UMUCU hardship fund
The University of Manchester branch Hardship Fund for members taking industrial action
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Donations are welcome, and needed more than ever!
With the University threatening to withhold 100% of salary from colleagues participating on the Marking and Assessment Boycott, we need our local hardship fund to be as strong as ever! If you are not affected by the MAB, or would simply like to contribute towards this cause, please donate to the following account:
UCU University of Manchester Hardship Fund
Sort code: 60-83-01
Account number: 20392565
Thank you!
Terms and Conditions
Please note that the following Terms and Conditions may change in the light of the amount of money available in the Hardship Fund and number and level of claims.
Please note that the following Terms and Conditions may be varied in the light of the amount of money available in the Hardship Fund and number and level of claims.
1. The University of Manchester UCU (UMUCU) local Hardship Fund will be used to support members in the 2023 UCURising dispute.
2. The purpose of the fund is to enable the branch to alleviate hardship. Examples of particular hardship include:
- Being low-paid (e.g. small fractional contract; or hourly-paid equivalent to only a small fraction)
- That the industrial action disproportionately affects you (e.g. strike days fall on the only day(s) you work; they’re the day(s) you work most; pay lost due to industrial action is compounded by irreversible childcare costs; you’re an international member repaying visa loans to the university; pay lost compounds particular financial difficulties).
- That you are impacted by the University’s punitive deduction of salary for taking part in the Marking and Assessment Boycott (MAB).
3. Applications for up to 3 of the 5 days of strike action in September can be made to the national Fighting Fund: https://my.ucu.org.uk/app/answers/detail/a_id/544‘ (please note that you can apply to the national Fighting Fund for up to eleven days of action taken prior to 30 April 2023, potentially including two of the strike days in November 2022).
4. Members who lose 100% of pay for taking part in the MAB or any other industrial action from 1 May 2023 should apply initially to the national Fighting Fund, which will provide support for up to nine days (as described in the HE Disputes Guidance). For any additional support needed for payments lost during the MAB, or if support is needed urgently, applications can be made to the UMUCU local Hardship Fund.
5. Members facing what are effectively partial (currently 50%) deductions for participating in the MAB should seek support from this hardship fund before approaching the national fund. Payments will ordinarily be made at the same rates as those stipulated for the national Fighting Fund in cases of partial deductions, i.e. £30 per day for members earning £30k or more gross per year and £45 per day for members earning less than £30k. Higher payments can be considered in exceptional circumstances, as in point 6 below.
6. In order to support as many members as possible, the maximum daily compensation that a member can claim from the UMUCU local Hardship Fund will be £50 per day (for those earning £30k or more) or £75 per day (for those earning less than £30k) for 100% deductions. In exceptional circumstances (e.g. for hourly paid colleagues with loss greater than 1/365 of annual earnings), members may apply to the Hardship Fund for top up pay beyond this cap (for example if you earn £87 a day and the UK-level cap is £50, you can apply to make up some of the difference per day from the local fund, though we are unable to make up the full amount or to pay a greater amount than has been deducted. This will be awarded at our discretion, where funds permit).
7. The UMUCU Hardship Fund will, as a general rule, only make payments for income lost during days for which you cannot apply to the national Fighting Fund. Payments for earlier days will only be made in exceptional circumstances, for example when payment is needed very quickly (please note that the national Fighting Fund can also prioritise payments in special circumstances).
8. Application to the fund is via the forms available here for MAB claims (link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/UMUCU_MAB) and here for September 2023 strike days (link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/UMUCU_Sept23)
9. Claims from lower paid members and those on insecure contracts will be prioritised.
10. Where possible, claims should be supported by proof of loss of earnings in the form of PDF of a payslip showing strike deductions. If your payslip does not clearly demonstrate loss of earnings, we suggest that you provide some or all of the following: a copy of your contract, correspondence concerning work (such as marking) to be undertaken at a particular time, any evidence of marking offered, information on marking that you took on last year for comparison, your timetable or a letter/email from the employer setting out your teaching times, or informing you of cancelled classes, any form or schedule which you completed in order to receive payment for the relevant period of industrial action etc. We will also need to know the rate of pay which you were to receive for those hours. If possible, please provide a recent pay slip for a period unaffected by industrial action for comparison. If you have any questions regarding evidence, please contact ucu@manchester.ac.uk.
11. Members should submit the claim as soon as possible following loss of pay, and no later than three months of the date of loss of pay (or the date at which you become aware of the loss).
12. Claims from members who are in arrears of subscriptions or are not paying the correct level of subscription based on their earnings will not be accepted.
Members of the UMUCU Executive Committee will administer the Hardship Fund with reference to UCU Guidance. Cases of uncertainty or dispute will be referred to the Branch President and Secretary. All information provided with an application will be treated as strictly confidential.
The University of Manchester UCU is grateful to all those who have contributed to the Hardship Fund.