Congress business section 6: Financial matters and legal services

Bankers and auditors

38 - Appointment of auditors (Transitional Arrangements Committee)

Congress approves the appointment of Knox Cropper as the union's auditors for the year ending 31 August 2008.

CARRIED

39 - Budget (Transitional Arrangements Committee)

Congress endorses the budget for September 2007-August 2008 set out in UCU/18.

CARRIED

40 - Subscription rates from September 2007 (Transitional Arrangements Committee)

Congress endorses the subscription rates from 1 September 2007 set out in UCU/18.

CARRIED

Property and investments

41 - UCU Headquarters - Accommodation (University of Manchester)

We note that, since the creation of UCU, members are paying for two sets of headquarters office accommodation in London. We understand that a small office presence in the capital is essential as a base for lobbying parliament, but modern communications would permit other functions to be performed equally easily from a single, larger office in any other city in the UK at a considerable cost saving. We propose that UCU moves its headquarters to Manchester, Birmingham or Leeds.

LOST

Legal Services

42 - Provision of legal assistance (University of Liverpool)

Congress notes with concern the cumbersome and ineffective means currently in force for obtaining legal assistance and representation for members and the lack of legal advice available to officers of local associations/branches involved in negotiations with university management and helping members with personal cases.

Congress believes that urgent improvements are needed in the provision of legal assistance and legal advice and instructs the NEC to review the provision of legal services and make the necessary changes to enable the needs of members and local associations/branches to be met in an effective and timely manner.

CARRIED

42A.1 - Transitional Arrangements Committee

Delete first paragraph.

LOST

43 - Legal protection at work (University of Sheffield)

Congress notes that, for branch officers and members used to AUT's Legal Protection at Work scheme, the new UCU mechanisms for obtaining legal advice and support for members are far more complex, more uncertain as to where responsibility for action lies, and in practice less satisfactory to members often in urgent need of help.

Congress instructs the Executive to introduce a revised UCU legal advice and representation scheme, ideally based on the AUT's Legal Protection at Work scheme, and at least as responsive and simple to implement as that scheme.

CARRIED

44 - Legal Services (Queen University of Belfast)

Since the merger many UCU branches have experienced a notable deterioration in the access to legal services and advice. There is no longer ready access to local solicitors; legal assistance is suspended prematurely without adequate consultation with local officers; and access to the service requires compliance with a more lengthy and bureaucratic process. Congress calls on the executive to review UCU's provision of legal services with a view to providing a responsive service which can be accessed readily by officers and members, which can take local needs into account and in which decisions are not predominantly based on financial returns.

CARRIED AS AMENDED

44A.1 - Transitional Arrangements Committee

Delete first paragraph. Second paragraph, after 'officers and members', insert 'and'. Delete from 'and in which decisions are not...' to end of sentence.

LOST

44A.2 - London Met Branch Ladbroke and Spring House

Insert, between the words 'which can take' and 'local needs' in the final sentence, the new clause 'UCU collective political and industrial priorities and'

CARRIED