UCU: Supporting parents and challenging inequality in HE

Motion

Motion text: HESC notes:
1. Existing UCU policy and extensive research highlighting persistent discrimination and gendered disparities in pay, conditions, and career development
2. High casualisation, real terms pay cuts in HE, and shortcomings in workplace health and safety disproportionately affect all who wish to plan and care for a family
3. These issues underpin sizeable gender pay and other inequality driven pay gaps, compounded by employers’ failure to properly support workers through pregnancy, reproductive health concerns, parenthood, and caregiving
HESC calls on HEC and EQC to coordinate a campaign with equality/employment advisory committees, and allied organisations to:
a. Publicly report unequal provision of parental leave across HEIs
b. Investigate unsafe heavy workloads after birth
c. Publish guidance and run bargaining and negotiation workshops for branches on securing additional maternity pay and other parental leave policies
d. Demand equal access to fully paid parental leave paid for all HE workers and PGRs.