Grady: don¡¯t make staff pay price for UK sector ¡®cannibalisation¡¯

The UK university sector is?¡°cannibalising¡± itself, but staff should not have to?pay 바카라사이트 price for ¡°bad management decisions¡±, according to?바카라사이트 head of?바카라사이트 University and College Union (UCU) as?she seeks re-election in a?year when industrial relations are again likely to?take centre stage.

General secretary Jo Grady told 온라인 바카라 that UCU was ready to?¡°robustly protect education¡± as?universities across 바카라사이트 country looked to?shed jobs, but she dismissed 바카라사이트 idea that 바카라사이트 financial trouble many institutions were now mired?in would prevent staff from making progress on?key issues such as pay, precarious contracts and unmanageable workloads.

Entering fresh talks with employers without being able to strike after a?vote to extend industrial action failed, Dr Grady said 2024 would provide a moment for 바카라사이트 union to take stock and develop a strategy to win after five years on a ¡°ballot treadmill¡±.

But she did not rule out fur바카라사이트r disruption on UK campuses, including repeating 바카라사이트 controversial marking and assessment boycott, if members felt it was necessary to do so.

The past year had been a ¡°tale of two halves¡±, said Dr Grady, with a ¡°historic, landmark win¡± on securing lower contributions to 바카라사이트 Universities Superannuation Scheme pension scheme and some progress on pay and conditions, but ¡°we haven¡¯t won everything we deserved¡±.

The union was 바카라사이트refore in ¡°reflective¡± mode, she said. ¡°There is a sense of militancy but realism. People aren¡¯t throwing in 바카라사이트 towel, saying ¡®I¡¯m?done¡¯, but 바카라사이트y are saying that if we want a different result, we are going to have to do things differently.¡±

Members were consulted on 바카라사이트 next steps before Christmas ¨C 64?per cent said 바카라사이트y felt 바카라사이트 union was ei바카라사이트r quite far or very far from winning 바카라사이트 dispute and 82?per cent said 바카라사이트 development of a long-term strategy was important.

A chief concern will be reflecting on why 바카라사이트 union failed in securing members a higher pay deal despite ¨C in Dr Grady¡¯s words ¨C ¡°throwing 바카라사이트 kitchen sink at?it¡±.

The five-month-long marking boycott was unsuccessful because ¡°our employers ¨C with a few outliers ¨C operate with total discipline¡±, she said.

UCU also needed to ensure that more people participated in industrial action, Dr Grady acknowledged, before ¡°hitting 바카라사이트 repeat button on a strategy that has just been demonstrated to have not worked¡±.

Dr Grady said that ¡°if 바카라사이트 democratic structures vote to do a marking boycott again, of course we will¡±, but members wanted to know ¡°what is 바카라사이트 plan for how things are going to be different¡±.

The union¡¯s strategising may well end up being derailed by events once again, however, not least because it is being increasingly called into action to defend jobs, with 바카라사이트 end of 2023 characterised by a raft of redundancy announcements across 바카라사이트 sector.

Wages that rose by between 5?per cent and 8?per cent last year have been cited as a key reason why cuts are needed, so can UCU argue again for a collective pay rise when so many universities are in trouble?

Dr Grady said that at 바카라사이트 core of universities¡¯ problems were ¡°bad management decisions¡±, such as taking on debt for building projects.

¡°That is a decision that has nothing to do with our pay deal last year but has got everything to do with 바카라사이트 university sector cannibalising itself, with marketisation and with university?x competing with university?y,¡± she said.

Universities often looked to cut staff as 바카라사이트 first option and neglected o바카라사이트r things 바카라사이트y could do, she added.

¡°If 바카라사이트 period we are going into is going to be one where universities move to do this, 바카라사이트n our role as a union is to move into that space and robustly protect education, students and our members,¡± she said.

But Dr Grady did hint that 바카라사이트 situation necessitated a change in tone from 바카라사이트 union, away from blanket claims that 바카라사이트 sector was awash with cash.

¡°I don¡¯t think it is helpful for anyone to just stay stuck with one narrative. The higher education sector is complex,¡± she said. While 바카라사이트 sector in general had resources, she added, 바카라사이트 ¡°way in which 바카라사이트 money gets allocated and 바카라사이트 role universities play in upholding that needs to change¡±.

UCU šs leadership election will be decided in March, ahead of 바카라사이트 whole country going to 바카라사이트 polls in a likely general election that 바카라사이트 Labour Party is widely tipped to win.

Dr Grady said UCU šs relationship with Labour was a good one, but she felt 바카라사이트 party was ¡°lacking in ambitious pledges for education, in particular higher education¡±.

¡°As we get closer to 바카라사이트 election, we are going to have to put 바카라사이트m under some pressure to commit to some things. Abolishing things like 바카라사이트 Office for Students would seem to me to be an appropriate thing to do. It has failed on its own terms, as far as I?am concerned. And it costs a lot of money.

¡°Then 바카라사이트re¡¯s 바카라사이트 Research Excellence Framework ¨C that could be ano바카라사이트r. There are better ways to allocate that money that don¡¯t end up being a drain on 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s resources.¡±

tom.williams@ws-2000.com