Ceasefire and peace for Colombia.

Dear colleague, 

I’m writing to you as one of the 4,000 international academics who supported the successful campaign for the freedom of Colombian academic Dr. Miguel Angel Beltran to ask you to show your support for the civil society organisations working for a ceasefire and for peace in Colombia.

You can sign an open letter to the Colombian government here:
https://www.ucu.org.uk/colombiaopenletter

The Colombian government continues to persecute other academics and critics, including members of the political opposition, trade unionists, indigenous leaders, journalists, and human rights defenders. On 20 November 2012, Olga Cadena Corrales, 68 year old Colombian historian, was murdered. Over 243 social activists were assassinated in the first two years of the current government.

In March 2012 more than 100 Colombian academics wrote to both the Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas calling for a peace process and an end to the hostilities.

Peace talks have now begun but the Colombian government has refused to agree to a bilateral ceasefire and the talks are to take place without proper civil society participation.

Colombians for Peace, a wide-ranging civil society movement and leading force for peace, that includes many high profile Colombian academics, has written to the negotiating table calling for a ceasefire and seeking civil society participation. However, in recent months, those calling for peace have received increasing death threats, and there has been a rise in assassinations against opposition activists.

UCU and Justice for Colombia are calling on UK and international academics to add their voices to this call for a negotiated peace involving civil society organisations and for guarantees for their safe participation.

I would ask you to consider adding your name to the below letter and encourage other academics to do the same.

https://www.ucu.org.uk/colombiaopenletter

Thank you for taking the time to read this email.

Yours sincerely

Sally Hunt
UCU general secretary

Halesowen College: Reinstate David Muritu as a Maths Lecturer at the college

This is an attack on education and trades unionism. On December 20th Dave Muritu, a known local socialist trades union activist, was sacked from his position as Maths lecturer. This followed disregard of the college disciplinary procedure (no evidence was presented 3 days in advance of the hearing), without anything other than deductive reasoning (his sacking was linked to results, with no regard for competency procedure or accurate review of statistical significance (his results are above national average).
Please sign and convey your disappointment in the college failure to prioritise student needs and achievement over politics. The only logical conclusion which can be drawn from the situation is that as no substantial evidence has been produced, Dave has been sacked on grounds of disagreement with the principal on educational theory and politics. The maths department have received considerable lack of support in the face of student needs, including
1) Failure of the principal to agree specialist cover in staff absence, inspite of a substantial surplus which could fund this
2) Students in a functional lesson being encouraged by management to give up the studies their time is allocated for in order to participate in a “focus group” based around leading questions with no rigorous development or consistent recording of data
3) Victimisation of a known trades unionist, along with possible victimisation of other known activists in the maths department, setting a precedent for activists to be targeted with knock-on effects for other trades-unionists nationally.
Please sign and join us in fighting this outrageous decision collectively.

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/halesowen-college-reinstate-david-muritu-as-a-maths-lecturer-at-the-college

Wakefield UCU AGM 5th July 2012

The 2012 AGM was held on Thursday 05/07/12 at Wakefield City campus at Margaret Street. There were 20 members present.

1.    Last years elected officers made their reports:

Highlights of the year included the 1^st Wakefield College Branch newsletter in September, the victory over IFL membership, The new Wakefield College Branch blog, twinning the branch with Wakefield and District NUT in May and support from colleagues in schools around the district as well as from the Five towns trades council in relation to the strike on 10^th May. The Branch now has a hardship fund in place and there were donations to this from local trades council, the NUT and £115 from staff. Members of the committee had attended lobbies of the Conservative party conference in Manchester, and the lobby of parliament in October. The march for the alternative on March 26^th and protests against the EDL in Dewsbury in June.

2.    A new election was held:

·         Peter Korn Morris from Wakefield Campus was unanimously elected as Joint Secretary and Treasurer.

·         Mark Wilson from Thornes campus will take the role of Health and Safety Rep.

·         Ken Spencer from Wakefield Campus was unanimously elected as Joint Secretary and Membership Secretary.

