Promotions process changes

UMUCU were pleased to engage in the process of developing the T&S promotion criteria to provide a more robust procedure to support promotion opportunities. One of our members sat on the task and finish group; we would largely commend the University on the approach taken.

However, without proper consultation, management has engaged in a wider revision to all criteria, especially the teaching criteria. As well as adding hurdles to promotion, the criteria seem mostly impossible to evaluate with any objectivity, and concerns over fairness seem inevitable. Worse, a statement has been issued suggesting members of the UMUCU Exec had in some way signed off these changes; this is most certainly not true.

We made our views clear regarding the way promotion is managed when we issued our ten minimum requirements in 2023. We also expressed our frustration with the process for appeal which is unfit for purpose and remains so: an FOI request reveals that over the last 5 years, over 30 appeals were made, with approximately one of those being upheld. 

We will be issuing some of our own proposals for developing the promotions process in Jan 2025. If you would like to be involved in this please email ucu@manchester.ac.uk.