Union shines light on key party manifesto commitments

Following the publication of its own 15-point pre-election manifesto last year, the University and College Union has today launched a manifesto comparison microsite which compares each party's stance on a range of key issues of relevance to the sector.

UCU recently sent a copy of its own manifesto recommendations to every parliamentary candidate and is now encouraging its members to compare how the parties stand on a variety of issues before they vote on 7 May.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'We have been encouraging politicians from across the political spectrum to grasp the nettle and acknowledge that more needs to be done to support this vital sector if they are to win the confidence of UCU members and students on 7 May.

Education has been hit hard by funding cuts in recent years. We have heard a lot about raising university and apprenticeship numbers, but little about how these expansions will be sustainably resourced.

Now that all the parties have formally published their plans we hope that this quick-reference guide will make it easy for our members to compare and contrast what the politicians are promising for those working and studying in post-16 education'

The resource is part of UCU's wider campaigning around the election to draw attention to the issues of importance to staff and students and to hold whoever is in power to account in the next Parliament.