Stamp Out Casual Contracts - launch event

The UCU 'Stamp Out Casual Contracts' campaign was launched following this year's congress decision that a high profile campaign was needed to highlight the work that UCU is undertaking in fighting casualisation in further and higher education.

• About the campaign
• The launch event
• Launch event registration & expenses

About the campaign

UCU has a long history of fighting casualisation and demanding fair treatment for all our members and we know, from the recent member survey, that campaigns against casualisation are supported by all our members - not just those who are directly affected. We also know that staff on casual contracts - while often the most in need of union support - are often not yet in union membership.

We want to change that. The aim of the campaign is to challenge casualisation, making all members aware of the issues, giving branches the materials and support they need to make a difference locally, and encouraging staff on casual contracts to join and become involved in UCU.

The specific aims of the campaign are:

• to increase the use of permanent contracts for the many professional staff employed on casual contracts across further, higher and adult education
• to resist vulnerable employment, including the imposition of zero hours contracts, bogus self-employment, pay lower than that of colleagues doing comparable work, detrimental variable (minimum) hours contracts; and to seek equal treatment for agency workers
• to oppose selection for redundancy on the basis of being on a fixed-term and/or part-time contract
• to transfer hourly paid and other staff on casual contracts to full-time or fractional contracts with the same  terms and conditions as permanent, full-time salaried staff
• to increase the recruitment and activism within UCU of those on casual contracts, and to encourage their voices to be heard
• to push for fair working conditions for staff on casual contracts, including photocopying facilities and desk space.

The launch event

The campaign was launched on Saturday 1 November at an event at UCU head office in central London.

The launch event included:

• a preview of the publicity materials available for the campaign
• a demonstration of the web based materials that have been developed for the campaign
• key speakers
• workshops
• discussions on ideas for the day of action against casualisation on 3 December
• networking opportunities.