Passed unanimously at GUCU branch meeting, Fri 22 May, 2pm.
Goldsmiths UCU rejects the latest offer in the 4 fights dispute. We are proud that our recent strike action highlighted crucial questions of pay and equalities and won important concessions from the employers around pensions. However, we do not believe that sufficient progress has been made on any of the key issues in both disputes in the light of the developing crisis in the sector. Accepting an offer that does not give sufficient guarantees to women members on the gender pay gap, BAME members on the race pay gap and to our casualised staff and includes no movement on pay would be to let down the tens of thousands of members who joined our picket lines for 22 days.
We call on HEC not to reballot in June but to revisit the situation concerning both disputes in the autumn – ideally through special sector conferences – and focus for now on defending our members from immediate threats of redundancies (including those to casualised staff), cuts and attacks on health and safety as a result of Covid-19.
Furthermore, following the success of the NEU’s mass meetings, we call on the general secretary to organise a national meeting for members and reps to discuss how best to organise the defence of higher education.