At today’s emergency general meeting (23 July 2020) the branch passed the following motions:

Donation to the UCU Fighting Fund

This branch agrees to:

• donate £15,000 from the branch to the national UCU Fighting Fund
• call on the UCU National Executive Committee to meet urgently to reconsider the interpretation of rules regarding the use of UCU reserves, in order to transfer an appropriate amount to the Fighting Fund
• call on the UCU NEC to agree a donation of 20% of national reserves to the Fighting Fund.

Supporting lower paid members in the UCU levy

If UCU does not raise enough money through branch and other donations and transfers to replenish the national Fighting Fund, a levy on members will go ahead, with the lowest paid members probably exempt.
This branch agrees:

1. that if a levy is imposed on any members earning under £30,000 per annum, or who are in particular difficulty, we will draw on our local Hardship Fund to pay the levy on behalf of those members who request it, through an appropriate mechanism determined by the local branch committee following discussion with HQ.
2. to amend the rules of our local Hardship Fund (https://www.leedsucu.org.uk/local-hardship-fund/) to enable the Hardship Fund to be used for this purpose, by inserting a new bullet point between bullet points 9 and 10 to read:
   “Will also be used to support lower paid members of this branch if the union imposes a levy on members.”
   and renumber remaining bullet points.