The Friday email: 21 May 2021

Boycott University of Leicester: an injury to one is an injury to all 

Thank you to everyone who has supported our global boycott of the University of Leicester. Please help our campaign to defend staff threatened with redundancy and prevent any other vice-chancellors seeking to repeat these disgraceful actions: 

• email the university's president and vice-chancellor Nishan Canagarajah (vc@leicester.ac.uk), and Gary Dixon (gd104@leicester.ac.uk) who chairs university council.
• share this social media graphic, tagging @UniOfLeicester, @NCanagarajah and @LeicesterUCU and use the hashtag #BoycottLeicester
• use and share our template letters for students, alumni, honorary graduates, partner institutions, external examiners or anyone due to take part in a University of Leicester organised event. 

We need every UCU member to show support for fellow education workers and to increase the pressure on management. 

University of Liverpool to be hit with three weeks of strikes from Monday 

Liverpool UCU are fighting plans to sack staff in the faculty of health and life sciences and will strike from 24 May to 11 June unless management drop the current redundancy proposals. UCU members also began working to contracted hours and boycotting all voluntary activities from 10 May. The selection criteria uses of flawed data to assess research outputs and has wider implications for UCU members across the sector. Please send messages of support to University of Liverpool UCU branch president Anthony O'Hanlon. 

Leeds college job cuts impact female staff

UCU has condemned a restructure plan by Luminate Education (previously Leeds City College Group) which will see 39 jobs cut across multiple sites including Leeds and Harrogate colleges, 90% of which are filled by women.

The proposals would affect adult & community learning and hair and beauty staff across Leeds, as well as business and learning support staff at Harrogate College. 

UCU members fighting back

UCU branches across the UK are fighting to defend jobs and conditions and you can read our roundup of local disputes here including an update on the settlement at Goldsmiths and the latest ballot at University of Kent. 

Demonstrate for Palestine: Saturday 22 May, London  

UCU is supporting this Saturday's national demonstration for Palestine which is being organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Trade unionists are being encouraged to assemble at Victoria Embankment Gardens at 12.15, behind the Trade Unionists for Palestine banner. 

 UCU LGBT+ research conference: peer reviewers needed 

UCU LGBT+ research conference will be held online in late October / early November. We are looking for volunteers to be peer reviewers. The peer review team will read and comment on papers. The reviewing will be done in July. If you are interested, please email Seth Atkin.

#TakeTheKnee: remember George Floyd, Tuesday 25 May

To mark the one year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, UCU is hosting a memorial event on Tuesday 25 May at 5pm to discuss his legacy and the ways in which state oppression and police brutality continue to impact on black communities in the UK. To register visit here.

TUC and Stand Up To Racism are also asking trade unionists to organise activity in their workplaces on Tuesday 25 May. Please tweet pictures and videos and be part of the Twitter storm between 6-7pm using the #TakeTheKnee and #UKisnotinocent hashtags and of course #GeorgeFloyd and #BlackLivesMatter. Across Britain Stand Up To Racism and the TUC are also calling on people to #TakeTheKnee at 6pm and you can find details of local events are here.