University of Leeds staff back strike over pay and conditions

Josh Elgin on 8 November 2021

University of Leeds lecturers, researchers and academic staff have voted to go on strike this semester in the latest development of a long running dispute over pay and working conditions. 

The University and College Union (UCU) Leeds branch secured a turnout of 60.8% – above the 50% legal ballot threshold – with 75.2% of members voting to take strike action.

Chloe Wallace, President of the Leeds UCU branch, said in a statement: “This is a magnificent outcome, which repeats what we achieved in 2019, in very different circumstances.”

Wallace paid tribute to volunteers who had sent texts and calls to members about the vote, noting that staff in Manchester, Newcastle and UCL had narrowly failed to reach a 50% turnout meaning they are unable to proceed with a strike.

She said the University could “avoid the disruption of industrial action” by working with the union to find settlements to their disputes. In the meantime, Wallace said the union is “determined to build our solidarity and our creativity to take effective, powerful action to bring them back to the table.”

The UCU said 57 other universities have supported strike action. It has called for a £2,500 wage increase for all staff, an end to pay discrimination, the elimination of zero-hours and other casual contracts, and measures to tackle unmanageable workloads

An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Leeds branch will be held on Tuesday 9th to discuss the next steps which will then be fed into a nation-wide branch delegate meeting, with a UCU higher education committee ultimately deciding how the union will use its mandate to take action.

The University must be given a minimum of two weeks notice so strike action is not expected until the end of November or December.

The Russell Group, which represents 24 universities in the UK including Leeds, criticised the decision, saying in a statement: 

“Industrial action will only penalise students who are enjoying the buzz of campus life after a challenging 18 months and will not change the fact that reform is needed to ensure the USS scheme is sustainable and affordable for staff and employers.

“Universities are well prepared to mitigate the impact of industrial action on students and would urge UCU, who have acknowledged the need for change to USS, to work with employers to find mutually agreeable solutions that will provide value for money for the long-term without placing an unfair burden on future generations.”

In an email sent to students last month, the University said that it wishes to see the matter resolved quickly, and has already promised some changes including the reduction of the use of short-term contracts. It says, however, that “the issues at the heart of the ballot are national issues” beyond their control.

It promised to “minimise the impact” of strike action on the education and experience of students.

Woodhouse Moor cordoned off after body found in park

Josh Elgin on 5 November 2021

The body of a man has been discovered in Woodhouse Moor this morning, police have confirmed.

A cordon has been set up near the Library Pub after West Yorkshire Police were called to the park this morning at 7.07am.

The police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “At 7.07am today, police were called to Woodhouse Moor in Leeds where the body of a man had been found. A scene is in place and enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances of his death.”

Image Credit: Josh Elgin

Leeds nightclub boycott planned after reports of women being ‘injected with needles’

Josh Elgin on 20 October 2021

Students say they will boycott nightclubs in Leeds next week to pressure venues to introduce tighter security measures amid reports of several women being spiked with needles.

It comes as West Yorkshire Police confirmed today that they have launched an investigation after a woman was reported being spiked by injection in Leeds on October 13 and police in Nottinghamshire said they have arrested and released a man on bail in connection with allegations of ‘physical’ spiking.

The boycott will take place on Wednesday 27 October, which organisers say has been timed to when sports societies typically hold events at clubs.

Lucy Thompson, a second-year History of Art student and one of the organisers of the boycott, told The Gryphon she was inspired by a similar campaign in Edinburgh which has since been replicated across the country. She created the Instagram page GIRLS UNCUT LEEDS after she was left feeling helpless when two of her friends were recently spiked. Within 48 hours of creating the page, it was followed by over 2,000 people and a separate account, Girls Night In Leeds, which is also encouraging a boycott on the same day, has also been widely followed.

Instead of attending clubs, some societies have already agreed to host alternative events and people more widely in the city are being encouraged to have gatherings at home. Leeds Student Radio have announced they will host a special 5 hour live event on the night with coverage of how people are spending their night at home as well as guest speakers and DJ sets.

