Tag: elections

Building The Action We Need To Win: Student-Staff Assembly

SeanLeave a comment
Image shows poster for Student Staff Assembly, including sessions and speakers

12-3pm Saturday 29th January 2022

Hosted by the UCU Solidarity Movement

The strikes have been called: Now let’s build the fight to win on USS & Four Fights.

We now know the shape of the action called by our unions leadership in the two HE disputes.

There are lots of debates about how to best take the fights forward, but we all know that we have to make the action that’s been called as successful and hard hitting as possible.

We need to build unity – between staff and students – centred on the 2nd March student day of action. We also need to build unity between branches and between UCU and the rest of the movement.

We also need to build solidarity for brilliant branches like Goldsmiths UCU that are involved in crucial local battles.

Meanwhile, it’s right for us to discuss how best we can win these fights and what action can best achieve this.

Come along to Saturday’s Student-Staff Assembly. Bring other activists and bring your own ideas and arguments.

12:00-1.30pm Session 1: Pay Justice, Pensions & Resisting Marketisation

  • Chair: Peta Bulmer (University of Liverpool UCU)
  • Speakers: Vicky Blake (UCU President), Sara Bafo (Goldsmiths SU President), Akansha Mehta & Grace Will (Goldsmiths UCU), Sky Morrison (Liverpool student), Emma Rose (NEU NEC), Stephen Reicher (University of St. Andrews and iSAGE)

1.30-3:00pm Session 2: Building Solidarity & Fighting Precarity

  • Chair: Nathan Francois (RCA UCU)
  • Speakers: Juliana Ojinnaka (Chair, UCU Black Members’ Committee), Columbia University (USA) strikers, Rhian Keyse (Chair, UCU Anti-Casualisation Committee), Rania Obead (Sudanese Uprising Support Group), Rep from student Red Square Movement, Sharifah Rahman (Leeds University student)

Each of these plenary sessions will provide plenty of opportunity for discussion from the floor.

The fight is on: strategies to win

SeanLeave a comment

UK-Wide Strike Meeting

6pm Monday 21st February 2022

This coming Monday, branches involved in the Four Fights will join those already on strike over USS.

Meanwhile, there is excellent news from City University of London, where Unison members are due to join the UCU on strike on Monday. Management offered security guards a bonus to work on the 21st and 22nd. After staff rejected the bribe, City announced on Thursday that it will close on both days.

We are pleased to confirm that a City Unison rep will join the speakers at our UK-wide online strike meeting next Monday evening. We also hope to hear from the students who have now occupied four University of Sheffield buildings in solidarity with us.

This meeting is the place to be for UCU strikers, activists and students and others who want to build support for our action.

We need that action to be effective, well supported and successful. This event provides a forum to take stock, and to address important debates. How do we fight threatened pay deductions over ASOS? In the USS dispute, the employers will soon decide whether or not to accept the UCU proposals. Do members have enough say on industrial action strategy? How best to strengthen links between activists and branches? How best to win?

Opening speakers:

  • Vicky Blake (UCU President)
  • Tara Povey (Goldsmiths UCU)
  • Mike Rosen (author/Goldsmiths UCU)
  • Juliana Ojinnaka (Chair UCU Black Members Committee)
  • Cecilia Wee (RCA UCU)
  • Jess Edwards (NEC, National Education Union)
  • Jordy Lea (City Uni of London Unison rep)

Please note that the Corona Contract network also has an important meeting next Wednesday 23 February at 6pm, at which striking branches will discuss reports and vote on proposals for the next stage of the dispute. We hope that you can also promote and attend this event.