An emergency meeting of the branch was help today to establish the branch’s position on the employers’ offer on casualisation, equal pay, workloads and pay (the ‘four fights’ dispute) and on the latest developments in the USS pensions dispute. The meeting is to let our delegates know how to vote on our behalf at a meeting of branch delegates on Tuesday (26 May), ahead of the UCU higher education committee meeting on 27 May. (For more details see Your feedback on next-steps in the ‘Four Fights’ and USS disputes)

No formal vote was taken on the USS pensions dispute, so our delegate will try to vote with the contributions made in mind.

On the ‘four fights’ dispute, members passed the following motion:

Motion 1

This branch rejects the latest ‘offer’ in the 4 fights dispute.

We don’t believe that sufficient progress has been made on any of the key issues in the dispute 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.

This is especially true in regards women/BAME and casualised staff, who were at the forefront of the strikes.

We reject the idea of ‘banking’ inadequate progress.

An acceptance will only be seen as a sign of weakness by employers and encourage further attacks at this critical moment.

We call on members to reject the offer outright.

This page was last updated on 5 July 2021