UCU

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.

news

Scottish council workers plan further strike action
Scotland faces more council strikes after local government employers refused to increase a 2.5% pay offer.

articles

Unwaged fightback - A history of Islington Action Group of the Unwaged - 1980-86
The history of an unwaged workers' group in 1980s London, its efforts to establish and run a centre for the unemployed and its relationship to the Miners' Strike and other struggles of its times.

1968

1952-1973: Radical perspectives in the Caribbean
The experiences of Fundi, Carribean Situationist. " From the start we saw through the fraud of the "independent" unions ... We decided that the union bureaucracy must stop; that there should not be any mediation between us and the boss for this has been responsible for suppressing confidence in ourselves to take up the total task of ending capitalism. ... We developed the capacity for instant strike action. We had meetings on the factory compound and the farms during work hours against the wishes of the boss and traditional unionism. ... Such actions are the bedrock of direct participation which stands in truth against the lies of centralized leadership."

Tea Break

Tea Break July 2008
First issue of an irregular workers' bulletin put together by users of the website, libcom.org. This issue focuses on the 2008 pay dispute over sub-inflation pay offers.

UCU