UCU Left is committed to building a democratic, accountable campaigning union which aims to mobilise and involve members in defending and improving our pay and conditions and defending progressive principles of education.
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- NEC reportA largely uneventful meeting of the newly constituted NEC took place on 18th June. The key substantive issues were as follows. Following delivery of her report (see the video), the General Secretary was questioned about the rationale for the consultations on the union’s pay and pensions campaigns which have been initiated in both FE and HE …
- No more consultation – now organise the fights.HE branches have received a circular from UCU Head of Higher Education which says that following the Sector Conference, it is now necessary to consult members on the pay and USS campaigns. Branches are instructed to call Emergency General Meetings to sound out members’ views on a disparate range of questions regarding action, timing, and whether …
Continue reading “No more consultation – now organise the fights.”
- Congress 2021 – Now let’s organise the fightback
After 15 months of HE and FE employers using the pandemic as a justification for attacking the jobs, pay and conditions of their staff, this year’s UCU Congress and Sector Conferences needed to orient and arm the union for a serious campaign of resistance. It is an achievement that despite the pandemic and the attacks by …Continue reading “Congress 2021 – Now let’s organise the fightback”
- HESC 2021: Defending the principles of Higher Education and resisting attacks on working conditions
Our higher education institutions continue to be a battleground. Marketisation and competition push our employers to drive down the share of income spent on staffing and continually attack our pay, pensions and conditions. At the same time, the Tories’ political agenda aims to curtail the autonomy of universities and stifle critical intellectual inquiry in favour of … - FE sector conference 21: We need a UK-wide fight over pay and conditionsThis year’s FE sector conference is set in the context of a government lining up to impose another decade of austerity. After ‘needlessly allowing tens of thousands of people to die’, the government and the employers now want to make us pay for the public health crisis. This offensive will come in a number of forms. …
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- Resist pandemic-inspired attacks on our rights and working conditions
Congress meets at a time when UCU members (and working people generally) face major attacks on our democratic and employment rights. Our employers are using the pretext of the pandemic to further tighten their managerial grip and drive through cuts and detrimental changes to working practices. At the same time the Tory Government is attempting to bring …Continue reading “Resist pandemic-inspired attacks on our rights and working conditions”
- UCU Congress ‘fringe’ meeting – After lockdown: ‘Culture wars’, austerity and resistance in education
7pm Monday 24 MayZoom registration: http://bit.ly/UCUL02 Speakers include:John McDonnell MPJuliana Ojinnaka NEC-elect, black members rep.Bee Hughes NEC-elect, LGBT+ repKevin Biderman Royal College of Art UCUJo McNeill Liverpool UCU and NECSean Vernell NEC FEand our special guest Dr. Haidar Eid, Associate Professor of English, Al-Aqsa University, Gaza speaking directly from Gaza City on the latest situation there. This year’s UCU Congress takes place amid … - HEC REPORT 30TH April 2021
Report on the HEC covering pay, pensions and motions on Leicester UCU and student number caps - Prepare for action and throw out SWG so-called ‘principles’
You should have received an email from the General Secretary including five principles agreed by a majority of the USS SWG (Superannuation Working Group). Our current position, as determined by the December HE Sector Conference (HESC) is to• defend defined benefits (DB)• negotiate to protect member benefits at the lowest possible contributions• work with or put …Continue reading “Prepare for action and throw out SWG so-called ‘principles’”
- Congress 2021: Motion Prioritisation Recommendations
In this post we offer a suggested list of priority motions that your branch or region might like to consider when you respond to the UCU Congress and HESC 2021 prioritisation consultation. We found the process of identifying motions that should be prioritised problematic for various reasons. Fundamentally, we believe that if branches and regions have submitted motions in good faith they should …Continue reading “Congress 2021: Motion Prioritisation Recommendations”