Tag: students

Liverpool UCU March For Health Jobs

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Image shows a big pink poster advertising the March For Health Jobs.

12:30pm Saturday 10th July 2021

Meet at the famous Bombed Out Church, Berry Street, Liverpool city centre

This demonstration has been called by UCU University of Liverpool and TUC Liverpool, to highlight the fight for jobs in the city, including those at the university. Fire and Rehire fights, such as Manchester bus drivers, have been won by determined action. We need to build on these and other successful union actions throughout the trade union movement, and fight for all jobs.

At the University of Liverpool, 47 teachers and researchers in the Faculty of Health & Life Sciences were due to be made redundant this summer, but industrial action by UCU members has reduced this number to 21. We are determined to save every job, through strikes, working to contract, a marking & assessment boycott, and protests.

The solidarity shown by other trade unionists and activists has been crucial to building our members’ confidence and supporting the campaign. We invite you to join us at this in-person, socially distanced demonstration through Liverpool, and help us to show the university that we will remain defiant.

Please wear a mask if you can, bring your union banners, home made placards and posters, and share this event widely with friends and colleagues.

Staff – Student Solidarity Rally UCU Chester

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Chester Town Hall – 12pm Saturday 24th July 2021

Chester University management are intending to make staff redundant at the end of July, at a time when it is extremely difficult to find secure employment in higher education. The number of staff at risk is relatively small, and their jobs could easily be saved, but management won’t budge.

The demonstration has been called to “reclaim the university” and show university management that staff and students are united in their resistance.

Chester 24 07 21 b.jpg

All UCU branches in the northwest should aim to send delegates to the demo and show our support for UCU Chester. Trains depart from Liverpool Central at 10:55am and from Manchester Piccadilli (via Crew) at 10:31am. Bring your branch banner.

Twitter Storm: please schedule your Tweets in support of the Chester branch to post at the time of the protest, 12:00-1:00pm on Saturday 24th July. Use these hashtags in your Tweets: #reclaimouruniversity #noredundancieschester, and remember to tag in the UCU Chester branch: @ChesterUcu

UNITE THE FIGHTS! UCU Solidarity Movement Rally

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Illustration of a group of people holding UCU and UCU Solidarity Movement banners created by Anthony Bradbury, Imperial College. Augmented with logos from universities and colleges that have been in dispute.

6.00pm Monday 20th September 2021

  • Uniting the Fights – Vicky Blake (UCU President)
  • The Fight for Safe Campuses – Marian Mayer (UCU University of Bournemouth)
  • Striking Back in FE – Margot Hill (UCU Croydon College)
  • Winning at Liverpool – Jo McNeill (UCU University of Liverpool)
  • How to Get the Vote Out – James Richards (UCU Heriot-Watt University)
  • Plus reports from Monday’s Special HEC

Colleagues will be aware that last week’s Higher Education Sector Conference voted for an immediate strike ballot in defence of USS pensions and also over the 4Fights.

Our union is now on an emergency campaign footing. With several disputes already taking place over jobs and pay in HE, branches across the four regions must now prepare for strike ballots that bring together pre- and post-92 branches across the HE sector. The same issues are central to disputes across the UCU. Members in 15 Further Education Colleges are due to begin strike action on 28th September over pay, workloads and redundancies.

We have called this meeting to help provide us with the tools and examples we need to win. Now more than ever we need to draw together the issues and build solidarity for UCU branches taking action now. Victories in these disputes can only help win the ballots to come over USS and the 4Fights.

  • 6.00pm Monday 20th September

Please share these details with your members and help make Monday’s meeting a success.

#Goldstrike: A Fight for All Our Futures

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Image shows a large pink banner with the words “No cuts, we love our staff”

Solidarity Rally for UCU Goldsmiths

7pm Thursday 9th December 2021

Goldsmiths Senior Management Team (SMT) is planning mass staff redundancies across departments this term, including 52 jobs this year: 20 academics in English & Creative Writing and History, and 32 professional services staff, as part of a wider scheme of redundancies to be rolled out over two years. These cuts risk causing chaos and harming student experience.

Senior management claim these cuts are required due to a deal that was struck with Lloyds Bank and NatWest bank, negotiated by the consultancy firm KPMG, committing to £4million of staff cuts this year followed by £2million next year.

In response to the threat of mass redundancies, Goldsmiths UCU members have been taking 15 days of strike action, 23rd November 23rd – 13th December.

As the first three days of national strikes over USS and Four Fights come to an end, and the new ballots begin in branches which fell short of the threshold, we need to build the maximum possible support for the fight at Goldsmiths.

The Goldsmiths dispute is nothing less than a battle for the future of Higher Education. We cannot allow the banks to decide how our universities should be run and which courses should be funded. This meeting will hear from staff who face redundancy and discuss the magnificent campaign that activists have organised in defence of their jobs.

Speakers:

  • Mike Rosen (Author, lecturer at Goldsmiths)
  • Tara Povey (Joint President, Goldsmiths UCU)
  • Paula Ktorides (professional staff member at Goldsmiths facing redundancy)
  • Jon Trickett (MP)
  • Larissa Kennedy (President, NUS)
  • Vicky Blake (President, UCU)
  • Peta Bulmer (President, University of Liverpool UCU)

You can also find out more and support the strike fund here: https://goldsmithsucu.org/donations/strikefund/

The fight is on: strategies to win

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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.