Help and support academic staff by calling on the University of the Highlands and Islands to properly consult, inform and negotiate with the staff that they manage by recognising the trade union, the EIS.

The EIS is the oldest educational trade union in the world, and represents academic staff within schools, colleges and universities. The EIS is proud to have supported the formation of the University of the Highlands and Islands. The EIS is the recognised union for lecturers at the UHI partner Colleges but is not recognised for collective bargaining purposes by the University - despite making such a request.

The University is changing the delivery of all HE Courses including those at HN level through its Curriculum for the 21st Century (C21C) Programme, as a consequence UHI is changing the way in which academic staff will work and support students. The UHI is consulting staff through their departments; however it is not consulting staff through any trade union because UHI claims that it does not employ the staff at UHI Partner Colleges and therefore has no legal obligation to consult with the trade unions on matters that are affecting the working conditions of the academic staff affected Whilst it is true that staff are employed by UHI Partner colleges and not by the University, it is the University that is effectively controlling the curriculum architecture of colleges’ Higher Education delivery and much of the Further Education delivery. In other words, the University is effectively carrying out the some of the functions of an employer.

Many staff at UHI Partner Colleges are becoming demoralised with a management that will not engage with them, and feel they have no voice to influence events at the University. Some staff believe that some of the decisions made by the University – without properly consulting the staff who teach their courses – will have a negative impact on the UHI Partner Colleges to deliver education and training to their communities.

The EIS has written to the University to ask it to give staff a voice, through recognising the EIS for consultation purposes on matters that will affect members across the UHI Partner Colleges.

Support academic staff by calling on the University of the Highlands and Islands to properly consult, inform and negotiate with the staff that they effectively manage!

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