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Fri 20 Sept

The Friday email: 20 September 2019

20 September 2019

Climate shutdown! We stand with our students

UCU members have joined the global protests against climate change in solidarity with student walks outs in schools, colleges and universities and you can see just some of the highlights on our Climate Shutdown! online wall here. Unions agreed to support UCU's call for a 30 minute solidarity stoppage at the recent TUC congress and huge numbers of education staff have downed tools today to stand shoulder to shoulder with our students and join the worldwide call for climate justice. Please continue to send in your photos and messages from today by tweeting with #YouthStrike4Climate, #UCUclimatesolidarity, #GlobalClimateStrike or email us here. 

Higher education ballots: your vote is your voice

Don't forget to use your vote in the ballots now underway in higher education and if you have lost or can't find your ballot pack you can order a replacement here. Please stand up for education and for fair pay, pensions, equality and job security by voting YES for action and show the employers we are prepared to stand up and be counted.              

Protest at the Tory conference, 29 September

UCU are fully supporting the People's Assembly protest against Tory austerity policies as the Conservative party gather in Manchester for their annual conference on 29 September 2019. Assemble 12 noon, Oxford Road, M15 6BH. We will be marching together so come and join us.

In the news

Round up of the UCU news coverage this week.
Read all about it here.

FE fights back: Nottingham College

Nottingham College took a further two days strike action this week over new contracts that would leave many significantly worse off on pay, holiday, sick leave and workload protection. 
Please send solidarity to the UCU reps Kitty Howarth and Rob Peutrell and follow the branch on Twitter. 

Department for Education consultation on higher technical education

DfE are consulting on their plans for HTE (levels 4+) in England. If members would like to contribute to the UCU response please send in comments by 26 September.

Solidarity with Palestine: next steps for the trade union movement

A Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) trade union conference takes place in London on Saturday 12 October and you can find more details here.

FE fights back: Nottingham College

Nottingham College took a further two days strike action this week over new contracts that would leave many significantly worse off on pay, holiday, sick leave and workload protection. 
Please send solidarity to the UCU reps Kitty Howarth and Rob Peutrell and follow the branch on Twitter. 

Solidarity with Palestine: next steps for the trade union movement

A Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) trade union conference takes place in London on Saturday 12 October and you can find more details here.

Voter registration pledge

Please visit our new voter registration campaign page here and help us lobby universities and colleges to pledge to do three very simple things to persuade students to register to vote:

  • email students when an election is announced telling them how to register
  • send a reminder email a week later
  • display voter registration info on campus noticeboards.

Please contact your vice-chancellor or college principal now, either with an personalised email, or with an email or tweet generated through the website to ask them to make this pledge.

Last updated: 20 September 2019