motion

2 March 20262 March 2026

Stop the Attack on Iran – No more War in the Middle East

UCU Left statement

We condemn the attack on Iran by the US and Israel.

The US under Donald Trump is attacking country after country. Trump has unleashed ICE thugs on Americans. He will not bring democracy to Iran: he does not support democracy in the USA.

Bombing Iran will not support the movement for ‘Women, life, freedom.’ Trump is attacking women’s rights to healthcare, employment and equality in the USA and worldwide.

Opposing war does not mean support for the Iranian regime. The future of Iran must be decided by the Iranian people. They will not be liberated by bombs dropped from 30,000 feet. The dreadful US missile strike on a girl’s elementary school in southern Iran exposes the real consequences of Donald Trump’s war.

Bombing Iran does not make the Middle East safer.

The excuse given by Trump for launching the attack on Iran was the failure of Iranian leaders to not agree to pursue a nuclear capacity. Whilst the threat of nuclear Armageddon is real, the main driver towards such a catastrophe is from the US, the only state to use nuclear weapons, and Israel, the only Middle East state that possesses nuclear weapons.

The Iranian state has shown it can retaliate against Israel and other US allies.

The Islamic Republic will not fall because it has lost a leader. The government is strong, and the country is huge. Iran has over double the population of Iraq, and twice the landmass.

Bombing Iran will not bring democracy closer in Iran or the wider Middle East. Every bomb dropped and every civilian who dies strengthens the targeted government. Every conscript killed becomes a martyr and strengthens nationalism.

UCU Left condemns these murderous and reckless acts. They are causing death and destruction in Iran and threaten wider war across the region.

As trade unionists in Britain, our first duty is to call for an immediate halt to this war. We condemn our government for supporting Trump’s war and for allowing Trump to use British military bases.

Donald Trump has said that American lives will be lost for his ‘noble’ cause. But as usual it will not be the children of the rich who suffer or die. Working class Americans will pay the ultimate price for Trump’s expansionism.

We call on all of our supporters to organise and build the protests against the war on Iran.

Suggested branch motion

This branch notes

The attack by the US and Israel on Iran began on 27 February, while both sides were ostensibly in nuclear negotiations.
Trump’s ‘America First’ doctrine explicitly prioritises US corporations’ interests above all else. Trump seeks to avoid ‘forever wars’ like Afghanistan (nearly 20 years) and Iraq (8 years, 8 months). So far this doctrine has translated into targeted strikes against leaders and military installations but not invading troops.
The attack has been condemned by the UN Secretary General; Brazil, Turkey, Oman and Russia, as well as US lawmakers. But Keir Starmer has sent war planes to shoot down Iranian missiles, and offered British bases to the US, all the time approving US military actions while urging Iranian ‘restraint’.

This branch believes

Bombing is not a route to democracy. The history of bombing campaigns is that they kill civilians and strengthen states’ hold over their people.
The first duty of trade unionists in the UK is to call for an immediate end to the war, and oppose the actions of our own government in enabling it.

This branch resolves

To call on members to oppose war on Iran and to join protests against it called by the Stop the War Coalition and CND.
To send messages of solidarity to Iranian trade unions, including the Iranian Teachers Trade Association (a member of Education International, to which UCU is affiliated).
To call on UCU nationally to do likewise.
To send a version of this motion to UCU Congress.*

*Note re: the final resolves – “a version of” here is to deal with the 150 word limit.

UCU Left recommendations on USS SHESC voting

Motion			Recommendation
1	SWG report and recommendations	HEC	Remit, because the last bullet point is potentially unconstitutional and could be used to silence negotiators Oppose if not remitted*
2	Call for indefinite strike action	Sheffield	Against, in favour of later motions
3	Indefinite action USS	HEC	For
4	Escalate to indefinite action with local consultation	Manchester	For
5	ASOS and strike action (composite)	Dundee / Ulster / Liverpool	For
6	Industrial Action Plan	University College London	For
7	Action to win	Glasgow	For
8	USS – Escalating industrial action	Nottingham	Against, only ‘moving towards’ boycott
9	Assessment boycott as a core part of our UK-wide strategy	Newcastle	For, although no specific resolves
10	Escalation of USS Dispute	ACC	Against, no resolves and could be used by GS to undermine action
11	UCU HEC invitation to UUK to ACAS collective conciliation	Bristol	Against, because it would likely create a delay and the demand is unrealistic**
12	Next steps in the disputes	Newcastle	For
13	Planning now for action next academic year	Cambridge	Against, due to the mistaken call for an aggregated ballot
14	Co-ordinating effective UK-wide action	Liverpool	For
15	Striking out of teaching term	Leeds	Against
16	Maximum effective action	Edinburgh	For
17	Compiling regional calendars to assist timing of industrial action	Heriot-Watt	For, if amended Otherwise oppose (risk of delay)
17A.1		Dundee	For
18	Call for a return to aggregated strike ballots	Southampton	Against (aggregated ballot)
19	No decoupling of Four Fights and USS	Dundee	For
20	UCU HE members to decide future HE strike action	Bristol	Against
21	Branch Delegates Meetings	Edinburgh	For
22	Pay deductions for striking members with external funding	ACC	For
23	Negotiations before valuation	Glasgow	Against, because it weakens the negotiator’s position and there are better prospects in campaigning over DRCs Consequentials: rules out 26 resolves “a” (no detriment) which has been remitted

Notes

*Motion 1. The Remit and Standing Orders for the SWG are intended to go via the NEC processes. Any changes in normal expectations must be made via standard Congress rule change process (2/3 majority etc), and corresponding implementation. While “Terms of Reference” may sound innocuous and indeed are proposed in good faith, they cannot be put in place for one committee in a manner that is distinct from that for all other. This poses risks in interpretation, implementation and consistency of process. As there is no option to take the motion in parts, were remission to fall, the SWG report should be voted down.

Existing policy would still continue to apply should the report be not passed.

**Motion 11. “Notes 4” is incorrect. The ACAS resolution of reduction in benefits similar to the current one was rejected by members; the JEP proposal came out of discussion between the previous GS and employers, and there was no second JEP proposal.

5 December 20165 December 2016

HESC Calling Motion

Motion to call a Higher Education Sector Conference to debate UCU’s HE industrial strategy

Under Rule 16.11, branches from 20 Higher Education institutions must pass this motion to require UCU to convene a HESC. Please use the wording below, especially the wording highlighted. Send all motions passed to UCU HQ c/o Paul Bridge, Head of HE, pbridge@ucu.org.uk.

This UCU Branch notes

the end of the HE pay round 2016 with a 1.1% pay offer and proposals that branches negotiate locally to reduce casualisation and the gender pay gap;
the passing into law of the Trade Union Act 2016, imposing a 50% turnout on trades disputes, making national industrial action much more difficult unless we can mobilize members to vote;
the developing context of an HE and Research Bill and tuition fee market intended to set universities against each other, that is likely to lead to employers holding down wages to expand, and imposing job losses and casualisation;
the fact that in addition to pay scales, pensions are nationally determined and cannot be defended branch-by-branch.

This UCU Branch believes that UCU urgently needs a new industrial action strategy, one which combines the building of local organization and nationally coordinated local disputes with a revised and renewed commitment to the preservation of national bargaining.

This UCU Branch therefore resolves to call a Special Higher Education Sector Conference under Rule 16.11 to debate UCU’s industrial strategy in Higher Education.

It encourages other branches to adopt a similar resolution with this call for a Special HE Sector Conference.

Tag: motion