The Friday email: 9 December 2022

Respect FE: campaign round up

Our Respect FE campaign continues to keep the pressure on college employers to deliver agreements on pay, workload and professional respect. Many FE branches are taking industrial action, balloting for strikes or considering improved or new pay offers from college employers.

• Darlington and Furness Colleges took two days strike action this week with fantastic, well supported picket lines and will strike again next week should employers fail to deliver an acceptable pay offer 
• Sheffield College UCU members have just given a strong mandate for action with a fantastic 87% voting for strike action on a 59% turnout. Congratulations on this result and all those involved in getting the vote out.
• UCU members at The Manchester College are being balloted for further strike action in a dispute over pay.
• Solidarity to Truro & Penwith College UCU currently taking six extra days of action in the face on an intransigent management who refuse to negotiate with UCU and have locked our regional officials out of meetings. Please send messages of support here.
• Halesowen College UCU members have voted to accept the first part of a new deal including a revised pay rise and 12 extra days annual leave. The branch took three days action in the autumn with magnificent picket lines. UCU membership has been building in numbers for the last few years, and branch officers have shown outstanding leadership and real grit building the collectivity and a sense of community which has empowered staff to fight for what they deserve and win
• Barnet and Southgate College will take another two days strike action over pay next week on (Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 December).

The union's further education committee (FEC) will meet in January to decide next steps in the national campaign. Please continue to sign and share UCU's professional respect charter.

UCU Rising latest: keep the heat on university bosses

Your historic strike action has already brought university employers to the negotiating table and constructive talks are ongoing. The first wave of strike action might be over but we still need to keep the heat on the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA):

• ask your MP to write to UCEA using our online tool and press negotiators to deliver an offer that rewards staff fairly
• watch and share the UCU advent calendar video messages from the general secretary, Jo Grady: 1 December, 2 December, 3 December, 4 December, 5 December, 6 December, 7 December, 8 December, 9 December.
• donate to and share this link to UCU's fighting fund to support members should further strike action be necessary.

A further update is expected this afternoon so higher education members should check your inbox.

Stand with our NHS nurses: protest on 15 December

For the first time in its 106-year history the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will be taking strike action for a fair deal on pay. UCU's national executive committee (NEC) has called for a show of solidarity for the 100,000 NHS nurses taking action. UCU members are invited to hold a 30-minute solidarity protest on Thursday 15 December. Where branches are close by, that might involve visits to hospital picket lines, e.g., at lunchtime. Quite a few branches in HE will have medical schools and university hospitals adjacent to them which would also be great opportunities for solidarity.

The RCN will take two days of strike action (15 and 20 December) in NHS trusts nationwide and UCU branches are encouraged to organise protests in support of fellow trade unionists ensuring, obviously, they are lawful demonstrations rather than unofficial industrial action. Please contact your regional office if you need advice.

UCU LGBT+ research conference 2023

Call for papers is now open. Deadline 27 February 2023.

This will be a one day hybrid conference on Friday 19 May 2023.

Postgraduate researchers organising conference, 31 January

Join the UCU PGRs As Staff campaign for our first annual PGRs organising conference in London and online on 31 January 2023, 11am - 4pm. Register today.

We're inviting expressions of interest for up to three workshops, presentations and discussion sessions run by you. Sessions will be 45 minutes long. You can submit your ideas using this form.

'The world at war: a trade union issue': Stop The War trade union conference, 21 January, 2023

Anti-war campaigners in the Stop The War Coalition are holding a conference for trade unionists under the slogan 'cut warfare not welfare' and you can register here to attend the event at Hamilton House, London, WC1H 9AZ.

Review of rule 13 procedure - feedback sought

The rule 13 (conduct of members) procedure is being reviewed by an elected commission. If you have been involved in the rule 13 procedure in any role, you can give feedback on your experience - which will be treated confidentially - using the form here.