Emma Battell Lowman

Short cut to the support letter which I’d like you to sign.

We, UCU, have won a historic mandate for Industrial Action through the #UCURising campaign and now have the power to act collectively in both the USS and the Pay and Conditions dispute. Every branch at every HE institution involved in the dispute can come out. This allows us to put pressure as never before. No employer is safe. No employer can point to UCEA and UUK helplessly and say “We don’t decide!”

As the General Secretary has reported, the mere winning of our ballot has produced some movement. The pay and conditions negotiating partner, UCEA (whose CEO is on record as being against national bargaining on pay and for the “moral imperative” of taking 100% pay for ASOS!) has gone to its members for a fresh mandate to negotiation. This is after a year of not even coming to the table.

They have new information: UCU is organized and ready to take this fight to the finish.

But what should we do? UCU has engaged in a number of information gathering exercises and while there is diversity of opinion, there is a clear dominant signal from the membership.

The member survey on 20/10/22 had ≈4000 responses with the following notable results:

92.7% supported a time-limited period of negotiation, 
62.2% wanted strike action in November
59.1% wanted limited November action
56.1% supported a marking and assessment boycott from December

There was a Branch Delegate meeting with nearly all branches attending. The votes of BDM delegates on 31/10/22: 

72% voted for a time-limited period of negotiation
80% for strike action in November
70% for limited November action 
87% for escalating action
54% for MAB from December
67% for unity

A recent sector conference motion instructs HEC to take a “strong steer” from BDMs, but in this case everything aligns.

I am bringing a motion to HEC to enact a plan which realises in a reasonable way the expressed preferences of the membership. If you agree with this plan, please sign the support letter before 9am, Thursday Nov 3, 2022, so I can send it to HEC in advance of the meeting.

Thank you! Solidarity and victory!

Emergency motion to HEC 3 November 2022 Proposed by Emma Battell Lowman

HEC notes:

1. The member survey on 20/10/22:
   92.7% supported a time-limited period of negotiation, 
   62.2% wanted strike action in November
   59.1% wanted limited November action
   56.1% supported a MAB from December

2. The votes of BDM delegates on 31/10/22: 
   72% voted for a time-limited period of negotiation
   80% for strike action in November
   70% for limited November action 
   87% for escalating action
   54% for MAB from December
   67% for unity

3. The GS’s report of 25/10/22 outlining a plan for industrial action to win the disputes.
4. Strong support for both escalation and unity in the BDM votes.

HEC resolves:

1. To call two days’ strike action the week beginning 21/11/2022.
2. To begin ASOS from 21/11/2022.
3. To escalate action significantly in February 2023.
4. Trigger a marking and assessment boycott as part of escalating action in spring 2023, in line with strong support for unity