·         Lesley Kimber from Wakefield Campus was unanimously elected as Equality Rep.

·         There is a vacancy for Skills Exchange rep and a member from this campus is considering whether to take this role.

·         Michael Ward from Wakefield Campus was unanimously elected as Branch Chair.

3.    An open discussion was held

One of the key themes that emerged from this was that there appears to be a marked inconsistency in the way policies and procedures are being applied in different departments and by different managers. These inconsistencies have been noted even in terms of the recruitment and appointment of new staff.

Another theme was the perception of the college as a ‘good place to work’ has changed for many staff also that staff perceive that their levels of stress and their workload have increased in the past year. Some staff were felt that this was best reflected in terms of the Sunday Times Best Public Sector (Not for Profit) places to work because Wakefield College were 30^th in the UK in 2010 and were awarded the best public sector employer award for Yorkshire and the Humber for this year. However this success was not repeated in 2011 or 2012 when the college was not listed at all.

UCU will look into these matters.

4.    UCU Campaigns

The committee highlighted that they are running an anti-bullying and stress at work campaign with the support of regional. This is an attempt to raise awareness amongst staff many of whom might not be aware of the characteristics of bullying in the workplace or how to identify it.

ACAS list some of the behaviours which constitute workplace bullying and harassment:-

·         Constant criticism of competent staff, removing their responsibilities or giving them trivial tasks to do.

·         Shouting at staff

·         Picking on staff in front of others or in private

·         Obstructing professional development/blocking promotion

·         Regularly making the same person the butt of jokes

·         Setting a person up to fail by overloading them with work or setting impossible deadlines

·         Regularly and deliberately ignoring or excluding individual from work activities

·         Ignoring staff views and opinions

·         Different rules for different people

·         Criticism and threats

·         Excessive monitoring

·         Unrealistic expectations

If any member of staff has any concerns please do not suffer in silence – speak to your UCU rep as soon as possible for confidential advice and support.

Finally:-

The TUC have called for a mass demonstration in London on 20^th October. This promises to be as big if not bigger than the March for the Alternative on 26^th March and will send a firm message to the Government that we are not prepared to see them dismantle our public services. It is important that as many Trade Unionists (and non-trade unionists) attend as possible. There will be local transport arranged.

TUC march

Final Pay Offer

Branches will now be aware that the AOC (Association of Colleges – our sector’s official government body) at the last negotiating meeting withdrew its demands for an end to automatic incremental pay rises and made a final pay offer for 2012/13 of 0.7%.

The FEC met on 29 June and agreed to consult members in   branch meetings during September and to make decisions on the next steps at its meeting on 5 October.  

The committee recognised that the removal of the conditions was an important achievement allowing UCU to make it clear that any employers who attempt to end incremental progression do so without the recommendation from the AoC. The agreement to recommend colleges adopt minimum rather than zero hours for part time staff, the promotion  of the national workloads agreement and a willingness to discuss best practice on lesson observation are  also very  welcome.   

FEC however is recommending that the offer is rejected because it far below the claim for 5% and with current inflation rates is an effective pay cut. 

In line with a decision of the national annual sector conference in June, branches are therefore being asked to support the position that members should be balloted for a programme of escalating strike action in pursuit of an improved offer.

As a branch we have to decide on our position before September which is basically;

1.    Rejection  or acceptance of  the final pay offer

2.    A ballot of members for a programme of escalating strike action in pursuit of an improved pay offer.

Rally & March for the future – in Oxford & Sheffield on Saturday 14th July 2012

 

Demonstrations are being organised in Sheffield and Oxfordshire to highlight concerns about the impact of the Government's cuts and to help mobilise teachers and other public sector workers in the run up to the TUC demonstration on 20th October 2012.
These demonstrations are supported by the local Trades Councils, and the local and national NUT and NASUWT. The theme of the demonstration is Rally for our Future: Defend Education, Defend Public Services, Defend Pensions, Pay & Jobs. See Oxford and Sheffield fliers for contact details and more information.

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).