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Global boycott at Brunel University ends

27 July 2006

A year long dispute between Brunel University and UCU has been resolved today.

The dispute was called by the Association of University Teachers (now part of the UCU) in response to compulsory redundancies made by the university including the sacking of prominent union activists. The union called for Brunel University to be greylisted, a sanction that has now been lifted as a result of a negotiated agreement.

Greylisting is one of the most serious sanctions the union can employ and at Brunel consisted of a voluntary embargo of links between the university and union members, and a boycott of the university from trade unionists across the globe.

The two sides reached an agreement at talks facilitated by the arbitration group the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) on Friday 14 July 2006. As part of the deal the university has restated its recognition of UCU as the representative trade union for academic and academic-related staff at Brunel University. The agreement also includes agreed facility time for UCU activists, a commitment not to victimise UCU members for their trade union activities and the acknowledgment that all parties will work together to improve industrial relations at Brunel University. The agreement has been endorsed by UCU members at Brunel University.

All UCU branches are requested to inform their members that the Brunel University greylisting has been lifted and to remove any reference to the greylisting from their websites. The union will also write to its international contacts to ask them to lift all requests for trade unionists to avoid working with Brunel University.

University and College Union joint general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'This is good news for UCU members and for Brunel University. The agreement reached at ACAS is a significant step forward for our members at Brunel.

'I would like to pay tribute to the courage and stoicism of our members at Brunel University who have stuck together and stayed with their union during a long and difficult dispute. I would also like to thank UCU members and trade unionists from across the globe for showing solidarity with our members at Brunel.

'We hope that Brunel University will work with our members to further improve industrial relations at the university.'

Last updated: 15 December 2015

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