FE in North West England: following very successful indicative ballots over taking strike action over the 2021-22 pay claim, full industrial action postal ballots will now take place at Burnley College, Bury College, City of Liverpool College, Hopwood Hall College, Nelson and Colne College, Oldham College and The Manchester College, running from Monday 21 March to Monday 11 April.
NOVUS: a consultative ballot on pay is now open to our prison education members in NOVUS UCU which closes on Wednesday 6 April.
University of Sheffield International College (USIC): staff at USIC have voted overwhelmingly to take strike action following the refusal of employers to increase staff pay or holiday allowance. The result saw 79% of UCU members votes 'yes' in a ballot with a turnout of 86%. UCU has served notice on employers regarding strike action and action short of a strike (ASOS).
Staffordshire University will see strike action on Monday 28 and Wenesday 30 March unless it drops plans to employ new staff via a wholly owned subsidiary company. The announcement comes after staff voted to strike over management's introduction of a two-tier workforce, which would deny new staff access to the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS). 70% of staff who voted in the ballot voted to take strike action.
Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL): strike ballot opened at QMUL over management's decision to withhold 100% of pay for staff undertaking lawful action short of strike (ASOS). The ballot opened on Monday 28 February and will close on Monday 21 March, and if successful QMUL could face strike action as soon as April.
Goldsmiths, University of London: UCU has censured Goldsmiths with the ultimate sanction of a global academic boycott over the university's sacking of up to 46 staff. Please continue to observe this boycott.
Barnet and Southgate College: there is overwhelming support for strike action over local 2021/22 pay and workload claim. In a consultative ballot, with a strong 71% turnout, 90% members voted to reject the employer's offer of a 1% pay rise and no substantial improvements on workload, and 93% said they would vote for strike action. The UCU branches at the college are now preparing to move towards a formal dispute and industrial action ballot.
Richmond upon Thames College (RUTC). UCU is in dispute with RUTC due to its 'fire and rehire' plans to dismiss its entire teaching workforce of 127 lecturers and offer re-engagement on inferior contractual terms. The college wants to force through cuts to holidays which would see lecturers lose 13 days holiday leave entitlement. RUTC members unanimously backed moving to an industrial action ballot.
Newham College: members have won improved pay and conditions after successful negotiations. The deal includes a commitment by the employer to improve academic pay scales, implement a 2% pay rise, review sessional tutor’s contracts and to implement a workload working group and sustainability working groups.
University of Portsmouth. UCU has been in dispute with University of Portsmouth concerning redundancies in the department of English Literature. The branch has now reached an agreement in principle with the university to settle the dispute that includes revisions to the Portsmouth Organisational Change & Redundancy (OCR) Policy, which should increase job security for UCU members. UCU members discussed the proposed settlement at the Branch AGM on 16 March and will now hold a ballot on whether to accept.
University of Winchester. UCU is in dispute with the university over the proposed imposition of a new Workload Allocation Model. The vice-chancellor has stated that workload is not a matter for negotiation with UCU and has declined to meet with the branch. Winchester UCU branch officers are concerned that the approach of the University amounts to an attempt to diminish long standing trade union recognition agreements by seeking to bypass UCU. Winchester members are taking part in a consultative ballot on strike action and ASOS which will close on Friday 25 March.
Please check this page for ongoing disputes and wins in all the sectors that UCU represents.
Ukraine: education union solidarity
Education International (EI), the global union federation for education workers including UCU, has launched a solidarity assistance fund for members of Ukrainian education unions who are still in Ukraine or have been forced to flee the country and are now refugees. Click here for details of how members and branches can contribute to the education union solidarity fund, as well as current statements from UCU and EI on the war in Ukraine.
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