The Friday email: 12 June 2020

Fund The Future: support our campaign 

Today we launched Fund The Future: a UK-wide campaign to protect jobs, secure government funding for tertiary education, and make sure that we emerge from this crisis with a better system than the one we entered it with. The website for Fund The Future, is now live - click here to visit it.

Please spare some time to support our campaign:

• see how the Covid-19 crisis could affect your area and write to your MP here
• watch and share our launch video
• contact your local UCU branch to help
• use our starter pack to kick-start your local campaign.

Our general secretary, Jo Grady has today written to the prime minister and his counterparts in Scotland and Wales, warning that the sectors our members work in are projected to suffer more from the economic effects of coronavirus than any other. UCU has been warning about this for months, with the evidence steadily mounting up in support of our claims. Universities and some colleges have already been letting staff go and we cannot wait any longer for the support we need. Please support our campaign to Fund The Future. 

TUC survey on BME workers and coronavirus  

The massive and disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on black and minority ethnic workers has become clear in recent weeks. The TUC need your support to enable BME workers to share their experiences of unfair treatment and racism at work during this crisis. Please complete this survey and share with other BME colleagues.

University of Portsmouth redundancies in English literature department 

University of Portsmouth has restarted a redundancy consultation with plans to make 60% of the English literature department redundant. Portsmouth had originally suspended the process in March due to coronavirus, telling staff it hoped this took 'away some of the worry and anxiety' they had. The university has not changed its advice to its staff since March, and has not explained to UCU why it is appropriate to push ahead with job cuts now. Please sign the petition and follow @SaveUoPLit and @PortsmouthUcu.

Stop the cuts at Blackburn College

We're campaigning against redundancies at Blackburn College and as well as contacting local MPs and local councillors and set up a very successful petition, we would now like to invite you in joining us and writing directly to the principal and chief executive of Blackburn College, Dr Fazal Dad to ask that he halts plans for job cuts.