Staff are not generally accountable for the work of the Union – they don’t decide what the Union does, but instead we, your elected officers do. That means that we’re therefore accountable for what the Union does, rather than them, so if something has happened that you’ve got some questions about, come and speak to us! If you do wish to discuss a matter concerning a member of staff, you should either speak to their manager directly, or come and speak to the President.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that staff have no right to public reply. This means that if their job performance was criticised, they couldn’t defend themselves or offer balance to the debate. The other side of this of course is that when staff are praised, that also happens internally and through Sabbs and management. That is why the Sabbs are often thought of as the external face of the Union – we bear the brunt of criticism, but we also get public praise when things go right (which we then pass on to the relevant teams and staff members) – that is part of being a political figure, which Sabbs intrinsically are.

The relationship between students and staff is clarified in the staff/student partnership agreement, which is currently being reviewed, and a new version of which should be in place by the end of the academic year.