Blackpool and The Fylde College UCU

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Equality

UCU has a long-standing commitment to working towards improving equality in employment, and fighting against discrimination directed at any of its members

Women members (now more than 50 percent of our working members) suffer from a very marked gender pay gap in both further and higher education sectors, and bear the brunt of the unequal treatment of part-timers.

Black members face subtle forms of discrimination in colleges and universities, where they are often face institutional discrimination. At the time of writing, for example, there are only nine black women Professors in the whole of Britain.

Disabled members are often unwilling to declare their disability at work for fear of discriminatory attitudes, and often have to put pressure on to get reasonable adjustments made.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered members have some protection in the workplace under the terms of the employment directive on sexual orientation, religion or belief, but despite that progress, homophobia remains rife throughout the education system.

There are other grounds of discrimination which UCU is also concerned to combat - for example, religion or belief, age or appearance.

A major form of discrimination in colleges is the unequal treatment meted out to hourly paid part-timers, agency staff, and those on fixed term contracts. As this is an industrial relations issue, it is primarily dealt with by the Colleges Department but the Equality Unit supports those departments in their campaigns against this unequal treatment.

The UCU branch equality officer is Maggie Martin. She sits on the College equality committee and can be contacted on ext 4115 or E-mail MM@blackpool.ac.uk.

Advice and information

What to do if you have a problem at work

Help with Personal Cases [48kb]

Education Support offers support services to all staff in further and higher education and their families, including counselling, information, advice and support material, financial assistance and money management advice.

The main safeguards in the lecturer contract [47kb]

How long can a lecturer work without a break? [166kb]

What to do if you are being bullied or harassed [163kb]

Useful links

WorkSmart - try the unpaid overtime calculator!

Trades Union Congress (TUC)

Education Support Partnership

Health and Safety Executive

Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)