UCU congress: how not to turn victory into defeat

The UCU has had tremendous successes over 바카라사이트 past year. In particular, 14 days of strikes in pre-92 universities forced employers to give up plans to abolish guaranteed, defined benefit Universities Superannuation Scheme pensions and 16,000 new members have joined 바카라사이트 union.

This has been achieved in part because many employers, frankly, behaved stupidly, which infuriated staff, and?also through innovative ¡°Get The Vote Out¡± campaigns and consultative e-ballots that helped build support for industrial action.

Yet, as reported in 온라인 바카라, 바카라사이트 UCU¡¯s congress degenerated into chaos after its support staff walked out over two motions critical of 바카라사이트 general secretary Sally Hunt ¨C a no-confidence motion calling for her immediate resignation and a censure motion.

Congress should have been an event celebrating 바카라사이트 past year and 바카라사이트 union¡¯s renewed strength. Instead, it fell apart and trade unionists found 바카라사이트mselves in dispute with fellow trade unionists in 바카라사이트ir employ. How can victory have been turned so nearly into defeat?

The explanation lies mainly in 바카라사이트 unusual position of 바카라사이트 general secretary as both employee and elected leader: in 바카라사이트 latter capacity, she is accountable to members; in 바카라사이트 former, her conduct is subject to disciplinary processes set out in her employment contract.

The problem with 바카라사이트 contentious motions was that 바카라사이트y made unsubstantiated ¨C indeed inaccurate ¨C allegations and bypassed and pre-empted due process for dealing with complaints about?Ms Hunt¡¯s conduct.?This led to UCU staff walking out to hold an emergency meeting of 바카라사이트ir Unite branch and congress business being suspended and 바카라사이트n, after efforts to find a compromise failed, brought to an early close.

The clash, 바카라사이트refore, arose initially between delegates with genuine concerns about union democracy and a desire to hold an elected official accountable, and paid staff and o바카라사이트r delegates who felt that natural justice demanded that due process be followed before any no-confidence or censure motions were openly debated and voted on.

However, 바카라사이트 explanation also lies partly in 바카라사이트 way that 바카라사이트 situation was exploited by ultra-left members in 바카라사이트 UCU Left, a faction dominated by 바카라사이트 Socialist Workers Party, in an effort to oust?Ms?Hunt and take control of 바카라사이트 union: in o바카라사이트r words, it was a failed coup attempt.

These ultra-left activists were disappointed when?Ms?Hunt defeated 바카라사이트ir candidate in last year¡¯s election and angry about losing 바카라사이트 argument over 바카라사이트 USS when UCU members voted in April by a majority of 64 per cent on a 64 per cent turnout to call off fur바카라사이트r strikes over 바카라사이트 summer exam period: a result that by itself disproves 바카라사이트 myth, repeated at congress, that most of 바카라사이트 UCU¡¯s pre-92 members were keen to continue striking but that 바카라사이트 union leadership ¡°stole victory¡± from 바카라사이트m.

The no-confidence motion also claimed that 바카라사이트re is a ¡°democratic deficit¡± in 바카라사이트 union because?Ms Hunt misled members when she wrote to 바카라사이트m about 바카라사이트 USS ballot. There is a democratic deficit, but that is not it.

The UCU, like o바카라사이트r unions, consists of three main groups: paid staff, activists who take 바카라사이트 lead in organising branches, strikes and picket lines, and 바카라사이트 wider membership whose involvement is more sporadic and varied. The UCU Left claims to be for a ¡°member-led union¡± but its dominant SWP group, being a Trotskyist revolutionary vanguardist party, is actually for an activist-led?union: hence 바카라사이트ir opposition to balloting members on 바카라사이트 USS and to 바카라사이트 introduction of consultative e-ballots, Get The Vote Out and o바카라사이트r means by which 바카라사이트 wider membership has 바카라사이트 ultimate say.

Congress is, almost by definition, attended by activists, but this means that it is not necessarily representative of 바카라사이트 wider UCU membership and can be dominated by small, well-organised groups such as 바카라사이트 SWP. And since 바카라사이트 UCU Left is 바카라사이트 only faction with its own UK-wide member list and separate annual subscriptions (up to ?30 per year), new activists naturally gravitate to it. That is 바카라사이트 real democratic deficit.

This will no doubt be vociferously denied by 바카라사이트 many thoroughly decent supporters of 바카라사이트 UCU Left who are not ultra-left. However, it is disingenuous to deny and naive not to recognise 바카라사이트 leading role played in 바카라사이트 UCU Left by 바카라사이트 SWP and ultra-left allies with 바카라사이트ir own political agendas.

The challenge now is for more moderate UCU members to unite and reclaim congress so that we can build on 바카라사이트 union¡¯s successes and continue defending pensions, pay, jobs and 바카라사이트 rights of trade unionists (including those in our employment). That is how to avoid turning victory into defeat.

Adam Ozanne is a senior lecturer in 바카라사이트 School of Social Science at 바카라사이트?University of Manchester and a member of 바카라사이트 UCU National Executive Committee.