The Friday email: 6 January 2023

UCU Rising: Final chance to have your say on our next action

Next week UCU members in higher education will decide on what action to call next as part of the UCU Rising campaign. A branch delegate meeting (BDM) on Tuesday 10 January will be followed by a meeting of the higher education committee (HEC) on Thursday 12 January. 

In advance of these meetings, we are hosting an open Q&A on Twitter Spaces on Monday 9 January at 7PM. This is the last chance for members to have their say before the BDM and HEC, so please encourage every member you know to attend. You do not need a Twitter account to join (you will need one if you want to ask a question).  Click this link to set a reminder now.

Notice has today been served to employers for a marking and assessment boycott (MAB) to begin on Monday 23 January. Any changes to the MAB plan following next week's BDM and HEC will be shared with members by the end of next week. All HE members are invited to MAB training either at 16:00 to 17:30 on Wednesday 11 January or 10:00 to 11:30 on Friday 13 January, sessions will also be recorded and shared. 

Respect FE: Sparsholt College Group and Truro & Penwith College

UCU members at Sparsholt College Group in Hampshire will be taking strike action on Monday 9 January through to Wednesday 11 January in an ongoing dispute over low pay. In the last year, the college has increased its spending on senior staff by 16.3%, but has offered non-consolidated payments to staff worth less than 2.5%. Staff have already taken three days of strike action in 2022, and are determined to secure a pay increase that addresses the cost of living crisis. Messages of solidarity can be sent to the Sparsholt College UCU branch.

UCU members at Truro and Penwith College were on strike for three days in December and will take further action on Tuesday 10 January, Wednesday 11 January and Thursday 12 January.

The union's further education committee (FEC) will meet imminently to decide the next steps in the Respect FE campaign.

Northern Ireland further education pay and workload dispute

The Northern Ireland further education committee (FEC) voted unanimously before Christmas to escalate the industrial action campaign regarding pay and workload. Corporate staff have received an acceptable pay award while not so much as an offer has been made to FE lecturers in Northern Ireland. The FEC are asking members to complete a survey, which has already been sent to Northern Ireland FE members, regarding forms of action short of a strike (ASOS) and level of strike action.

Roehampton University: industrial action over job security and workloads

Following successful action in December as part of their local dispute over job security and punishing workloads, Roehampton University UCU announced further action just before the closure period.

This action will consist of two days of strike action on 18 and 19 January 2023. If management still refuses to negotiate seriously, members will take action again on 21, 22 and 23 February 2023. In addition, the branch has served notice of additional action short of a strike (ASOS). You can send statements of solidarity which will be greatly appreciated by Roehampton UCU members.

Please click here to see the latest updates in local disputes and wins across the union.

Climate CPD - Take action! webinar, 26 January

We are calling all members who have taken part in our climate and sustainability workshops to attend a webinar at 10:30 on Thursday 26 January. We want to hear about your experiences around climate action in your workplace. We want to understand what support you need from us and keep you up to date with the work of branches around the regions and devolved nations. Please register for the webinar here.

Holocaust Memorial Day, 27 January

The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2023 is 'ordinary people'. It highlights the ordinary people who let genocide happen, the ordinary people who actively perpetrated genocide, and the ordinary people who were persecuted. It also prompts us to consider how ordinary people, such as ourselves, can play a part in challenging prejudice today. You can find all of UCU's Holocaust Memorial Day resources on our website here.

Visit the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust website for further information and ideas for how to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day 2023 in your branch.

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 Tuesday 31 January 2023, 11:00-16:00. The deadline for registration is Tuesday 17 January 2023; please note that in-person spaces have already sold out.

We are 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.

Organising for Power training 2023

The next round of the Organising for Power training series, 'The Core Fundamentals', launches on 8 February 2023. There are six weekly sessions on Wednesdays from 17:00-19:00, led by Jane McAlevey and a team of trainers from trade unions all over the world. If you want to increase membership in your workplace, build campaigns and win big collective victories, follow the link to find out more and register your group of at least 10 participants.

UCU LGBT+ charter and LGBT+ research conference

Many UCU reps and members are interested in doing something to support our LGBT+ members and students. UCU is strong in support of all LGBT+ rights backed by years of policy passed by UCU members at annual Congress. To promote constructive ways of organising and campaigning for LGBT+ rights at branch level a UCU LGBT+ charter has been launched. The aim of the charter is to identify actions that branches can take to promote LGBT+ equality and liberation. The charter microsite contains further information, key UCU LGBT+ documents, and details about how branches can sign up.

The UCU LGBT+ research conference will be a hybrid meeting taking place at the University of Manchester and online on Friday 19 May 2023. Call for papers is now open, proposals of no more than 500 words can be submitted here with a deadline of Monday 27 February.

New guidance on supporting UCU's vision for trans and non-binary members

This new guidance aims to help UCU members speak to UCU's vision, and democratically agreed position, in support of trans and non-binary people's rights.

UCU believes in building an inclusive culture, in words and deeds, that supports its trans and non-binary members to live their lives in safety with dignity and respect like the rest of our society. We believe that, together, we can make the future better for trans and non-binary people.