UCU

Sheffield University strike from 18 September

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at the University of Sheffield will take local industrial action for two weeks from 18 September, spanning the “Welcome Week” for fresher students and the first week of teaching. The strike is in response to a particularly tough stance on the Marking and Assessment Boycott that was in place from April until recently, which resulted in many striking markers losing their full pay for three weeks or more, and likewise for anyone who would not take on the refused marking, even if that was well above their normal workload. UCU is demanding that...

UCU: risk of ballot delay

As Solidarity goes to press on 1 August, we await the outcome of the latest talks between the University and College Union and university employers’ organisation UCEA. The union’s congress voted for a summer reballot to continue the mandate for action into the autumn term, but it looks increasingly likely that this will be delayed, meaning the mandate will expire at the end of September. That means it will not be possible to call action at the start of most university terms, leaving the union in a weak position in the current negotiations. Rumour has it that the General Secretary would prefer...

Universities: risk of a shoddy deal

With universities now into graduation season, the University and College Union (UCU) marking and assessment boycott is continuing

UCU: a reballot is essential

As university terms draw to an end, it is clear that as a consequence of the marking and assessment boycott at some universities large numbers of students will not graduate

UCU boycott nears the crunch

As the marking and assessment boycott in universities comes to a head, management are persisting with their hard line.

Israel and Ukraine: both no right to exist?

People who want to see Putin prevail in Ukraine were overjoyed by the recent UCU congress vote against Ukraine having the arms it needs to defend itself. Andrew Murray wrote in the Morning Star that “The University and College Union (UCU) vote to oppose the continuing war in Ukraine, including arms sales, and to support the campaigning of the Stop the War Coalition against British government policy over the war is a beacon to the rest of the movement”. Just days earlier, the PCS conference had passed a resolution supporting Ukrainians’ right to defend themselves and liberate their country. The...

Socialist Worker dismisses pro-Ukrainians as “NATO trolls”

Socialist Worker (SW), paper of the Socialist Worker Party (SWP), is ecstatic. At last it has found a trade union (the UCU, which organises workers in post-school education) that has passed a motion at its annual congress backing the Stop the War Coalition (StW) line on Ukraine. True, the motion was passed by just nine votes. True, the motion contained an antisemitic trope jumbling up Ukraine and Israel as imperialist outposts. True, Jewish UCU members critical of the motion have been targeted for antisemitic abuse. True, another, and far better, motion on Ukraine was passed by a much larger...

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