Joint Statement from RCA and RCA UCU

In summary, the deal comprises:

• An agreement that from 1 September 2022 (1 August 2022 for Grad Dip)  the College will no longer use Visiting Lecturers on ‘terms of engagement.’ Instead, a new role (Associate Lecturer) may be used on either a permanent or fixed term basis. This role will have  full employee status which means AL staff will enjoy virtually all the same terms and conditions as permanent staff.
• A Fixed Term Contracts (FTC) Policy, which sets out the criteria for use of FTCs. An assimilation methodology for existing Visiting Lecturers (VLs) with more than four years continuous service to assimilate into permanent Associate Lecturers (AL) roles on to spine point 40 of grade 8 of the College’s common pay spine.
• Formal Scheduled Teaching (FST) responsibilities should not exceed (for full time staff) a ceiling of 18 hours in a typical week within the academic year, nor the overarching ceiling of 550 hours in an entire academic year.
• A new Guest Lecturer (GL) Policy, which keeps the number of GL sessions per annum the same as now (10) but prohibits use of GLs in any ‘core’ teaching activities.
• A new definition of Continuous Service, which is more favourable than statutory provisions and means more academic fixed term staff may accrue continuous service for other statutory rights.
• Revised wording on our current AEF staff annual leave clause which will give greater flexibility for taking leave under the new 42 week teaching year for the new MA.
• College managers and RCA UCU will work together to develop practical management guidance on workload allocation and have established a joint Task and Finish Group to draw up this guidance, which will be  completed if possible by the end of May 2022.

Vice Chancellor of the RCA, Paul Thompson, said: ‘We’re pleased to have reached an agreement with our local UCU branch, after extensive negotiations. We believe this deal will support all our staff as we approach the first year of our new MA, as well as ensure our students have the best possible learning experience.”

Nathan Francois, UCU Co-Chair said: 'We are delighted with the agreement, which has been reached through sustained industrial action and negotiations. We continue to work towards ending casualisation, inequalities, overwork and low pay. We are grateful for the strong support we received from our colleagues, other unions and UCU branches across the country. We are especially thankful to our students for their support and understanding and are pleased to be improving  the sector for their arrival as our future colleagues.’ 

RCA SMT

Nathan Francois, UCU Chair