UCU
Unrest over academies expansion
As 70 failing schools join the 310 already on the list of schools which will be or already are now operating as academies, coalitions of parents in Brighton and Hove, Ipswich and Sheffield are challenging moves to switch them over.
In separate developments, privatisation moves in Goldsmiths College, London and Essex University are also being fought by staff and students, and sponsors of the Unity Academy – one of the early flagships of the initiative – have pulled out. The academy lost its primary backer, Amey, who deny financial pressures are behind their decision.
Queens University placing excessive targets on probationary staff
The University and College Union at Queens University Belfast is highlighting the excessive demands being placed on workers currently in probabtionary periods.
The ongoing concern over increasing demands on probationary staff has been hightlighted in a current dispute with management in the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences. UCU suspect that excessive workloads being placed on staff not yet in confirmed-positions may be widespread throughout the university.
UCU to ballot on strike action at Nottingham Trent University
The University and College Union branch at Nottingham Trent University is to ballot its members on strike action following the formal de-recognition of the local UCU branch by university managers.
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) managers have formally de-recognised the University and College Union's branch after ongoing attempts by the university to amend the union's recognition agreement with the university.
Nottingham Trent University de-recognises academics union
Lecturers at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) warned today that they may take strike action over an ongoing row about how the university negotiates with the branch.
The university has formally terminated recognition of UCU in what has been described as a 'direct attack on independent trade unionism' by the union.
Queens University pursuing compulsory redundancies
Queens University in Belfast is for the first time ever attempting to make staff compulsorily redundant. Following a meeting with UCU, these plans were dropped from the proposal to be tabled at a later date.
For the first time ever, Queens University is attempting to introduce compulsory redundancies for staff. Normally, voluntary means are used to resolve staffing issues, but Queens senior-management were attempting to rush-through the compulsory redundancy plan tomorrow at Standing Committee meeting.
Lecturers to join teachers' strike
College lecturers in England have voted to strike on Thursday 24 April in support of a demand to bring their pay up to that of schoolteachers.
Lecturers in over 250 colleges were balloted by UCU. The UCU website states that the the result shows solid support for industrial action: 65.5% of those voting* supported strike action and 86.2% also supported other forms of industrial action short of a strike.
Academics reject government anti-extremists plan
Lecturers have voted unanimously to boycott government plans to tackle 'extremism' on college campuses.
They had been asked to monitor and report suspicious behaviour amongst Muslim students but at the University and Colleges Union annual conference in Bournemouth, delegates rejected the move, saying it amounted to spying on students.
