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University’s Executive Board and Leicester UCU joint mission statement for the working group on casualisation and precarious employment  

Published: 13th July, 2022

The University of Leicester takes the sector-wide issue of casualisation and precarious employment practices very seriously – we understand the issues and challenges that this presents to our students, staff and the wider University community.  

A working group to review casualisation in the workforce was established four years ago, with officers from UCU and senior HR colleagues. A joint mission statement for this working group has been agreed between the Executive Board of the University of Leicester and Leicester UCU, underlining our shared commitment to enhancing employment practices at Leicester: 

We are committed to working together to ensure that the University employs all members of our workforce on the most appropriate contract, and to do this in a fair and transparent way.  

We share summary information to improve the working conditions for all at Leicester. The University is committed to educating hiring managers about the appropriate use of contracts.  

We will listen to all ideas, think creatively and offer suggestions to each other to improve the working conditions for all University staff. 

Emma Stevens, Director of HR, said: “We continue to work closely with Leicester UCU on this matter through a working group, and remain focused on continuing to build on the positive work we have already undertaken. A number of actions have been progressed which include regular and detailed reviews of UNITEMPS data to ensure that appropriate contracts are used. Additionally, through our discussions we consider appropriate methods of training to ensure hiring managers are aware of the correct routes of engagement and the process to follow.” 

José C. Carvajal López, Secretary of UCU Leicester, said: “The anti-casualisation working group was set up at the request of UCU, in response to members’ concerns about the use of Unitemps contracts. This mission statement is a positive step in recognising the work that this group does. We encourage members and non-members to raise concerns so that we can discuss them at this body, where these concerns are not resolved locally within a Department.”