Thompson said that the campaign has three main aims. The first aim is to break down the taboo surrounding spiking which Thompson believes is discouraging all victims from reporting what has happened to them. She stressed that anyone could fall victim, especially now with reports of spiking by injection, and the consequences, which can be serious and lasting, are not appreciated enough.

The second aim is to remind event managers that they have a responsibility and duty of care to the people attending their events, particularly to young and vulnerable university students. Thompson says she has been inundated with women sharing experiences of clubs failing to treat their complaints seriously, including one victim who was laughed at when they asked for help from bouncers.

The third aim of the campaign is to increase security in venues. 

A national petition calling for mandatory searches of all guests upon entry to clubs has been signed over 130,000 times. This has proved controversial, however, with some fearing the move would disproportionately affect black, Asian and minority ethnic people and would give bouncers too much power, especially given reports of bouncers themselves assaulting women. 

Thompson supports such a move but only in tangent with proper training as well as screening and random drug tests of employees themselves.

After it was announced that an investigation has been opened in Leeds in connection with allegations of spiking by injection, West Yorkshire Police Detective Superintendent Paula Bickerdike said : “We understand the genuine concerns that women have around their safety, particularly in the night-time economy, and we remain absolutely committed to doing everything we can alongside our partner agencies to make the county a safer place for women and girls.

“We continue to work alongside partner agencies and licensees to warn and educate people about staying safe on a night out, and we conduct regular partnership operations to keep people safe.”

GIRLS UNCUT LEEDS and Girls Night In have reached out to a number of clubs in the city for comment.

HiFi said it was “putting in place a number of new safety measures”, with lids provided with every drink, free spike test kits as well as additional training for security and Cirque Du Soul said they were “utterly appalled by the rise of spiking” and would consult with their host venue Beaverworks in order to tackle the issue. Other venues have so far not commented. 

Thompson said the outpouring of support had been heartwarming and had left her cautiously optimistic that things may “finally change” but warned that if action is not taken and there is not a serious change in culture surrounding the safety of women in Leeds, then the boycott next week could be the first of many.

Image Credit: Old Red Bus Station

University staff threaten to strike again over pay and conditions

Josh Elgin on 19 October 2021

Students could again be disrupted by strike action this semester after the University and College Union (UCU) opened a strike ballot over pay and working conditions

The ballot is the latest measure in a long-running dispute between the UCU and university employers, with staff at 152 institutions being balloted.

UCU members received ballots this week to decide whether to strike. Leeds University staff have previously taken part in strikes in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Jo Grady, the UCU General Secretary, said: “University staff propped up the entire sector during the pandemic, but they are now being thanked with huge cuts to their pensions, unbearably high workloads, and another below-inflation pay offer – all whilst universities continue to generate a handsome income from tuition fees.

“The truth is that very well paid university leadership, who manage institutions with bigger turnovers than top football clubs, are choosing to exploit the goodwill of staff, repeatedly refusing to address the rampant use of casualised contracts, unsafe workloads or the shocking gender and ethnicity pay gap in the sector.

“Our members across the UK know that working in a university does not have to be like this and are clear that they are ready to take action to stand up for their dignity, defend pensions and win long overdue improvements to their pay and working conditions. There is still time for university chiefs to resolve a situation which is entirely of their own making, but they must return to negotiations and make credible offers.”

The National Union of Students (NUS) issued a statement in support of the staff ballot, saying “students will hold employers responsible” if employers do not come to “a negotiated settlement and address the fundamental issues repeatedly raised by staff.”

Larissa Kennedy, the NUS National President, said, “As students, we regularly witness how staff and student’s conditions are intertwined. University management forcing staff onto casualised contracts, cutting their pay, and now trying to cut thousands of pounds from their pensions cannot be divorced from the fact that one in 10 students has needed to access a foodbank to survive the pandemic – these aren’t the actions of a university leadership or an education system that have the interests of staff or students at heart.

“Staff working conditions are student learning conditions and we stand shoulder to shoulder with our educators in fighting for a more just education system. We demand fully funded, accessible, lifelong education where our spaces of teaching and learning belong to the students, staff and communities they exist to serve. Until then, it is entirely in the gift of vice chancellors and employers to come to a negotiated settlement and address the fundamental issues repeatedly raised by staff. If they don’t, students will hold employers responsible.”

