Your union needs you: help our university branches in their fights

This summer we are witnessing unprecedented waves of strikes across the UK, which have involved our rail and public transport workers, barristers in England and Wales, BT and Openreach staff, among many others. At UCU, we have also been busy. Earlier in July we announced results for the Respect FE campaign, and 39 colleges in England are set to be hit by industrial action. UCU staff are now working fast on the biggest ever aggregated ballots of the entire higher education sector to defend pay, working conditions, and pensions. We will be in a position to launch our HE campaigns very soon. 

UCU members at a number of universities are also fighting against the relentless job cuts and attacks on their working conditions. They need all the support we can give them:

• over 100 UCU members at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) have suffered devastating pay deductions -- as high as 100% -- as a result of engaging in marking and assessment boycott. Earlier this week, we announce a new package of support for those impacted. Please donate to QMUL UCU's local hardship fund and our union's fighting fund 
• University of Roehampton confirmed it would fire and rehire over 100 staff next month and shut down a number of courses, the majority of which are in the arts and humanities. Our union is now considering a legal challenge. Please check Roehampton UCU's branch website on how you can help
• Falmouth University is balloting for industrial action to stop management creating a two-tier workforce using a wholly owned subsidiary company ('Falmouth Staffing Ltd') to employ new academics on inferior contracts. Their ballot closes on Friday 19 August and you can send messages of support to the branch via Twitter @UCUFalmouth 
• at Goldsmiths, University of London, management suspended the head and deputy head of the media department, Des Freedman and Gholam Khiabany, for informing students about the impact of Goldsmiths UCU's marking and assessment boycott. You can sign Goldsmiths UCU's open letter calling for Des and Gholam's reinstatement, and you can also participate in a Twitter storm on Monday 1 August, 12:00-14:00; see Twitter @GoldsmithsUCU for more information
• over 35 members at Royal College of Art are being made redundant or at risk of losing their jobs, including the entire critical and historical studies department. You can sign RCA UCU's open letter here
• De Montfort University have announced that 58 members of staff face the prospect of compulsory redundancy; you can sign DMU UCU's petition
• University at Huddersfield threatened to sack 37 staff in the school of arts and humanities; you can sign Huddersfield UCU's open letter and petitions here
• Staff at Leeds Beckett University were informed last week, just as the university closes for the summer, of the plans to cut all modern language courses from September 2022, a decision that has put six members of teaching staff at risk of compulsory redundancy.  

UCU staff in our nations and regions are also working closely with members at the universities of Dundee and Wolverhampton on the job cuts happening there -- sending messages of solidarity to these branches would definitely lift their spirits. 

Solidarity 

Jo Grady
UCU general secretary