Archive for July, 2011

Staff are advised that two pre-Olympic test events in August will affect roads around the South Kensington Campus.

A triathlon event will be held on 6 and 7 August in Hyde Park, which requires all of Hyde Park Corner to be closed from 05.00 to 12.00 on Saturday 6 August, and from 05.00 to 16.00 on Sunday 7 August.  TfL’s announcement can be found here (scroll down past the map).

The London-Surrey Cycle Road Race will be held on 13 and 14 August 2011, affecting roads in the Knightsbridge area. More information, including a detailed map of the road closures and restricted access roads, can be found here.

Local Pay Bargaining takes place on an annual basis at Imperial, involving negotiations between the College and the Joint Trades Unions (JTUs).

Following the last local pay bargaining meeting on 6 July, the JTUs have confirmed their formal acceptance of the College’s local pay offer of 2% or £500 whichever is the greater effective from 1 August 2011.

The College’s pay scales and schedules of allowances have been updated to incorporate this increase. This applies to all staff on terms and conditions subject to local pay bargaining. Payment at the appropriate new rates will be made in August 2011 salaries.

For copies of the revised scales and allowances, please view the HR Salaries web page.

To read further information from this year’s local pay bargaining negotiations, including the JTUs pay claim and the College’s responses and final pay offer, please view the HR Local Pay Award 2011/12 web page.

For staff who elected to remain on terms and conditions subject to national pay bargaining, please view details of the 2011-12 national pay negotiations.

Confidential Care, the service offering advice and information to Imperial staff and members of their family, publishes monthly newsletters covering a range of topics.

View the latest issue for tips on healthy eating for busy people (log in using the ID ‘Imperial’ and the password ‘College’).

The Energia fitness team at Ethos are running free and exclusive Body MOT sessions for departments across the College. Staff and students can take advantage of the 15-minute body health MOT checks which will show them an overall picture of their general health. The checks provide general health information using heart rate, blood pressure, body composition and body fat percentage measurements and the opportunity to discuss any health and wellbeing issues or questions in private with a qualified professional.

If your department is interested in arranging Body Health MOT checks, please email Samantha Bell, Sports Services Manager

Information for carers is now available on the Human Resources website, with the aim to offer practical help to staff who have caring responsibilities outside the workplace. Included are links to College resources and key policies that are particularly relevant to carers, along with details of external organisations offering services that may be useful.  HR would welcome comments on the webpage and suggestions for what else could be included there.

Visit the site for more information and to give feedback via a short questionnaire

The Human Resources website has recently been redesigned to better meet the needs and expectations of users. Changes include:

• More direct access to the most popular web pages following research into why users visit the website.
• A new format for the presentation of policies and procedures, meaning that key information can be viewed at a glance.
• A new section for HR notices, providing up-to-date information on changes to employment law and policy updates. Answers to frequently asked questions about HR matters will be added there in due course.

Visit the new website here

The Exhibition Road Cultural Group (ERCG) is campaigning for step free access at South Kensington underground station.

Exhibition Road and the surrounding area is home to leading arts, science and academic organisations. It is Britain’s most popular tourist destination, but without step free access at South Kensington station, it can be a huge challenge for people to visit if they have limited mobility, use a wheelchair or are accompanying young children in pushchairs.

TfL’s plans for step free access at South Kensington station have been put on hold until 2018. The ERCG is campaigning for the project to start much sooner.

To find out more about how you can support the campaign, visit ERCG’s website

The Graduate School of Life Sciences and Medicine (GSLSM) and the Graduate School of Engineering and Physical Sciences (GSEPS) will merge with effect from 1 October 2011. Professor Richard Kitney, having served his five year term as Director of GSEPS, will relinquish his position from that date. Professor Andrew George, currently Director of GSLSM, will become Director of the single Graduate School and retain his role as Director of the School of Professional Development.

Rodney Eastwood

College Secretary