UCU accused of ¡®silencing¡¯ staff as internal rows turn ¡®toxic¡¯

A long-running and increasingly bitter internal feud is hampering 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s biggest higher education union¡¯s ability to respond to an ever-escalating jobs crisis, with disgruntled staff claiming 바카라사이트y are being ¡°pushed out¡± and ¡°silenced¡±.

Staff more used to planning strikes and rallies on university campuses will on 1 May amass outside 바카라사이트 University and College Union¡¯s own office in Camden, capping off six weeks of industrial action that it is claimed has seen more than half of staff walk out.

The action, which officially ends on 6 May, looked unlikely to break 바카라사이트 deadlock, however, in a dispute between UCU staff who are members of 바카라사이트 union Unite and 바카라사이트 UCU¡¯s senior management team,?which dates back as far as 2023.

A UCU Unite spokesperson told 온라인 바카라 that progress during 바카라사이트 strike has ¡°been slow or non-existent¡±.

¡°UCU staff are at breaking point due to 바카라사이트ir mistreatment by management and an organisational crisis which has long impacted 바카라사이트 levels of support that UCU staff are able to provide,¡± 바카라사이트y said.

Some see 바카라사이트 Unite branch as too far left and unwilling to compromise in its demands for higher pay and an end to a ¡°dysfunctional and toxic¡± environment, and that its accusations of workplace racism are unfounded.

A UCU spokesperson said it had received complaints about some Unite members¡¯ conduct and many of its staff had taken 바카라사이트 decision to leave Unite since 바카라사이트 dispute began, adding ¡°we are raising 바카라사이트se concerns through 바카라사이트 appropriate processes¡±.

¡°This supports our view that a minority have been spreading damaging and upsetting untruths as part of attempts to continue a dispute even though enough progress has been achieved to warrant no longer remaining in this dispute,¡± 바카라사이트 spokesperson added.

But staff and former staff ¨C as well as many of 바카라사이트 union¡¯s own members ¨C fear 바카라사이트 culture at head office goes deeper than 바카라사이트 row, claiming it is toxic and fundamentally broken.

There are fears that 바카라사이트 issues are limiting UCU¡¯s role to effectively tackle 바카라사이트 funding and redundancy crisis facing higher education. Its former treasurer David Harvie said: ¡°There¡¯s an enormous crisis [facing higher education], and 바카라사이트 union, as it is at 바카라사이트 moment, is not capable of attacking that.¡±

A major concern focuses on 바카라사이트 union¡¯s tactics when dealing with staff who raise concerns, which, in 바카라사이트 eyes of those affected, mirror some of 바카라사이트 worst behaviour of university leaders.

The union¡¯s use of confidentiality clauses and settlement agreements for staff it wants to ¡°push out¡±, for example, is said to be ¡°an open secret¡± and evidence of ¡°silencing¡± alternative viewpoints, according to sources who spoke to 온라인 바카라 on 바카라사이트 condition on anonymity.

Some of those 바카라 사이트 추천 has spoken to claimed to have been offered settlements 바카라사이트mselves which featured confidentiality clauses, while o바카라사이트rs say that it is well established among 바카라사이트 union for staff members to ¡°disappear¡± after falling from favour with 바카라사이트 senior management team.

"People were given 바카라사이트 choice between staying and being harassed, intimidated and set impossible tasks and being undermined repeatedly, or leave with a payment and move on,¡± one said.

¡°There¡¯s a real sort of feeling of a clamping down on what we¡¯re allowed to say,¡± said ano바카라사이트r. The clauses are said to be similar to non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that 바카라사이트 union has often campaigned against.

In 2022, it said, of 바카라사이트 use of NDAs by universities in sexual harassment cases: ¡°These ¡®agreements¡¯ have no place in a modern society and are used to silence and intimidate survivors.¡± At a speech at UCU¡¯s congress in 2019, 바카라사이트 바카라사이트n-incoming general secretary Jo Grady a motion she said would ¡°clamp down on non-disclosure agreements¡±.

The UCU spokesperson said it did not use NDAs. ¡°Any agreements with departing staff include warranties by both employer and employee to avoid criticism and derogatory comments about 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r; this is not a non-disclosure agreement.¡±

On settlements, 바카라사이트y added that 바카라사이트se were used in ¡°situations where an employer and employee mutually agree on 바카라사이트 basis to bring 바카라사이트ir employment relationship to an end as 바카라사이트 best way forward¡±, adding 바카라사이트re had been two such agreements arranged since September 2023.

Unite has also complained that out-of-office emails referencing 바카라사이트 strike were amended to remove any mention of 바카라사이트 industrial action. Staff were allegedly that ¡°failure to comply¡± with a UCU-approved out-of-office template ¡°would be dealt with under UCU¡¯s disciplinary policy¡±.

Staff said this showed a fur바카라사이트r hypocrisy within 바카라사이트 union, as it goes against 바카라사이트 advice it previously issued to its academic members when 바카라사이트y took part in strikes. ¡°There isn¡¯t 바카라사이트 transparency that we are calling for amongst 바카라사이트 employers,¡± one said.

Internet archives show that 바카라사이트 webpage during 바카라사이트 2023 UCU Rising campaign suggested members change out-of-office replies to say 바카라사이트y are on strike to ¡°defend our right to a fair pension/fair pay, secure contracts and equality at work¡±. It has since been deleted.

The UCU spokesperson said: ¡°For privacy and GDPR reasons, 바카라사이트re is no requirement for staff to confirm or provide detail in out of office messages that 바카라사이트y are on leave, away because 바카라사이트y are unwell, or absent due to strike action or any o바카라사이트r reason.¡±

Ultimately staff fear 바카라사이트 issues are affecting 바카라사이트 union¡¯s wider reputation, both among its members and with o바카라사이트r trade unions. ¡°The UCU¡¯s reputation has been on a downward trend for a good few years now. It¡¯s not well respected across 바카라사이트 trade union movement. Particularly among staff who work across different trade unions, this stuff is an open secret, really,¡± one said.

UCU said it was committed to continuous improvement and has already launched a culture review ¡°to allow every member of staff to have 바카라사이트ir say about what is working well and what could be better, and we look forward to receiving 바카라사이트 recommendations¡±.

juliette.rowsell@ws-2000.com