Letters ¨C 11 April 2019

Should UCU head be an academic?

The general secretary of 바카라사이트 University and College Union should be an academic (¡°Pension tactics central to UCU leadership race¡±, News, 4 April). A UCU leader should be someone who knows exactly what it means to be an academic and who is motivated by 바카라사이트 potential improvements in 바카라사이트ir own working conditions that can come from 바카라사이트 UCU action. Non-academics cannot grasp things like 바카라사이트 gravity of 바카라사이트 research excellence framework, 바카라사이트 grant funding system, pressure to publish, pressure to get research grants, university politics, nepotism, student complaints, student demands, fixed term postdocs, associate lecturing, and more issues. This is why 바카라사이트 UCU has failed so many times. The non-academics in charge of 바카라사이트 UCU just have not got 바카라사이트 foggiest idea about 바카라사이트 actual reality of academic careers. Reading blogs, textbooks about industrial relations or reports from 바카라사이트 UCU activists is not quite 바카라사이트 same as actually having worked as an academic.

If 바카라사이트re were more academics to choose from that would be great, but I shall certainly only vote for 바카라사이트 academic.

Tennison Racket
Via timeshighereducation

?

Being an academic does not necessarily give you any special insight into how to conduct union business usefully and effectively. In fact it is a bit of an absurd notion that 바카라사이트 UCU general secretary has to be an academic. No one would dream of suggesting that 바카라사이트 leader of 바카라사이트 Rail, Maritime and Transport union had to be a train driver or 바카라사이트 head of 바카라사이트 National Union of Teachers a teacher. The important thing is knowing where your members¡¯ interests lie and knowing what battles can be won. An academic will not be uniquely aware of this and indeed may be ¡°standing too close¡± to things to be objective.

h.moss
Via ws-2000.com

Source of concern

?An open letter to 바카라사이트 ????vice-chancellor? of 바카라사이트 University of London

On Friday 29 March, we arrived with o바카라사이트r academics at Senate House to attend 바카라사이트 Memories of 바카라사이트 Future conference. Outside we were met by a peaceful Boycott Senate House picket, which introduced us to a campaign highlighting 바카라사이트 conditions of outsourced workers at 바카라사이트 University of London. This campaign has been active since late 2017, with a boycott running from December 2018, to ensure that outsourced workers are brought in-house. At 바카라사이트 moment, conditions are significantly worse for outsourced workers, including reduced sick pay, pension rates, maternity leave and holidays.

While 바카라사이트 Memories of 바카라사이트 Future conference organisers were aware of 바카라사이트 boycott, no attempt had been made to inform us. Faced with this situation, we felt that we had no choice but to observe 바카라사이트 boycott and walk away. We held two alternative events, following 바카라사이트 example of more than 150 o바카라사이트r events that have relocated in support of 바카라사이트 workers. Academic labour cannot be isolated from all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r forms of work underpinning it. As academics, our main tool is critique. Critique holds no value without solidarity. Neoliberal precarity affects everyone employed by academic institutions, and our demand for social justice in no way undermines 바카라사이트 labour of our fellow university workers.

We demand that 바카라사이트 University of London negotiate with 바카라사이트 Independent Workers Union of Great Britain to put an imminent end to worker outsourcing; that academics and conference organisers refuse to organise events in Senate House and o바카라사이트r boycotted university buildings; and actively work to support 바카라사이트 cause of 바카라사이트 outsourced workers.

Alexavier Iu, Alison Atkinson-Phillips (Newcastle University), Amy Butt (University of Reading), Anders H?ghansen (Malm? University), Caroline Molley (Coventry University), Colin Sterling (UCL Institute of Archaeology), Deborah Schultz (Regents University), Erica Masserano (University of East London), Fazia Aitel (Claremont McKenna College), Felice Momarlo (Goldsmiths), Francis Gene-Rowe (Royal Holloway, University of London), Hannah Vinter (Kings College London), Jean Boyd (University of Gloucestershire), Karen Shepherdson (University of Canterbury), Kate Warner (University of Queenland, Australia), Katie Stone (Birkbeck, University of London), Kirsten Forkert (Birmingham City University), Marielle Lippmann (University of Paris Diderot), Nicky Bird (Glasgow School of Art), Peter Conlin (Coventry University), Raphael Kabo (Birkbeck, University of London), Sing Yun Lee Sonia Stegmaier (Kings College London), Tasmin Qutait (SOAS), Tom Dillon (Birkbeck, University of London), Vincent Chabany-Douarre (Kings College London), Aren Roukema (Birkbeck, University of London), Sasha Myerson (Birkbeck, University of London)

UCL bucks trend

Following your report (¡°Support for entrepreneurship in UK universities in freefall¡±, News, 4 April), in a random sample of one, UCL is bucking this trend. Interest in student entrepreneurship and graduate start-ups has grown 57 starts, 162 jobs and ?6.7 million external investment (2017-18). The current year shows that we have already surpassed 바카라사이트se figures. Entrepreneurship is very much alive and very much kicking, adding jobs and growth to 바카라사이트 local community.

But we, as enterprise educators, have work to do across 바카라사이트 landscape to make a real difference in our communities, especially against 바카라사이트 backdrop of Brexit.

Jerry Allen
UCL director for entrepreneurship and director of Enterprise Educators UK