Category Archives: Campaigns

UCU writes to government to call in airport expansion application

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Following the decision of members on 10 March to oppose Leeds City Council’s airport expansion decision, branch president Ben Plumpton has written to the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government Robert Jenrick MP calling on the government to call in (review) the planning application for the expansion of Leeds Bradford Airport and hold a public enquiry. The planning application to expand Leeds Bradford Airport, from 4 million passengers per year to 7 million, was approved by Leeds City Council’s plans panel on 11 March. The council has now referred the decision to government to consider the impact on the greenbelt, but UCU members want the decision to be called-in and for a public inquiry. Dr Jennifer Fletcher, a senior research scientist in atmospheric and climate science at the university, who co-chairs the UCU branch climate and ecological emergency working group, said: “Expanding airports is incompatible with bringing down our soaring carbon emissions. It is vital that Robert Jenrick calls in this airport decision, as he did with the similarly controversial coal mine in Cumbria. As we recover from Covid-19, we need to increase healthy, green, well-protected jobs – not the sort of jobs associated with aviation.” The … Read more

The USS pension scheme 2020 valuation

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Our pension scheme is yet again seemingly under attack by the people who are supposed to be looking after it. This time even the employers’ body Universities UK have made a public statement criticising the valuation. If you want to know more about the USS pension scheme 2020 valuation, and why everyone wants them to stop trying to put the contributions up unnecessarily, here’s a video of branch pensions rep Mark Taylor-Batty’s fantastic presentation to the branch open meeting on pensions on 11 March 2021, with an update from UCU President Vicky Blake on the national situation.

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UCU University of Leeds Branch statement on gendered and sexual violence

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

For too long women, transgender, gender non-binary people and children have faced the threat of male violence and have been subjected to this violence to a sickeningly disproportionate degree. The horrifying kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard and the appalling murder of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry are the most recent examples of this plague endured for decades, centuries, millennia. As a union, we recognise that both the threat of and actual violence directed towards women, transgender, non-binary people and children from men can be exacerbated by intersectionalities that aggravate power imbalances towards the LGBT+, Black, ethnic minority and migrant communities. This was particularly evident in the lack of media coverage directed towards Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry’s murders in June 2020 and the police misconduct that ensued in the disturbing allegations that two serving Met Police officers took ‘selfies’ with their bodies. We stand together in solidarity with Sarah Everard’s, Nicole Smallman’s and Bibaa Henry’s families and all affected by male violence. We make a stand for all women, transgender, non-binary people and children living in fear from male violence. We make a stand to demand equality for all. In the UK, 97% of young women have experienced sexual … Read more