UCU has now called a boycott of the University of Liverpool over the university’s refusal to halt the sacking of 21 health staff.  Liverpool UCU have taken strike action, and are now doing a marking boycott. Liverpool management are deducting 100% of wages of staff not marking. The way staff were selected for redundancy is very worrying – they used flawed metrics to assess research outputs, and this could have wider implications for UCU members across the sector. The university has refused to meet with UCU to resolve the dispute, or to allow ACAS to mediate between UCU and management. So the boycott was called to push the university to stop the planned redundancies and to hold urgent talks to resolve the dispute.

Please support the boycott by:

• not applying for any advertised jobs at Liverpool
• not agreeing to speak at or organise academic or other conferences at Liverpool which are outside of contract
• not accepting new invitations to give lectures at Liverpool
• not accepting new positions as visiting professors or researchers at Liverpool
• not accepting invitations outside of contract to write for any academic journal which is edited at or produced by Liverpool
• not accepting new contracts as external examiners for taught courses at Liverpool

Please let staff at Liverpool know about your support and the actions you have taken using social media, tagging @ULivUCU2 and using the hashtag #BoycottLiverpoolUni. And if you can, please donate to their hardship fund.

See more about how you can support the boycott

Academic boycott is a serious sanction, taken as a last resort by the union.  Universities know a boycott will damage their reputation. It’s sad that Liverpool’s management’s appalling decisions, and lack of negotiation, have brought them to this. But there is hope that the situation can be turned around with our support.  We need to stand in solidarity with our colleagues at Liverpool.

The academic boycott of University of Leicester continues, as previously explained, so please continue to observe that boycott and to share your support for Leicester UCU (@LeicesterUCU and #BoycottLeicester).

Some good news from the Open University though – UCU has negotiated a deal there which means improved pay and job security for more than 4,000 associate lecturers who will be moved onto new permanent contracts. 

Thank you for your solidarity with Leicester and Liverpool. 

Cheers

Ben
Ben Plumpton
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
University of Leeds UCU President

This post is from an email sent to branch members 15 July 2021

This page was last updated on 16 July 2021