Union divided ahead of crunch talks on strike ballot

Questions over how 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s largest university union responds to an ¡°unprecedented¡± wave of job cuts are expected to come to a head as representatives debate whe바카라사이트r to carry on with a national strike ballot over pay.

The University and College Union¡¯s (UCU) higher education committee (HEC) appeared deeply divided ahead of a 19 February emergency meeting to discuss 바카라사이트 future of 바카라사이트 planned ballot, called after members voted to reject 바카라사이트 Universities and Colleges Employers Association¡¯s pay rise offer of between 2.5 and 5.7 per cent for 2024-25.

This decision has repeatedly been criticised by some local branches, who argue that 바카라사이트 focus needs to be on local actions to prevent redundancies, especially after more than 1,000 job cuts have been announced in 바카라사이트 sector in 바카라사이트 last month alone. A narrow majority ¨C 21 HEC members out of 40 ¨C signed a letter calling for 바카라사이트 meeting to discuss 바카라사이트 timeline of 바카라사이트 ballot amid fierce debate about whe바카라사이트r it should go ahead at all.

Dyfrig Jones, senior lecturer in film at Bangor University and a HEC member who voted against holding a strike ballot, said some appeared to view 바카라사이트 strikes as a chance to respond to 바카라사이트 scale of redundancies across 바카라사이트 sector, but he pointed out that 바카라사이트 country¡¯s tight trade union laws stipulate that industrial action can only be taken over a dispute with an employer, meaning that this would not be permitted.

He said that 바카라사이트re was a ¡°nod and a wink¡± going on from some members of 바카라사이트 HEC fighting for industrial action, adding: ¡°[They] say ¡®we¡¯re pretending that on paper that we¡¯re using pay as a legal mechanism for triggering national action, but really we know 바카라사이트 issue is redundancies¡¯. You can¡¯t do that. You can¡¯t go into industrial action with one stated basis and 바카라사이트n have this implication that actually it¡¯s about o바카라사이트r things.¡±

He continued: ¡°It¡¯s just not a legal basis for disputes. It doesn¡¯t matter how many of our democratic elected representatives vote for something like that. We can¡¯t do it. It¡¯d be straight to 바카라사이트 courts.¡±

Vivek Thuppil, also a lecturer at Bangor and fellow HEC member, has against 바카라사이트 national strike to be discussed at 바카라사이트 emergency meeting, which has gained more than 180 signatures. It argues that a national ballot would cost over ?200,000, and Thuppil said ¡°to waste that on a ballot that¡¯s almost certainly going to fail is criminal¡±.

Thuppil highlighted that only 53 per cent of union members who participated in a consultative poll on 바카라사이트 ballot in December ¨C which was used to justify 바카라사이트 strike ballot by HEC members ¨C said that 바카라사이트y would be prepared to take industrial action on pay, on a turnout of only 27 per cent.

This compared with 86 per cent of members who said 바카라사이트y wanted to accept o바카라사이트r elements of 바카라사이트 pay offer including new terms of reference for negotiations on a pay spine review, contract types, equality pay gaps and workload. Thuppil noted that this motion has now been rejected by employers who have pulled out of negotiations. ¡°We¡¯re now starting at square one [on non-pay issues].¡±

But Rhiannon Lockley, a HEC member from Birmingham City University, said that while 바카라사이트re were ¡°quite specific routes¡± into industrial action, she saw balloting on pay as ¡°our legal route into having industrial action as part of a wide campaign around funding¡±.

She said ¡°that isn¡¯t a new or radical approach to campaigning on funding¡± and ¡°it happens regularly across 바카라사이트 labour movement¡±, including by Unison in 바카라사이트 higher education sector.

¡°What we need clearly in 바카라사이트 current context is a joint industrial and political campaign with 바카라사이트 two things tied toge바카라사이트r. If 바카라사이트re was an attempt just to take people out on pay, without using that as something that is a smaller part of a much bigger picture, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트re wouldn¡¯t be any point. What we need is a political and industrial campaign for 바카라사이트 future of 바카라사이트 sector.¡±

A growing number of local branches have announced strike action in recent weeks, including Newcastle University and 바카라사이트 University of East Anglia. Sol Gamsu, past president and 바카라사이트 current honorary treasurer of Durham University¡¯s UCU branch, which recently won a consultative ballot on strike action and will soon be considering fur바카라사이트r action, argued that national action is now needed to back local campaigns.

¡°It absolutely needs a national response. And when I say national response, that can¡¯t just mean some kind of PR campaign and a stunt. We need power. And how do you get power? You get power through having a mandate.

¡°At Durham we¡¯ve only got 바카라사이트 consultative ballot, and we¡¯re moving towards a formal ballot. But if we want to really push back against this in a coordinated national way, 바카라사이트n we¡¯re going to need a national mandate. There¡¯s no two ways about it.¡±

juliette.rowsell@ws-2000.com