Email to all members 25th March

UCU has come to an agreement with the University over the role profile for the new university-wide role of Subject Leader. The criteria for this role that were originally circulated rightly caused concern among members because they appeared to be an attempt to turn an academic leadership role, performed by staff on academic grades, into a managerial function.

UCU has secured the removal of all the elements of the profile which suggested that Subject Leaders would have management authority over their colleagues such as the monitoring of performance, approval for absence and leave, etc., and negotiated the rewriting of others to comply with the existing agreed academic role profiles.

In addition, the University has abandoned its initial idea of creating Associate Subject Leaders. At UCU’s suggestion, where the size of a subject area warrants it, joint Subject Leaders of equal status will be appointed instead.

The revised Subject Leader role profile should be in circulation shortly.