Campaign update: 9 July 2010

Pensions battle looms | Cuts will cost 22,500 jobs | Manchester College | Westminster progress | Willetts delays REF | Sandwell protest | Save LLU | Academies Bill | Islamophobia

Dear all,

In this week's campaign update:

• Pensions battle looms as employers use taxpayers' money to push for punitive changes to USS
• Budget cuts will cost 22,500 university jobs
• Manchester College – ACAS talks taking place – prisons ballot continues
• Westminster University – ASOS lifted with progress in ACAS talks
• Willetts confirms REF will be delayed by a year
• Staff protest at Sandwell College
• Help save the Language and Literacy Unit South Bank University
• Academies Bill: Anti-Academies Alliance publishes new resources
• Tackling Islamophobia in the classroom

Pensions battle looms as employers use taxpayers' money to push for punitive changes to USS

UCU this week warned that universities should brace themselves for industrial action if they try to force through changes to the USS pension scheme. At a crunch meeting on Wednesday the chairman of the USS Joint Negotiating Committee, Sir Andrew Cubie, used his casting vote to side with the employers. It was also revealed on Thursday that the employers received £627,000 of taxpayers' money from the funding council HEFCE. The biggest project taxpayers bankrolled totalled £334,000 and included £60,000 to a pensions expert who backed the employers' position; £15,000 for a website; £16,000 on communications; £45,000 on legal advice and £10,000 on room hire and catering. UCU says that the consultation period that will follow in the autumn must now include a ballot of all USS members on proposed changes from both UCU and the employers.

• Read more about the USS meeting here.
• Details of the use of taxpayers' money are here.
• THE article here.

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Budget cuts will cost 22,500 university jobs

UCU revealed this week that if the government pushes ahead with plans for 25% funding cuts there will be a loss of 22,584 university jobs in England alone. Figures released by UCU on Wednesday showed that the cuts would lead to some largest class sizes in the developed world and would have a devastating effect on the overall student experience. Many vital support services, such as libraries and student counselling, would be severely reduced and UCU said that its analysis raised serious questions about the country's aspirations as a leading player in the global knowledge economy.UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: "The scale of the cuts that we are facing is unprecedented and will have an undeniable impact on the student experience. Student to staff ratios, which are already high, will become some of the highest in the developed world."

• Read the UCU press release here.
• The story was picked up by the BBC here.
• Daily Telegraph article here.

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Manchester College – ACAS talks taking place – prisons ballot continues

In a positive development, UCU has met with the management of Manchester College to try to resolve the various issues between them. These talks are ongoing and UCU members at Manchester College are being kept fully briefed. With the disputes still live however, the ballot in Manchester College's prisons continues and members are urged to vote and to vote yes to action and yes to action short of a strike.

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Westminster University – ASOS lifted with progress in ACAS talks

UCU members at Westminster University voted overwhelmingly to cease their assessment boycott, following significant progress at ACAS talks. The number of staff still at risk is now only a handful, all of whom will be offered an enhanced voluntary severance package or, where possible, redeployment. The branch remains in official dispute over the outstanding cases however members overwhelmingly endorsed the decision of the coordinating committee of the branch to lift the assessment boycott. The University and the union will continue to enlist the support of ACAS for some months to come aimed at improving industrial relations and to include a review of dispute resolution procedure. Thanks to all members who supported the branch's strikes and protests, sent messages of support or donated to the branch fund.

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Willetts confirms REF will be delayed by a year

In a speech today, minister for universities and science David Willetts has confirmed that the REF will be delayed by one year, to "figure out whether there is a method of assessing impact which is sound and which is acceptable to the academic community". The announcement is a significant victory for everyone who was involved in UCU's 'Stand up for Research' campaign, especially the 18,000 members and other academics who signed the petition calling for impact to be scrapped. The news comes one week after UCU's campaign was highly commended in the TUC communications awards, just beaten to the top award by the CWU's campaign 'Keep the post public'. Judges praised the UCU campaign for being "intelligent and creative in building alliances and bring the real concerns of members to the attention of the media and parliament in a focused and effective way."

• Read Willetts' speech here.

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Staff protest at Sandwell College

UCU members and students from Sandwell College joined forces on Wednesday to protest against job losses and course closures. The protestors took to the streets of West Bromwich to hand out leaflets to members of the public highlighting the impact of the cuts. Staff were informed last week that 93 posts will go as the college looks to make redundancies for the fifth year in a row.

UCU West Midlands regional support official, Teresa Corr, said: "People have every right to be angry. The college's proposals are yet another kick in the teeth for staff and students who face a fifth consecutive year of job losses and courses closures."

• Read UCU press release here.
• The story was picked up in the regional press here.

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Help save the Language and Literacy Unit South Bank University

The LLU  is a very well respected unit within South Bank University. It is one of the leading centres for work in literacy, numeracy and ESOL. For over 25 years it has been producing vital research, supporting Skills for Life teachers and providing CPD. It is now under threat from South Bank University who are planning to close the department. Staff at the Unit have started various campaigns, focusing on the work we do, and people are being asked to sign their online petition, write to the VC, join the Facebook group.

• Online petition at www.gopetition.com/online/37305.html
• Facebook group 'Defend LLU+' at www.facebook.com/pages/Defend-LLU/120675761308956
• Google site at sites.google.com/site/defendlluplus.

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Academies Bill: Anti-Academies Alliance publishes new resources

With the government's new Academies Bill threatening to break up the state education sector yet further, the Anti-Academies Alliance has produced a new resource to help unions and campaigning groups. Many UCU branches and activists are involved in local campaigns against academy schools and UCU is affiliated to the Alliance nationally. Watch this space for more soon.

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Tackling Islamophobia in the classroom

South Gloucestershire NUT are running a conference on challenging Islamophobia in schools, with UCU support. The purpose is to develop 12 sets of teaching materials – for primary, secondary and post-16 (ie FE) – on combating Islamophobia, workshops in the afternoon, following on from the morning presentations. The aim is to have the materials published on the Runnymede Trust website. The conference will run from 10.30am-4pm on Saturday 2 October at the Abbey Road Community School, New Road, Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS34 8SF (near Bristol Parkway station). The conference is free to NUT and UCU members. For more details and to register, contact dhendry@ucu.org.uk.

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All the best

Justine Stephens
Head of campaigns