This motion was passed at a GUCU Branch meeting on 10/09/2024
This branch notes that:
- Members of Unite UCU, the union representing UCU workers, are in dispute with UCU over issues centring on:
- racism and serious equalities concerns
- a safety and workplace stress crisis
- a breach of their recognition agreement and other agreed policies and procedures
- UCU’s failure to meaningfully negotiate on multiple issues, including hybrid working
- UCU undermining and worsening industrial relations.
- (fuller details of the dispute here)
- Due to marginal progress, members of Unite UCU have paused indefinite strike action. However, the dispute is still ongoing.
- If an indefinite strike is called, Unite UCU members will suffer financial hardship due to deductions for strike action
- Unite UCU have called on UCU branches to:
- Pass motions of support
- Make a solidarity donation where possible
- Write to Jo Grady and the NEC with specific demands
- Support their dispute on social media
- Share this email with members
This branch believes that:
- Unite UCU members are trade union staff committed to serving UCU members and upholding UCU democracy, yet are being treated appallingly by the union they work for
- Unite UCU members are facing a toxic workplace environment where serious issues and failings relating to racism, safety, stress, gender identity and pay exist, but have not been addressed by the employer
- Unions should model best practice as employers, but UCU has fallen very far short of this in its treatment of employees
- It is incredibly concerning for a Union to breach union recognition agreements
- UCU should now do everything in its power to settle this dispute by agreeing to address the toxic workplace culture identified by Unite UCU and by committing to honour their union recognition agreement
- As UCU members, we cannot accept the way that our union is treating its workers, and we should stand in full solidarity with our Unite UCU comrades and support the action they are taking
This branch resolves to:
- Encourage our members to stay informed of the Unite UCU dispute given the gravity of the situation, in which the union representing us is failing to adequately address racism, serious equalities concerns, safety and workplace stress crisis while also breaching recognition agreements and undermining worsening industrial relations
- Pledge £5000 to the Unite UCU hardship fund should future strike action arising from this dispute take place
- Contingent on strike action happening, donate strike funds to cover deductions experienced by our branch organiser as a result of taking strike action, to ensure they do not experience hardship, and for the duration of the industrial action
- Write to the General Secretary, Jo Grady, and call on her to agree – with Unite UCU – an external investigator and the terms of reference for an independent investigation into UCU’s toxic organisational culture in line with UCU Congress policy, as well as pointing out the importance to UCU members and branches of their union setting an unimpeachable example as an employer by abiding by collective agreements – in particular the Recognition Agreement between UCU as an employer and the Unite UCU branch
- Call on UCU’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to protect staff from chronic Health & Safety issues and hold the General Secretary accountable in terms of meeting her responsibilities relating to staffing and operational matters, as determined by UCU’s rules and the General Secretary’s job description
- Encourage our members to attend pickets/rallies whenever logistically possible