvements to pay and working conditions. Having taken strike action in recent months staff are back at work full time but have begun a marking and assessment boycott which will impact on a range of activities including exam invigilation and the processing of marks.

You may not be aware that vice-chancellors and principals across the UK are, on the recommendation of the employer body Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), now threatening to deduct up to 100% of staff wages even though  staff are still  at work and carrying out most of their duties, including teaching, lecturing, researching and supporting students.

Making such punitive salary deductions is not only deeply vindictive but also counter-productive. These threats will not bring the dispute closer to a resolution and risk worsening any disruption. Administering these excessively punitive attacks on local staff taking part in a national dispute is a poor use of a university’s time and resources. 

Staff are the backbone of our universities and they dedicate their working lives to supporting students and ensuring they can get the best out of their time studying. They deserve to be treated with respect at work. They do not deserve to be on the receiving end of such disproportionately massive deductions during a cost-of-living crisis.

I am urging you to write to the Principal of Heriot-Watt University, Richard Williams at R.A.Williams@hw.ac.uk and demand that they withdraw the threats against their own staff and instead use their influence with UCEA to resolve the disputes as quickly as possible.

I would also like to draw your attention to the attack on students’ education by the employers who have decided to bypass academic quality processes which could affect students’ future employment. Staff at Heriot-Watt have organised an open letter to raise concerns about the university’s response to the Marking and Assessment Boycott. A link to the open letter and further information can be found at  https://forms.gle/ZBnEtZYziko7jooV9

Yours sincerely

There will be an online meeting on Thursday 27 April from 3.30 to 4.30 to discuss the practicalities of staging a successful the marking and assessment boycott and how we should react to the disproportionate salary deductions announced by Heriot-Watt. We will be voting on motions so it is important that as many members attend as possible.

Zoom links have been sent by email. For a reminder please contact your rep or one of the officers on the branch committee.

If you need BSL interpreting please contact marion.fletcher@hw.ac.uk to arrange. If you need to speak to us about anything else, or if you need advice or reassurance about anything related to the MAB please contact us in confidence at HWGTVO2022@gmail.com.