UCAC opens ballot on National Contract for Further Education

15 November 2013

UCAC opens ballot on National Contract for Further Education
 
For over three and a half year, the joint trade unions (AMiE, ATL, GMB, NASUWT, UCAC, UCU, UNISON a UNITE) have been negotiating with ColegauCymru to draw up a National Contract for all employees in Further Education Colleges in Wales. UCAC has been chairing the joint trade union side.
 
 
We have reached agreement between the two parties on a draft contract.
 
Ballot
 
Between 11-29 November, UCAC is holding a ballot of its FE members to decide whether or not they want to adopt the contract for the sector.
 
UCAC and every other union involved in the negotiations is recommending a YES vote in the ballot. We believe that we have reached the best settlement possible through negotiation.
 
These are some of the advantages of the National Contract:
  • it provides protection against an individual college, intent on cost cutting, from worsening your conditions of service
  • by 1 September 2016 all employees will be on the National Contract
  • it will provide a contractual right to a national pay scale
  • it will prohibit zero hours contracts
  • it will provide all direct employees with the living wage backdated to 1 August 2013
An Equality Impact Assessment of the new contract has been undertaken, and the assessor’s opinion is as follows:
 
"Following the equality impact assessment work I can see no reason why the common contract cannot be implemented and be compliant with the public sector equality duty. No indication of direct or indirect discrimination was found. Whilst it has raised issues of disproportionate impact on some groups, actions to address or mitigate these, in order to better advance equality of opportunity can be undertaken after the contract is implemented."
 
Documents
  • Summary of main conditions of service in the National Contract (pdf)
  • The Lecturers’ Workload Agreement (pdf): this agreement sets out the detail about lecturers’ hours and workload
  • The Implementation Agreement (pdf): this document describes how and when the National Contract will be implemented; Colleges will have the right to decide when to implement the contract between 1 January 2014 and 31 August 2016; you will have the right, if you so wish, to remain on your existing contract up until 31 August 2016
  • The National Contract: there are several different versions of the contract (A-J), depending on your staff category (management/lecturer/business support) and your pattern of work (e.g. full-time/part-time/hourly-paid); most of the provisions are identical in each version, however there are some difference, for example regarding holiday entitlement; only one version will be relevant to any individual.
         A.     Management Spine Salaried Full-Time Permanent (pdf)
 
 
         C.     Lecturer Salaried Full-Time Permanent (pdf)
 
         D.     Lecturer Salaried Fractional Permanent (pdf)
 
         E.     Lecturer Part-Time Hourly Paid Permanent (pdf)
 
 
         G.     Business Support Fractional Permanent (pdf)
 
 
 
         J.      Business Support Part-Time Hourly Paid Permanent (pdf)
 
Need Help?
 
If you’re a member of UCAC working in a Further Education College, and you haven’t received instructions on how to vote, please contact us as soon as possible: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 01970 639950.
 
If you’ve got any questions, or if you would like to discuss any aspect of the new contract before casting your vote, please contact Rebecca Williams, UCAC Policy Officer on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 01970 639950.