UCU CONGRESS REPORT - 2012

UCU CONGRESS REPORT - 2012

FROM UCU REGIONAL SECRETARIES AND NEC REGIONAL-RELATED LONDON MEMBERS

This was one of the most critical Congresses of recent years. The mood was serious, but positive and determined. Almost certainly as direct reflection of this, this was also an extremely well attended Congress with many ‘first time’ delegates from Local Associations and Branches in both sectors that previously had been under-represented or not represented at all at Congress. This should be seen also as a credit to everyone including the General Secretary, the National Campaigns team, Regional Officials and Organisers and lay Officers who did so much to promote Congress attendance this year.

From a regional perspective the Thursday night pre-Congress meeting called by Regions was absolutely packed with an attendance of well over two hundred.  Motions on the Congress floor that spoke of and stressed the significance of developing regional organisation, Regional Committees and regional initiatives over the last year and into the next were passed with full support of everyone.

All constituencies and interests groups at Congress engaged in informed, animated debate over the maximization of democratic governance within UCU and how best to meet the many challenges we face in the year ahead. Motions and debate considered NEC structures, election of national negotiators and the value, and timing of consultation with and balloting members.

In the light of the critical imperative to defend pensions, pay and job security all delegates committed to a review of UCU national structures to maximise effective leadership to activate the fullest possible involvement of membership.

It was agreed that a Commission will be created comprising equal numbers of HE and FE membership (5 per sector). Voting will take place amongst Congress delegates and be completed by Friday July 13th. UCU officials confirmed that this was a manageable and achievable time line. All delegates acknowledged that equality issues must be respected and visible within the voting process. The Commission will report back to Congress as sovereign body of the union in 2013.

All delegates were committed to a united UCU that can and will lead a positive defence against the ‘austerity’ agenda of the Con-Dem government. All delegates had examples from Local Associations, Branches and Regions as to how that agenda was already causing institutional havoc. All reported how that agenda was already reducing and narrowing student opportunity, threatening established policy and practices on work-place equality and work-life balance, putting at risk job security, putting back attempts to improve terms and conditions for disadvantaged workers including most critically ‘casual’ ‘hourly-paid’ staff and causing misery for individual members. Threats of privatisation, outsourcing and ‘shared services’

were a common concern across both sectors as, unfortunately, were related threats to academic freedom and security of academic ownership and intellectual property rights to research and teaching materials arising directly from opportunist ‘market-led’ initiatives of Vice Chancellors and Principals.

All delegates were committed to a UCU that continues with and intensifies our leading role in the defence of positive educational and social values alongside all sister Trades Unionists within the public sector and beyond. September can and will see a re-engagement in the collective struggle to defend pensions, pay and job security by all public sector unions. Reflecting frustration with lack of progress in both pension campaigns over USS and TPS, Congress passed motions by clear majority to continue the TPS campaign in September and to end the suspension of current industrial action over the USS dispute. The TUC have organised a demonstration for 20th October. Our message from Congress is that UCU is now united, ready and capable of playing a winning part in that struggle.

Pura Ariza UCU North West Regional Secretary Mick Dawson UCU South East Regional Secretary Veronica Killen UCU North East Regional Secretary Liz Lawrence UCU Yorkshire & Humberside Regional Secretary Jeannie Robinson UCU East Midlands Regional Secretary.

Cliff Snaith UCU London Regional Secretary Mandy Brown UCU London Regional FE Secretary Sean Wallis UCU London Regional HE Secretary Mark Campbell NEC (London Region) Richard McEwan NEC (London Region) Sean Vernell NEC (London Region) Ben Boydell NEC rep for the South constituency (FE).