UCU

After a summer of confusion over strategy and unacceptable delays to a national re-ballot of members in the long-running University and College Union (UCU) dispute over pay and conditions, 42 branches struck in the week from 25 September. The week was originally planned to be a national strike. An emergency meeting of the union’s Higher Education Committee decided to allow branches to opt out. That left 42 to fight on, many in pursuit of local fights against punitive deductions of pay for the Marking and Assessment Boycott (MAB). The MAB ended in September when the industrial action mandate...

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at the University of Sheffield will take local industrial action for two weeks from 18 September, spanning the “Welcome Week” for fresher students and the first week of teaching. The strike is in response to a particularly tough stance on the Marking and Assessment Boycott that was in place from April until recently, which resulted in many striking markers losing their full pay for three weeks or more, and likewise for anyone who would not take on the refused marking, even if that was well above their normal workload. UCU is demanding that...

The Marking and Assessment Boycott in UK universities has been called off

The higher education union UCU voted at its congress in May to hold a summer reballot

As Solidarity goes to press on 1 August, we await the outcome of the latest talks between the University and College Union and university employers’ organisation UCEA. The union’s congress voted for a summer reballot to continue the mandate for action into the autumn term, but it looks increasingly likely that this will be delayed, meaning the mandate will expire at the end of September. That means it will not be possible to call action at the start of most university terms, leaving the union in a weak position in the current negotiations. Rumour has it that the General Secretary would prefer...

With universities now into graduation season, the University and College Union (UCU) marking and assessment boycott is continuing

As university terms draw to an end, it is clear that as a consequence of the marking and assessment boycott at some universities large numbers of students will not graduate

Strikes continue at universities across the country

As the marking and assessment boycott in universities comes to a head, management are persisting with their hard line.

People who want to see Putin prevail in Ukraine were overjoyed by the recent UCU congress vote against Ukraine having the arms it needs to defend itself. Andrew Murray wrote in the Morning Star that “The University and College Union (UCU) vote to oppose the continuing war in Ukraine, including arms sales, and to support the campaigning of the Stop the War Coalition against British government policy over the war is a beacon to the rest of the movement”. Just days earlier, the PCS conference had passed a resolution supporting Ukrainians’ right to defend themselves and liberate their country. The...