On the day ballots were sent to UCU members, students received an email from setting out how the University intends to respond to the potential strike action. 

The email states that if there is a strike the University will do everything it can to “minimise the impact on your education and experience.” 

And although the University says it wishes to see the matter resolved quickly, and has already promised some changes including the reduction of the use of short-term contracts, it says that “the issues at the heart of the ballot are national issues” beyond their control.

The UCU is expected to make a final decision by November 8. If approved, action could take place as soon as the second half of November, though mandates are valid for six months, so action could also start later.  

Leeds University Union (LUU) is calling for students to contact them to explain what the move would mean to them, what they want to know about the strikes and how students have been affected in the past.

Image: wikicommons

LUU launch campaign to support the live events industry

Josh Elgin on 26 March 2021

A year on from the first lockdown, Leeds University Union (LUU) have announced a new campaign to support live events professionals and performers who have been affected by the cancellation of events.

The week-long campaign, which is in support of #WeMakeEvents, a group highlighting the issues of the beleaguered live events sector, will see societies, students and artists give exclusive performances and Q&A sessions to raise money for individuals in the sector facing hardship.

The Performing Arts Society, the Stage Musicals Society, the Hyde Park Brass Band and Bradford-based singer Premaura are among those supporting the LUU campaign. So far, the Performing Arts Society have shown their support with a reading of the poem I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth and the Irish Dance Society have released a video of its members performing in various outdoor locations across Leeds. These performances, as well as over 20 other videos, are available on the #WeMakeEvents Performance Playlist on Youtube.

In the last year, LUU has cancelled 260 events, including 28 shows, 48 concerts, 4 festivals and 31 Fruity Friday club nights.

The live events industry, which contributed £70 billion to the UK economy and supported more than 700,000 jobs in 2019, has essentially been shut for an entire year as the logistical challenge of planning socially distanced performances and concerts proved too difficult for most organisers.

The government has announced various support measures for the sector throughout the crisis – including the recent extension of the furlough scheme – but #WeMakeEvents says that the sector is still “on its knees”.

In a survey of over 2,800 individuals and businesses in the live event sector, #WeMakeEvents found that 93% of respondents had lost income due to the pandemic and, most worryingly, even with this cut in income, 34% have received no government at all – either through loans, furlough, or local or national grants. Those who have received support, meanwhile, reported that the amount provided was inadequate.

In a statement, LUU said: “As a students’ union, we deliver a variety of events from club nights and gigs to theatre shows and society events, and throughout the year we welcome hundreds of students and members of the public through our doors. Our venue’s doors have been closed for months on end meaning that societies, students, artists and industry workers have been left deeply affected by this.”

“We recognise that events are a huge part of people’s lives and houses several careers for technicians, performers, artists, promoters and hospitality staff. During this time 95% of live events have been cancelled due to Covid-19 which means artist’s tours have been postponed, societies events have been cancelled and industry workers have been left with no work.”

“As an organisation we stand with the official #WeMakeEvents campaign and have teamed up with societies, students and artists to deliver a week-long campaign that supports individuals who have been affected by the closure of events by raising money to alleviate financial strain and shed light on the devastating impact it’s had.”

LUU announced last month plans to resume live events from June 21, the earliest possible date the government has said all legal limits on social contact can be removed. The tickets to the first Fruity club nights since lockdown, which are planned on five consecutive nights on the week restrictions end, sold out immediately. 

Image Credit: Leeds University Union

Everything you need to know about the West Yorkshire mayoral election

Josh Elgin on 22 March 2021

On May 6, over 1.8 million people will be eligible to vote in the inaugural election of the West Yorkshire Mayor. This is everything you need to know about the role, the candidates and how you can vote.

What is a combined authority mayor?

The West Yorkshire Mayor will be the directly elected leader of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which is made up of Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, and Wakefield. The mayor will have executive power and will make strategic decisions for the region. They will also chair meetings of the combined authority board where the five leaders of the constituent councils will decide how the powers and funding devolved from central government should be used.

