Report of the Chairman of the Students Trade union Committee of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute Ihor Stepaniuk on the Results of the Fulfilment of the Collective Agreement between the University Administration and the Students Trade Union Committee during the Period from April 2021 to September 2022.
Dear colleagues, students, employees and everyone present!
When we were finalising the report last year, we said that the coming year would be difficult. But who knew that it would be so much... Nevertheless, the Students Trade Union Committee of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute actively carried out its activities during the reporting year. After a short period of mixed studying, we again had to adapt to new trials - the full-scale russian aggression.
The main areas of the trade union committee’s activities:
- the social protection;
- housing and household work;
- recreational activities;
- informational work;
– cultural and sports work;
– support for students and employees serving in Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- humanitarian aid for residents of Kyiv and Kyiv oblast.
Social protection remained a priority area of our activity this year as well as previous ones.
The Students Trade Union Committee of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, together with student organisations of other universities, fought for the preservation of the scholarship limit at the level of 45%; for that, we carried out significant informational work and became co-initiators of a video appeal to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine with the demand not to take away scholarships from students. As a result, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine issued a new resolution, which seemed to return the increased limit. However, after January 1, it turned out that the number of scholarship recipients decreased. Therefore, an urgent appeal was made to the Ministry of Education and Culture, and in the end, the 45% limit was returned. We thank the members of the Academic Council of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, who responded to our request and agreed to meet urgently to approve this figure. Unfortunately, the amount of funding for this semester has been reduced, but we believe that the situation will improve.
Pecuniary aid is given to students who suffer financial hardship. This is especially relevant now for students who have forcibly become internally displaced persons, and other categories.
The Students Trade Union Committee constantly participates in the work of all committees resolving students’ issues.
In the field of housing and household activities, the Students Trade Union Committee cooperates with the campus management and the managers of the dormitories. We were continuously involved in the inspection of dormitory No. 5 and we constantly support it after its opening; this includes assistance with settling in, holding social events, etc.
Members of the Trade Union Committee are constantly involved in work of all commissions on offences. The purpose of this activity is not punitive, but educational.
Also, under conditions of martial law, the trade union organised and held events within the International Children’s Day, helped and will help in ensuring the functioning of children's rooms.
Currently, activists of the student trade union are helping to resettle students to dormitories equipped with everything necessary for a safe and maximally comfortable stay.
Possibilities of recreational activities have changed radically since last year.
In 2021, sports equipment was purchased for the "Mayak" recreation complex (thanks to the Trade Union Committee of Employees), and activists were sent to organise cultural and sports activities at this recreation centre. In addition, the Students Trade Union Committee managed to expand the kitchenette in the student buildings of the “Mayak” recreation facility. There are a lot of other plans that we will definitely put into practice after the de-occupation of Lazurne and the entire Kherson region.
In 2022, sports and tourist equipment were handed over to the "Globus" touristic club.
We are organising the issuance of certificates for free attendance of the university swimming pool for all students and postgraduate students; during the reporting period, more than 500 students used this right, this year for the first time there was an opportunity to attend the pool in summer.
Information work in the conditions of distance learning is of key importance. The website of the Students Trade Union Committee, a facebook group, a telegram channel, and an Instagram page are used for communication. All these resources receive applications from students. It is quite simple to prepare answers to some of them, but to respond to others, large-scale work is required with the involvement of divisions of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, which makes it possible to solve problems in the early stages. We also publish on the resources up-to-date information about events at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, the educational process, opportunities for leisure, health improvement, etc.
Information resources also help to collect funds and humanitarian aid.
It is worth noting the informational work during the admissions process, when a lot of appeals come not only from applicants, but also from their parents.
Cultural and sports work became especially noticeable when the university worked for a month and a half under a mixed form of education. We managed to hold the sports and athletic contest for freshmen, which gathered a great number of participants. Other competitions for all students were also held, for example, the volleyball championship on the volleyball court, which was renewed at the initiative of the Students Trade Union Committee, futsal tournaments, paintball tournaments, events within the International Day of University Sport.
After the full-scale invasion of the rashists, mine awareness training from the National Guard of Ukraine, classes for volunteers who will deal with the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorders were added to the traditional activities.
In addition, an initiative was launched last year to broadcast football matches on an inflatable screen. More than 20 broadcasts were held, which were watched by about 3,000 students.
We managed to expand cooperation with FC Shakhtar, and our students received many free tickets for football matches, as well as tickets at discounted prices.
After a full-scale invasion. Since February 24, the Students Trade Union Committee has been heading to war-time activities: some activists have joined the ranks of the Territory Defence; those who were not in Kyiv helped on their sites; and those who remained in Kyiv joined the work of supporting the vital activity of the university and helping in the defence of the city. The committee also managed to collect and deliver humanitarian aid to students of the Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute.
The Students Trade Union Committee allocated funds for the purchase of equipment for students and employees involved in the defence of the country. But these funds were not enough, so a series of fundraising events were organised: charity fairs, concerts, and lotteries. Thanks to all these, equipment worth UAH 234,665 has been purchased to date. The support will continue and with your help we can do a lot. We thank the information resources of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, especially the Department of Educational Work for supporting this (and not only this) work.
Moreover, the Humanitarian Centre of the Students Trade Union Committee working group was created, which is engaged in helping the affected residents of Kyiv region: it collects clothes, dishes, food, and hygiene products for the affected residents of the United Territorial Community of Borodianka, for the boarding school evacuated from Kharkiv oblast, for the military hospital, and for students and employees of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute who experienced hardship in their lives because of the war.
We thank everyone who pays union dues, everyone who donates funds, everyone who brings clothes, and other types of humanitarian aid. Everyone who helps with information.
And, of course, thank you all who are fighting, this is thanks to you that we can gather today.
We also thank our partners, due to whom we are able to help people more effectively. In this regard, we would like to specially mention the public organisation Academic Space and its head, Olha Ilyash.
In conclusion, we would like to say that the Collective Agreement with the students has been fulfilled in general, and when we are making work plans for the next year, we believe that we will win with joint efforts!