Xiaohongshu
Previous Submission: UP2208:
What would you like the Union to do?
Wherever ethically, technically, logistically possible and avoiding risk, the Union should directly employ and insource members of staff. This will ensure that staff are paid fairly and treated ethically at work. Where it is not possible to insource functions for technical or operational reasons, members of staff should always be paid the London Living Wage for the work that they do and the Union should make efforts to work closely with the outsourced providers to ensure staff are treated fairly and respectfully. The Union should also continue to lobby UCL to support fair pay and working conditions for all staff at UCL.
Why would you like to do this?
As it stands, the Union directly employs all its staff with the exception of Security and Cleaning which are outsourced. However, there is no formal policy to ensure this remains the case in the future. The Union ought to adopt a policy where all members of staff are insourced where possible and consistently review its feasibility to ensure as many functions as possible are insourced. It should also push for increased insourcing across UCL. It is not currently possible for the Union to insource cleaning and security staff for legal and operational issues. However, when contracts end, reviews should be undertaken to assess whether insourcing is feasible for the future. For any outsourced staff, regular meetings should be held with the organisations to ensure staff are well supported, fairly paid and there are measures in places to protect their wellbeing.
How will this affect students?
This decision will not majorly affect students, however it is important that we debate and discuss key issues which affect the employment of staff members within our Union.
1. What would you like the Union to work on?
I would like the Union to go further with this policy, the Union should review its current outsourcing of staff, with a focus on whether it is just and ensures the wellbeing of these valuable members of the Union's community. The Union should not create any new outsourcing arrangements unless a consultation with relevant stakeholders has taken place and any existing Union policies are considered.
The Union should continue to insource members of staff wherever ethically, technically, logistically possible and avoiding risk. Moreover, the Sabbatical Officers, with support from Union staff, should lobby UCL to hold a similar position in relation to insourcing.
Additionally, the Union should end all outsourcing arrangements and use of third parties which leads or makes the violation of any student policies more likely.
2. Why would you like to do this?
Outsourcing is deeply problematic and leads to corners being cut in an attempt to maximise profits. This is usually at the expense of the outsourced staff, with their rights being weaker and the service being provided being worse than if it were in-house.
By also committing itself to minimising the use of third parties for other types of work such as advertising and marketing the Union will affirm its commitment to protecting workers' rights and to ensuring that it has control of all areas of work, thereby making it easier to ensure that student policies are enforced.
After previous violations of student policy (Amazon and Barclays at Welcome Fair last year + Wise at the Welcome Fair this year + various socially and environmentally harmful banks being advertised in the President's newsletter, on the Union's website and more), this is the first step to enabling better implementation of policy.
3. What effect will this have on student life?
Students will feel more empowered to pass policies if they are confident that the Union has the capabilities to ensure they are implemented.