Why is the region getting a mayor?

The position was introduced as part of the Government’s devolution agenda, which allows for regions in England to take powers from central government. The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 states that for a combined authority to be given these powers, a combined authority mayor must be elected for the area. So far eight city-regions have combined authority mayors, representing nearly 12 million people. 

The decision to devolve powers to combined authorities, which was made by former Prime Minister David Cameron as part of his ‘Northern Powerhouse’ policy, is intended to address the historic economic underperformance of English cities. The hope is that jobs, wages and quality of life in cities can be improved by devolving powers like transport and housing to a directly elected mayor operating at the scale of a local economy.

(Via Commons)

What powers will the mayor have?

The first mayor will initially be elected for a three-year term (subsequent mayors will serve a full four-year term) and will have control over transport, housing, land, and adult education. They will take over responsibility for policing and crime from the Police and Crime Commissioner and will also be able to set a precept on council tax and charge a business rate supplement subject to a ballot. 

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority received £1.8 billion of long term funding from the devolution deal and the mayor will work with the combined authority board to decide how this should be spent, including the £38 million per year for 30 years that the region has been given to spend on local priorities. 

The mayor’s approval will be needed for all decisions to be taken forward, though the board can overrule certain decisions with a two-thirds majority. Other conurbation-wide issues will require unanimous consent from the mayor and the board. The Labour Party currently controls all five of the constituent councils.

As the directly elected representative for 2.3 million residents in West Yorkshire, the mayor will also have symbolic power. This was demonstrated last autumn by Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, who brought national attention to the lack of financial support for areas in stricter Tier 3 lockdown restrictions and ultimately forced a change in policy.

Who are the candidates?

  • Tracy Brabin (Labour)
  • Bob Buxton (Yorkshire)
  • Andrew Cooper (Green)
  • Stewart Golton (Liberal Democrats)
  • Matthew Robinson (Conservative)

Who can vote?

To be eligible to vote on May 6, you need to be registered to vote – the deadline to register is Monday 19 April 2021.

  • You must be 18 or over on the day of the election
  • You must be a British, Commonwealth or EU citizen
  • You have to be resident at an address in one of the five constituent members of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority– Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, and Wakefield
  • You are not legally excluded from voting

Students can choose to register to vote at both their home address and their term-time address. If your home and university addresses are in two different local authority areas then you are allowed to vote in the local elections in both areas.

What voting system is used?

The mayoral election will not use First Past The Post, the electoral system used for Parliamentary and Council elections. Instead, a different system, the Supplementary Voting System, will be used to elect the first combined authority Mayor.

The ballot paper will list all the candidates standing. Next to the list of candidates there will be two columns.

You will be asked to … 

  • Vote for your first choice candidate by marking a cross (✘) in Column A, and
  • Vote for your second choice candidate by marking a cross (✘) in Column B.
  • You should not mark more than one cross in Column A, and you should not mark more than one cross in Column B.
  • If you have marked a first choice, you can choose whether or not to mark a second choice.
  • If you only mark a cross in Column B, your vote will not be counted.

It will take longer than usual for the results to be known as there will be reduced staff at the count to ensure social distancing. The ballot papers will be verified on Friday before being sealed and held securely until Sunday when the count will begin.

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: “The counting for the West Yorkshire mayor will take place on 9 May 2021. All five constituent councils will be counting with reduced staff due to social distancing measures. It is anticipated the count will take longer than usual, however no timings have been confirmed at present.”

Image credit: The Guardian

University announces new library study space booking system

Josh Elgin on 8 March 2021

The booking system used for library study spaces will be changed to make it fairer and more flexible and the number of study spaces on campus will be increased, the Interim University Librarian has announced.

From March 8, the number of study spaces available in the Laidlaw and Edward Boyle libraries will be increased and the Health Sciences Library will be reopened.

Students will be able to book a seat on the day if there is one available, with study spaces that go unused being offered to others to book after 30 minutes.

The new system will also give students more flexibility in the length of their study session with the option to book a slot for 30 minutes up to 7 hours. In addition, it will also now be possible to book a study space 7 days in advance.

