Notices

Contents of this section:

[Note. An asterisk denotes a reference to a previously published or recurrent entry.]

Return to Contents Page of this issue

DEDUCTION OF SALARY FOR STAFF TAKING PART IN INDUSTRIAL ACTION

A number of academic and related staff may have taken strike action on 25 May. Any such member of staff who has not already been asked to complete and return to the University Salaries Section a salary deduction form is invited to complete the form below (or a photocopy of it) and send it to the Salaries Section of the University Offices. Where such notification is received by the Salaries Office after the payroll closure for that particular month, the appropriate deduction will made in the following month's payroll.

The position and concerns of the Oxford AUT and of staff generally in relation to the level of salaries are widely respected within the University, and Council has agreed to implement in the July payroll, without prejudice to the national-level pay negotiations, the proposed 3.5 per cent increase in academic and related staff salaries, backdated to 1 April 1999.

To:

Salaries Officer
University Offices
Wellington Square
Oxford OX1 2JD

Deduction for Strike Action on 25 May 1999

I authorise you to deduct from my next salary before tax and National Insurance pay equivalent to:

tick one of the following:

[ ] 1 day (1/260 of annual salary)

[ ] ½ day (1/520 of annual salary)

[ ] ¼ day (1/1040 of annual salary)

My details are:

Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Initials: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Title: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Staff Number: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (7 digits beginning `1' or `2' as shown in the middle top box of the last pay advice)

and/or

National Insurance Number: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(Signed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Return to List of Contents of this section

ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS AND SOCIAL STUDIES FACULTY LIBRARIES

Closure of the libraries during Summer 1999

The Social Studies Libraries Committee wishes to advise members of the University that a new Economics Library will be opened on 31 August in the ground floor of a building designed by Sir Norman Foster and Partners. It will be located off Manor Road next to the St Cross Building.

Stock from the present Institute of Economics and Statistics Library as well as the economics material from the Social Studies Faculty Library will be transferred to the new building. Painting and reclassification work in the Main Reading Room of the Social Studies Faculty Library will necessitate its closure during July and August. The Periodicals Reading Room will remain open. A book retrieval service will be offered to library users from the Main Library. Normal lending will be possible for all non-economics material during July and August. The economics stock will be available only for short-loan borrowing. The Social Studies Faculty Library will be completely shut for four days, 25–30 August, reopening on 31 August. The Economics and Statistics Library will operate as usual until 16 August. The Library will then be shut for two weeks, reopening as the Economics Library in the new building on 31 August.

The Social Studies Libraries Committee apologises for any inconvenience which this may cause. Anyone who has specific queries or suggestions should contact the Librarian (telephone: (2)78709 or (2)71071, e-mail: margaret.robb@socstud.ox.ac.uk).

An exhibition showing details of the new library can be viewed in the Main Reading Room of the Economics and Statistics Library, St Cross Building, Manor Road.

Return to List of Contents of this section

GAZETTE PUBLICATION ARRANGEMENTS

The remaining Gazettes of this academic year will be published on 25 June, and 1, 15, and 29 July.

Appointments Supplements will appear with the Gazettes of 25 June, 15 July, and 29 July.

Return to List of Contents of this section

CONSULTATION ON PERSONAL TELEPHONE DIRECTORY ENTRIES

Hebdomadal Council has decided, in the light of advice about changes in the Data Protection Act, that individual members of the University should be consulted about their entries in both printed and on-line versions of the University's telephone directory. Staff are now able to request that certain personal information about themselves be excluded from telephone directory information which is published both inside and outside the University.

Personal information held in the directory database includes title, initials, surname, college or department and, in some cases, job title. All this information is listed in the printed directory, which is circulated only within the University. The same details are available in the University's on-line directory, excepting job titles, which are omitted from this version. The new procedures for assembling and publishing directory information are detailed below. They are intended particularly to assist staff who are concerned that the release of gender or job-specific information into the public domain might put them at risk from sexual or politically motivated harassment but they also aim to allow a balance to be struck between protecting the interests of individual members of staff and releasing information which assists the University to fulfil its functions.

1. Gender-Specific Titles: Members of staff may require their personal titles to be omitted from their individual telephone directory entry if they are concerned about the release of gender-specific information. No further authority is needed for this.

2. Names and Job Titles:

(a) Information published within the University. Staff may ask for their names and/or job titles to be omitted from directory information intended only for internal University use. In such cases, their head of department must be consulted. Consent to exclusion from the University's internal printed and on-line telephone directories will be given only in exceptional circumstances, and requests may be overruled by the head of department if he or she determines that it is in the department's interests to include such information.

(b) Information published outside the University. Staff may ask for their names to be omitted from externally-available directory information if they feel that they have good cause to do so. Any such requests must be discussed with and approved by their head of department.

In either case 2 (a) or 2 (b), if they disagree with the ruling of their head of department, members of staff have the right to appeal.

Any staff who wish to exclude any information from their directory entry should complete a form which will be available from the Telecommunications Co-ordinator of their department or college (usually the administrator or bursar), ask their head of department to signify approval (if appropriate), and return it to their Telecommunications Co-ordinator (not directly to the Telecommunications Section) as quickly as possible, and certainly by the end of June. It should be noted that deadlines for directory production are tight and it may not be possible to incorporate changes in this year's directories if requests are delayed.

Return to List of Contents of this section

SAFETY OFFICE

Fieldwork/research in dangerous countries or dangerous areas

The attention of university academic staff is drawn to the need for a `risk assessment' to be undertaken if, in the course of their work, they propose to travel to countries or areas where the security/personal safety situation is uncertain. University academic staff should contact the Safety Office (telephone: (2)70811) for advice as to whether an assessment should be undertaken. Normal procedures for applying for leave should of course also be followed, as appropriate.

Return to List of Contents of this section

UNIVERSITY SURVEYOR'S OFFICE

The University Surveyor is responsible for the external repair of all university functional buildings and for the management of all refurbishment and new building projects, however funded. The division of responsibilities between the Surveyor and occupying departments for repairs and maintenance is set out in the Buildings Committee's Standing Orders (the `Grey Book'). All buildings have a nominated Building Surveyor who is the first point of contact for advice on building matters. Requests for repair should be routed through departmental administrators to the Surveyor's Office by telephone, messenger, fax, or e-mail. Pending the establishment of a `help desk' as a single point of contact, requests should be addressed to:

Minor repairs: Russell Jenkins (telephone: (2)78787, e- mail: russell.jenkins@survey.ox.ac.uk).

General queries: R.&M. Office (telephone: (2)78754); reception: (2)78750; fax: (2)78792.

For out-of-hours assistance in emergencies, the Security Services Control Room (telephone: (2)72944) will forward calls.

To comply with legislation and the requirements of the University's insurers, all building works must be approved in advance by the University Surveyor who may authorise departments which have the necessary expertise to undertake some of the work using their own staff. All requests for works other than repairs and maintenance should be made in writing to the Deputy Surveyor (Architects) at the University Surveyor's Office (fax: (2)78753).

The Surveyor also hold records showing the use and allocation of buildings and rooms. Departmental administrators wishing to check these records should contact Linda Jackman (telephone: (2)78756).

Return to List of Contents of this section