Statutes Section 6
Introduction
In October 2012, Council endorsed recommendations to undertake a review of the University's Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and Regulations of Council. The revisions are now under consideration by the Privy Council (August 2013).
The following web pages relate primarily to the review of Section 6, which is the Statute governing the employment of academic staff. This review is running in parallel with the broader review, as described below.
If you have any queries in relation to the Statute Section 6 Review, please do so by email to:
statutessection6review@sheffield.ac.uk
Latest Developments
17 July 2013
At the final meeting of JUCC (Joint Unions Campus Committee) during the academic session 2012/13, the University confirmed that the matter had been considered and approved by Council in July 2013. The University thanked its Trade Union representatives, and UCU colleagues in particular, for their constructive contribution during the review. Sheffield UCU also confirmed that it would work with the University on joint communications to be issued on the changes to Section 6 during implementation of revised Charter, Statutes and Regulations.
19 June 2013
The Registrar and Secretary presented an overview of the revised Charter, Statutes and Regulations to the University Senate and reported that an agreement in principle between the University and the SUCU consultation committee was close to being achieved regarding the content of Section 6. The Registrar and Secretary thanked the consultation committee for their input and reasoned response to achieving a positive outcome.
May - July 2013
UCU requested further clarification and reassurances in relation to procedural handling of matters of academic freedom. Detailed discussion also took place to agree the wording relating to panel membership. Discussions resulted in redrafting of the revised Section 6, and in particular the inclusion of additional context and the addition of the procedural principles.
17 & 30 April 2013
The University met with local UCU representatives and a national UCU officer to discuss in detail the key issues related to the review of section 6, and UCU provided greater comment on an illustrative draft Statute provided in January (having sought the views of the wider membership). The meeting included a constructive discussion around the issues of: scope of academic freedom; guiding principles; and procedural detail. At the second meeting discussions focused on a further draft provided by the University which sought to address key issues raised by UCU.
22 April 2013
Proposals and timescales for the wider review of the Charter, Statutes, and Regulations were presented to Council by the project sponsor, Dr Phillip Harvey.
February 2013
The University invited professorial staff to provide feedback on the review of Section 6 with particular focus on 3 issues:
- Whether academic freedom protection should be extended to other staff groups e.g. Teaching and/or research staff;
- Whether the statute's per-existing guiding principles should also feature an inclusivity principle;
- Whether procedural detail should be moved out of Section 6 of the Statutes to safeguard future transparency and accuracy.
Feedback received during consultation indicated positive reaction to all 3 of the above proposals. Thank you to all staff who contributed to the consultation.
23 January 2013
The University shared an illustration with regional and local officials of how a revised Section 6 might look. The University explained that the thinking behind the draft was to include the principles of: offering the same protection to academic staff and considering extending this protection to teaching and research staff; avoiding conflicts with legislation as in the existing Statutes; and ensuring future sustainability.
UCU provided initial comments on the illustration Section 6, noting that the local branch would be consulting members on the proposals and would provide more detailed feedback on staff views of the review in due course. UCU indicated that the preference would be for more procedural detail to be retained in Statute Section 6, and the University responded by restating the aim of future sustainability.
10 December 2012
The University invited regional and national UCU officials to contribute to the discussions on the review of Section 6 of the University’s Charter, Statutes and Ordinances. The meeting considered a consultation paper specifically in relation to section 6. The regional and national perspective was beneficial to the meeting as the officials were able to share their experience and insight into Statutory reviews in other Higher Education institutions.
7 November 2012
The University (HR) undertook the first consultation meeting to seek to work in partnership with Sheffield University & Colleges Union (SUCU) on the review of the employment element (Section 6) of the University’s Charter, Statutes and Ordinances.
The University shared with SUCU the timetable for the review of Section 6, which will be led by HR, but which has been determined by the aims of the broader project led by the Registrar and Secretary, supported by colleagues in Planning and Governance Services. The meeting outlined the main principles of the project and how this contributed to the wider University review of the University’s Charter, Statutes and Ordinances.