Jane Saunders, the Interim University Librarian, said in a statement: “The new system offers a more flexible and fairer approach to booking, with seven days of availability and real-time booking information. This puts more control in the hands of students and improves our ability to offer space to those who need it.”

The announcement comes after students have expressed frustration online about the lack of study spaces available.

On Facebook, students desperate for a slot have taken to Leeds Students’ Group to ask for unused tickets, with some even offering to pay.

(Via Leeds Students’ Group on Facebook)

And a petition calling on a change to the booking system, started last month by fourth-year Maths student Simon Marshall, was signed by over 500 people. 

Marshall told The Gryphon that he started the petition because “it felt like the university might have no idea how frustrating the system had become.” 

After sending the petition to members of the University senior management, Marshall was contacted by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Peter Jimack who sent a response by email. 

Marshall told The Gryphon that whilst “it remains to be seen in practise how it will work” he was encouraged by the announcement. 

“When spaces are limited we as students are held to account to turn up and use the space we booked, allowing others to take the space if we do not use it. The amount of empty spaces that were evidently booked is one of the most frustrating aspects of the current system.” 

“It is also obviously a good thing that the capacity is being extended and the Health Sciences library is being reopened, and I hope that this will soon be continued by opening the Brotherton library”

“I’m glad the university listened and I am hopeful that this is a step in the right direction.”

The library continues to be for essential use only and all COVID-19 safety measures – including the requirement to wear a facemask at all times when in library buildings – remain in place. More information about the new system and instructions on how to book a study space is available on the library website.


Image credit: University of Leeds

Lead LUU: What will the students’ union elections look like this year?

Josh Elgin on 26 February 2021

This year, the Leeds University Union (LUU) elections, for which campaigning began on Monday, will take place during a national lockdown in which much of the university is closed and the students’ union itself has been repurposed into an asymptomatic Covid-19 testing site. 

The LeadLUU 2021 elections will decide who will lead the next LUU Student Executive. The board, which is made up of six full-time sabbatical officers, represent Leeds students and are elected for a one-year term. The election will also decide the next editor of The Gryphon.

The candidates, who in the week before an election would typically be seen on campus handing out flyers and talking to students, are now having to work out how to engage a student population that is geographically dispersed and isolated.

The rules for the election state that candidates should not campaign in-person if it is not legal or safe to do so. 

Michael Hewitson, the LUU Democratic Engagement Manager, told The Gryphon that the students’ union has reminded the candidates of the current government guidelines and is supporting them to campaign digitally. This means that for most candidates the campaign will take place entirely online.

Hewitson says that in-person campaigning has not been banned, however, as “lots of students, including our candidates, are either based in halls bubbles, or accessing campus” and as it is permissible to leave home for exercise, candidates can, for example, film a campaign video on campus whilst on their daily walk. LUU has also offered to put posters up in its building on behalf of candidates.

This week will see all the candidates being interviewed by Leeds Student Television. The interviews, which were pre-recorded and include questions submitted by students, will be posted throughout the week on Facebook and Youtube. 

LUU will also host a ‘speed meet’ event on February 24 on the video platform Glimpse. The event will give voters the opportunity to speak to candidates one-on-one for four minutes to ask questions.

Hewitson told The Gryphon that despite the challenges he remains confident that the election will be fair and accessible. He pointed out that whilst a lot of things have had to abruptly switch online in the last year, LUU has used online voting for its elections for a number of years.

Hewitson also said that the students’ union has made a concerted effort this year to encourage more students to put their name forward. “We have already made changes to how we as a Union have recruited, trained and supported candidates for this election – trying things we’ve not done before and working to ensure our training, briefings, mentoring are as accessible as can be.”

“The make-up of our candidates this year suggests that more kinds of members than normal have felt empowered and able to run – we have candidates running from outside of Leeds and outside of the UK as well which wouldn’t typically be the case with everyone on campus.”

The election, which will use a ranked preferential voting system, will take place online. All current students at the University of Leeds are eligible to vote. The polls will open at 7am on March 1 and will close at 7pm on March 4. The winners will be announced in a live results show on March 5.

Image Credit: Leeds University Union