UCU

UCU marking boycott from 20 April

Straight after a ballot of higher education workers in the University and College Union (UCU) which returned comfortable majorities for continuing action on both the pay and conditions dispute and pension dispute, the union’s leadership around General Secretary Jo Grady called a consultative e-ballot on “offers” in the disputes. On pay and conditions members had been offered three working parties on proposals that may be contingent on local conditions, i.e. with an implied threat of further weakening of national bargaining. On pensions, a limited restoration of benefits is promised, but...

UCU calls for marking boycott from 20 April

Despite numerous backhanded attempts by the union’s general secretary to slow down and wind down the dispute, including seizing control from elected negotiators, University and College Union (UCU) members in higher education have returned a large majority for renewed industrial action in their latest ballots, voting by 85.6% to continue action on pay and conditions, and by 89% to continue action in a parallel dispute on pensions. Currently (as part of the leadership’s control-and-undermine strategy) UCU is holding a consultative e-ballot on so-called offers in those disputes. The only progress...

Pay: still time to turn the tide

Despite the votes to accept poor offers on Network Rail and by RCN in NHS Scotland, and despite the suspension of strikes on Train Operating Companies, there is still potential to remobilise and turn the tide. But workers need independent rank-and-file organisation to develop alternative strategies in disputes. RCN (Royal College of Nursing) in Scotland has announced that among its members in Scotland. 53.3% voted to accept the offer, 46.6% voted to reject, on a turnout of just over 50%. The offer is a 6.5% rise in 2023-4 (or for some, fractionally more) for all staff up to and inclusive of...

UCU: union democracy needed

As Solidarity goes to press (28 March), higher education members of UCU are being asked whether to move to a formal consultation on employers’ proposals in their two disputes, one over the pre-92 university pension scheme USS, and one on pay and pay-related elements across the sector. Alongside this, a reballot continues (to 31 March), allowing six months’ further action. There has been real progress on USS, with a commitment to restoration of benefits. There are still potential pitfalls as the details are thrashed out, but it seems unlikely that more action in that dispute at present will...

UCU: fight to stop sell-out

This article was written before UCU eballoted members asking for a consultation on very poor deal, meanwhile stopping the strikes. What about striking while consultation takes place, or better, allowing elected HE committee to make decisions? As Solidarity goes to press, members of the University and College Union are about to begin six days of strike, from Wednesday 15 to Wednesday 22 March inclusive. Action was suspended almost a month ago after the joint union leaderships claimed there had been ‘significant progress’ in talks at ACAS. However, as many activists feared, there is little...

UCU to strike on 15 March

The Higher Education Committee of the University and College Union (UCU), meeting on 24 February, voted to call a strike on 15 March alongside other unions on Budget day. The strike will interrupt a “pause” in strike action put in place without any real consultation with the union’s democratic structures by general secretary Jo Grady. The pause was justified on the grounds that “calm” was needed while negotiations at ACAS continue. Yet the pause coincided with the employers imposing a below-inflation pay deal and no significant progress on many other aspects of the union’s long-running and...

Higher education strikes: stop the sell out

On the evening of Friday 17 February, University and College Union (UCU) members received an email from the General Secretary announcing that strikes in higher education had been suspended by all unions to allow a "period of calm" in negotiations at ACAS. But the joint statement makes clear that employers are refusing to move on the headline pay offer of 5-8%, to be paid over 18 months. Part will be paid from 1 February 2023 and part from August 2023. So it is not even 5-8% for this year; it represents a further cut on top of years of below-inflation settlements. They have yet to make any...

UCU: discuss in the branches

As Solidarity goes to press on 14 February, the Higher Education unions have been in talks with employers at the government arbitration service ACAS. In the Guardian , Jo Grady, general secretary of UCU, which represents teaching and higher-grade professional staff, has hinted that improvements on non-pay elements such as workload, casualisation and equalities might be key to a deal. Enforceable framework agreements on these issues would certainly be welcome, but they need to be accompanied by a serious pay rise, not another below-inflation offer. Any offer we do get should be discussed in...

Escalation in universities

University and College Union (UCU) members will strike on 18 days during February and March in disputes over pay, pensions and working conditions. After 1 February, action will escalate to two days a week (9-10 February), then three (14-16, 21-23) and four (27 February to 2 March) and five (16-23 March). Management’s latest pay offer varies from 8% for the lowest paid (a rise that would be necessary in any case to meet living wage expectations), to 5% for those at the top of the scale. The latest round of pay talks saw a cynical increase in the offer for this top grade — mainly UCU members —...

18 days of strikes in universities

The University and College Union has voted for escalating strike action over February and March, plus a reballot to extend the mandate into the summer term. There will be no marking and assessment boycott until then. Management’s latest pay offer is between 4 and 7% for 2023 (higher rises for the lower grades), with part of that paid in February. The union has rejected this as well short of inflation. The eighteen days of strikes announced are a big improvement on the General Secretary’s proposal for only ten, though they will not have the immediate impact of indefinite or four day a week...

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