UCU University of Leeds has sent a message of support to colleagues at University of Brighton who have voted to strike over their management’s obstinate refusal to back down over plans which are detrimental to staff, trying to railroad through redundancies and demotions without serious attempts to find a negotiated, agreed solution with the union representing the staff.

University of Leeds UCU sends full solidarity and support to our colleagues in University of Brighton UCU for their dispute over management breaches of trade union agreements and in defence of their negotiating rights, including the upcoming strikes on 20&21 March.

We are deeply concerned to hear of the planned closure of the Hastings campus, and dismayed to learn of the assault by University of Brighton management on the working conditions of academic staff which is accompanied by the refusal to comply with the agreed disputes procedure after Brighton UCU invoked it in a bid to work towards a resolution.

For a Vice Chancellor to announce that the University’s position is “that it does not require the agreement of the UCU in respect of these issues” is a flagrant bid to derecognise the UCU, to sideline members, and to impose deleterious conditions upon staff at the University of Brighton.

We sincerely hope that the Vice Chancellor and University management reconsider their position swiftly and send full support to all University of Brighton UCU members for their strikes, noting the strength of feeling among them indicated by their very strong ballot result.

University of Brighton staff are meeting today to agree a programme of industrial action.

You can find out more about the UCU dispute with University of Brighton at ucu.brighton.ac.uk