This branch notes:
- The prior existence of Operate Surrey: Operate Surrey – Jobs at the University of Surrey
- The previous successful campaigns against comparable proposals to transition staff: Stunning victory against outsourcing at the University of Surrey | Article | News | UNISON South East
- The current proposal and consultation timeline/details on the intranet: https://surreynet.surrey.ac.uk/operate-surrey
- The worse terms and conditions under this proposal for recruited Operate Surrey staff, such as pension / sick pay / leave.
- The performance criteria for annual pay progression (which does not apply to existing staff).
- The undermining of the USS and UPP pensions, where new staff would not be in the current schemes and would have substantially inferior benefits.
This branch believes:
- This proposal will lead to the creation of a two-tiered workforce.
- This proposal will lead to “mission drift” (a concern that existing employees [professional services] and other roles [technical and academic] could be considered for transition (e.g. TUPE) into Operate Surrey in the future).
- This proposal raises serious concerns surrounding governance and accountability (due to the lack of sector regulation covering Operate Surrey as a company).
- The scale of this proposal/outsourcing would place University of Surrey as one of the few outliers in the sector.
This branch resolves:
- To formalise an official dispute if University of Surrey do not permanently halt recruitment into Operate Surrey
- To take steps toward opening an Industrial action ballot, by first holding an indicative e-ballot
- To work with the other campus unions and union regional offices to draft and promote press releases
- To lobby MPs / Parliament via open letters
- To jointly administer an open petition with other campus unions
- To host, alongside other campus unions, an open meeting for all staff
- To meet with USSU to discuss and explore joint campaign objectives
- To contact the Chair of Council with member concerns/campaign materials
- To request an Equality Impact Assessment for the current proposal