Mark Pendleton, a newly elected member of UCU’s NEC and supporter of the Grady4GS slate has produced a commentary on the structures of the UCU’s Higher Education Committee (HEC) and NEC that raises a number of important points worthy of …
A fighting union has to fight: Finance is a serious issue – not a blame game
UCU’s strategy of defending USS pensions, pay and conditions in FE and HE has led to over 16,000 low paid new members joining the union. This is testament to the scale of casualisation in both sectors and to the expectation …
We are under attack. This is not the time to end the Four Fights.
As part of a concerted attempt to persuade members to accept UCEA’s offer and end the Four Fights dispute, the General Secretary and those attempting to justify her position have launched an attack on the union’s industrial action strategy.
At …
Organising to defend post-16 education in the Coronavirus era • A UCU Left hosted mobilising and strategy meeting
7.30pm Monday 4 May
We will devote this weeks webinar to discussing strategy and how we mobilise to defend post 16 education.
In this organising meeting we will share experiences of what is happening on the ground where you are. …
Home working, now and beyond: Are we moving to emancipating electronic cottages or alienation in the home?
In this article I explore various aspects of the changes in education and working practices which we are seeing in our colleges and universities as a result of the Coronavirus crisis. I address health and safety, contractual and pedagogic issues.…
Assessment: Time to close down the exam factory
When this crisis is over, we should not turn back to a system that has so badly failed many young people.
TES article by Sean Vernell
The announcement to cancel GCSE and A-level exams this year and to grade students
Coronavirus, capitalism and class
The outbreak of the Coronavirus COVID-19, has created panic across the globe. The Italian government has just placed 16 million people under quarantine. Schools, universities, gyms, museums and nightclubs have been closed across the whole country. In total across the …
UCU Left ‘Four Fights’ Negotiators’ statement, 6/3/2020
Dear colleagues
We are writing as UCULeft ‘Four Fights’ negotiators who have been engaged in complex negotiations which are ongoing.
It is important to note that these negotiations have not yet resulted in an offer. Nothing is on the table …
The Second Joint Expert Panel Report: Could try harder?
The Joint Expert Panel: Could try harder?
The long awaited second Joint Expert Panel (JEP) report on USS was released on Friday 13th December.
The Joint Expert Panel was the outcome of the 2018 industrial action by UCU in …
Democracy Congress – Two steps forward, one step back?
Saturday’s Democracy Congress saw a mobilisation by the right-wing ‘Independent Broad Left’ (IBL) to block rule changes proposed by the UCU’s Democracy Commission intended to improve accountability of the union’s leadership.
The Democracy Commission – and this Congress – were …