Will Engage oppose the lack of democracy in the UCU 'settlement'

Posted in Pete's blog on ,

Last Thursday, June 8th, I emailed the text below to leading Engage and AUT activists, Jon Pike and Dave Hirsh as well as Engage 'Director', Jane Ashworth, regarding the settlement of the UCU dispute. As yet I await any confirmation that they will be fighting this appalling settlement.

--------------------------------------------- Email reads:
You will be aware of the ‘settlement’ of the now UCU dispute.

Hopefully you will know

  1. how the former AUT-leadership, on a engineered ring-round of their exec members, decided that an acceptance of the offer on the table was desirable.
  2. of the outrage in the former NATFHE-organised universities at what has happened
  3. of the wide anger that exists in AUT branches, e.g. Cardiff and ‘AUT universities’ in my area, Loughborough (where a mass meeting of the membership rejected the offer) and Leicester

You will be aware that the deal will ease the introduction of local pay bargaining and a two (three, four etc) tier HE sector fuelled with differential tuition fees that will lead to increasing inequalities in education.

We (the AWL) will campaign for a ‘No’ vote. We hope you will do the same. But we know that a ‘No’ vote only makes sense if we are able to reflect on the problems and develop a popular strategy to reinvigorate a defense of national pay bargaining and to end inequalities in HE provision.

This is only possible with an urgent national conference of the new Union. You very effectively organised one last year and overturned the stupid boycott policy imposed on the AUT. You have correctly argued against the boycott motion at the last NATFHE conference, with one of your arguments being that it would undermine the national joint dispute at the time of 2 unions. Will you back this call now and use your resources to demand accountability in this important issue?

Hope to hear a ‘Yes’ from you

In solidarity

Pete Radcliff
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I had some questions and answers regarding but as of 11th June, I'm still waiting any indication that Engage will use their network to raise the issue of democracy on this important settlement.

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