As our members & many other UCU branches already know, on 9 July, our campus TUs were served a letter under section 188 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/52/section/188

1/
Since formally notifying us of the S188, University of Sheffield management has written to all staff outlining the possible changes to our pay and conditions that University management is considering:

2/
Uni management has told staff that if agreement is not reached in the 90 day consultation, they may unilaterally impose any/all of the above changes to terms & conditions via dismissal & re-engagement.

This is not good faith consultation #NoFireAndRehire

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/hr/collective-consultation/index
The staffside trade unions have serious concerns about the University of Sheffield's use of S188. We view it as premature, & the inherent threat of dismissal and re-engagement impedes meaningful consultation over the financial position.

We call on management to #WithdrawS188

4/
University management are pursuing savings of £100m, a number which has not changed with evolving admissions data, nor a voluntary severance scheme which has saved over £12m.

We will not know the full admissions picture until October, *after* the S188 consultation has ended.
5/
If, as University of Sheffield leadership states, non-staff cuts may be enough to make up any shortfall, why are we prematurely consulting via a formal S188 process now? How can a consultation conducted without full data be considered meaningful? It cannot be. 6/

#WithdrawS188
We have expressed our concerns to management about conducting an S188 consultation during Covid19. Of the 8,000+ staff members at @UniSheffield, how many lack reliable internet access? How many might be ill, or have additional caring responsibilities? 7/

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.894626!/file/Letter-to-IWUoS170720.pdf
In responding, management have referenced one of our own tweets about a meeting with ~250 attendees across the unions. While this meeting was impressive, it ≠ consultation with 8,000+ staff, & it does not address our concerns about reaching all staff. 8/

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.894387!/file/consultation-unison-reply.pdf
For consultation to be meaningful, it must be clear. University leadership needs to specify which of the myriad list of possible changes to terms & conditions it wishes to pursue, how much money they would save, & why they consider changes to staff T&Cs to be the only option. 9/
@UniSheffield's decision to enter into S188 is premature & does not engender good will with staff. We call on management to #WithdrawS188 & instead to meaningfully and transparently consult with us on uni finances without the spectre of dismissal & re-engagement. #NoFireAndRehire
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