Goldsmiths UCU Emergency General Meeting minutes, 22nd June 2011
APOLOGIES: BMG, DB, DO, PB
1) Congress report and USS re-ballot
DF, MP + CK were at Conference. Pensions is now a big debate (for example UNISON is debating action in the autumn at their conference). The Goldsmiths motion, which was about a defence of final salary schemes and taking immediate action on the 30th was lost at Congress by 11 votes. However, there was a call for more sustained forms of action.
We need to convince people to win the ballot and to discuss the action we take if we win the ballot.
We need to make the point that there is no objective need for the USS changes, and that they could affect both new members and existing members, and link to 30 June.
Everyone needs to make sure members in their departments have received their papers and that they vote YES!!
ACTION POINT: Put out a double-sided A4 flyer with the following info, for people’s pigeonholes:
1) clarifying why we’re not out strike but saying that we need to support the strike, and encouraging people to support the picket lines at Lewisham College (Lewisham Way campus) or Deptford Green School at 9AM on the 30th
2) telling people to vote YES in the ballot and explain why, using the material from HQ and also making the point that CARE schemes are worse for women and part-time workers.
Other news from Congress: Our motion on Initial Teacher Education was passed unanimously; the challenge is now to make sure there is follow-up. The proposal to move ITE out of HE will have consequences for many institutions, including Goldsmiths, as funding from the Training and Development Agency is a major source of revenue. The PGCE Music has already closed.
Our motion on defending student protests was also passed unanimously, and was extended to include another national march to defend education this autumn.
2) No confidence in Willetts petition
KF to send out No Confidence petition link again (http://bit.ly/Goldnoconfidence); everyone to forward petition link to departmental lists. KF to ask the SU to send out the link with a reminder on the next BMS.
3) Motion on Greylisting New College of the Humanities
Motion passed unanimously. Decided to screen the “College, Inc” PBS documentary in September.
4) AOB
4A) Motion on Willetts protest at SOAS passed unanimously.
4B) UKBA proposal on ending the right to settlement
The Home Office is proposing to remove the entitlement to apply for settlement for people on Tier 1 and Tier 2 visas earning less than £150,000/year, and to limit work visas to 5 years . However, this is not being taken up by the press, and the reaction of Shabana Mahmood MP (Shadow Home Office Minister) may indicate Labour may actually support the proposals.
The consultation is open at this link
For analysis, see When being the best and brightest isn’t good enough on Migrants’ Rights Network.
KF to write Chris Nicholas in the UCU Equality Unit. Decided to discuss at the next meeting.
4C) Unite the Resistance Meeting to take place at Friends Meeting House tonight at 6:30PM at Friends Meeting House, 173 Euston Road (opposite Euston station).
4D) Coalition of Resistance Conference
Decided to send 3 delegates to the Coalition of Resistance conference on 9 July. We will publicise later.