Author Archives: ucunorthwest

The Big Meeting: A documentary about the Durham Miners’ Gala

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A new film, The Big Meeting: Durham Miners’ Gala Documentary, is out on general release on 6 September.

 

COMMUNITY SCREENINGS:

The filmmakers want The Big Meeting to be viewed by as many people as possible and are encouraging community groups, organisations, trades union branches, Labour Party branches and individuals to host local screenings of the documentary.

The fee for community screenings is £75 – that covers the license costs for screening the film publicly. For any groups who licence The Big Meeting, the film makers will allow the screening of their documentary Nature of the Beast – about Dennis Skinner – for free in the future.

If you’re interested, please get in touch with the production company, Shut Out The Light: info@shutoutthelight.co.uk

Be sure to provide essential details, such as the location of the screening, the proposed date and the format required.

Once the screening is confirmed, Shut Out The Light will help promote the showing and the filmmakers will attend any screening for a Q&A if travel expenses can be covered.

It is recommend that organisers have a post-film Q&A or panel discussion to enhance the event and to engage your audience in a dialogue about the themes and narratives explored within the film.

Please get in touch if you require any additional information:

Twitter: @durhamgalafilm

Facebook: @durhamminersgalafilm

 

Help shape the future of our Trade Union movement

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The TUC is undertaking a major piece of research into the role of union reps in the modern workforce. We’ve been travelling round the country speaking to reps and are now launching a UK-wide union reps survey.

We believe in a movement with reps at the forefront of what we do. That means supporting reps to win in the workplace – from resources and learning, to events and guidance.

But if we want to change things, it needs all of us involved. If you’re a union rep, will you take this survey to contribute to our strategy and help shape the future of our movement?

Take the survey.

Chancellor announces £400 million investment for 16-19 year olds’ education – the sector responds

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“Any funding is to be welcomed,” states UCU general secretary Jo Grady, “but we need to be clear that it falls well short of the £3bn needed to restore college budgets to their 2010 levels. It is particularly disappointing that there is no additional funding for adult education, which has seen its budget slashed by over 45% in real terms this decade. The government must dig deeper if it wants to ensure our colleges can deliver transformative education for all those who would benefit.”

See the sector responses – including that of UCU – in FE news here.

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Request for messages of support for UCU Edge Hill Branch in their dispute with university management.

Following a well organised local campaign, in June 2019 the Edge Hill UCU Branch cleared the 50% threshold in an indicative strike ballot. The ballot was undertaken after the university failed to reverse their imposition of new job descriptions which UCU view as a breach of the 2006 Framework Agreement.

On 18 July 2019 the UCU Branch and Regional officers met with Edge Hill management in an effort to resolve the dispute. In accordance with the Recognition Agreement signed between the UCU and Edge Hill University in 2018, UCU called upon Edge Hill to revert to the 2006 Pay Framework Agreement status quo and convene the Collective Dispute Committee. This was refused by the management.

As a result, UCU has now formally declared a dispute with Edge Hill University. An offer was made to management of ACAS involvement in further talks to conciliate the dispute. The university have now agreed and conciliation talks will commence on 14 August.

Edge Hill branch is now in campaign mode and is organising campus-wide campaign activities at key points of the University calendar, the first of which will be the ‘Welcome Sunday’ during Freshers’ Week.

At this point the UCU branch would welcome messages of support and solidarity from other UCU branches in the North West. These would help bolster the morale of members and provide energy for their campaign. We will keep you updated of developments and the outcome of the ACAS talks on 14 August.

Please send messages of solidarity to Branch Chair Tony Keating at Keatingt@edgehill.ac.uk

 

 

“We do not believe that FE is held in high regard by the new administration” – UCU responds to the loss of the Skills Minister

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Boris Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle has led to the loss of the Skills Minister Anne Milton. The role has now been subsumed into Gavin William’s brief as Minister of Education. As UCU’s Paul Cottrell states: “We do not believe losing the dedicated skills minister is a positive step for further education or suggests the sector is held in high regard by the new administration.”

Click here for our response.

Climate Change Action: UCU report from the Education International Conference

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As education trade unionists gather together for the 8th EI World Congress, it is clear that working people and students are on the front lines of climate change. Already 83 million climate-related refugees have fled from disaster. 72 million jobs are threatened. Climate change affects our brothers and sisters – especially our sisters – across the world. UN figures show that 80 per cent of those displaced by climate change are women.

Despite a growing body of evidence showing the current and future impacts of climate change, governments are not responding fast enough: education unions can play a pivotal role in the global climate movement, if we build alliances with other trade unions, students and environmental organisations.

Read the full article by Adam Lincoln, UCU’s Bargaining and Negotiations Official here

UCU NW at the Durham Miners’ Gala

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UCU North West Region delegation amongst the many who attended this year’s Durham Miners’ Gala.

The 135th Durham Miners’ Gala was held on Saturday 13th July 2019. It was a fantastic occasion that brought together comrades and friends from across the trade union and labour movement. The UCU activists and banners were proudly accompanied by the Bearpark and Esh Colliery Band on the march through the streets of Durham, which housed approximately 200,000 visitors. Our new General Secretary elect, Jo Grady, and UCU President Douglas Chalmers proudly brandished the UCU banner as we marched. The outstanding speaker of the day was surely Laura Pidcock MP, who spoke passionately to the racecourse thousands about her family’s mining roots and her pride in being part of our movement. Jeremy Corbyn also delivered a memorable speech to the adoring crowd and the General Secretaries of UNISON, Unite the Union, the CWU and the NEU did not disappoint. Roll on Durham 2020!

Janet Farrar, Secretary to the UCU NW Regional Committee

https://twitter.com/janetfarrarUCU/status/1150005513389780993

 

UCU NW support memorial for Suffragist Selina Cooper

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Regional Committee motion pledges financial support for Labour History Project education campaign and memorial in the Selina Cooper room at the Unity Hall, in Nelson, Lancashire.

In Nelson, Lancashire, a team of volunteers have put together an ambitious project to commemorate the life of suffragist, Selina Cooper. A former child worker, and the first woman to represent the Independent Labour Party (ILO) in 1901 on the Board of Guardians, Cooper became a national figure in the suffragist movement and a lifelong campaigner for the rights of women and the working class.

The UCU NW Regional Committee motion noted the importance of promoting the victories of the Trade Union movement and the particular importance of building public awareness of the women who fought for equality. The donation from UCU will assist the Labour History Project’s mobile display boards which will contain pictures and documents about Selina Cooper and the relevant period of Labour History. These boards will be used in Unity Hall and also taken out for community, school and college projects on this era.

For more information on Selina Cooper, click here.

 

13% Pay Increase Success at Trafford College for starting lecturers

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Trafford College Group 2018/19 Pay Deal Success

Following negotiations and a hard fought campaign against the backdrop of a merger with Stockport College, UCU have made gains for members in the Trafford College Group.
These include:

  • 1% consolidated pay increase for lecturers & business support
  • Improvements to T&Cs for members at Stockport College including:
    • Harmonisation upwards to Trafford College salary scale
    • Additional 2 days annual leave
    • Working week reduced by 2 hours per week
    • Improvements to sick pay entitlement
  • Access to 2 additional pay points from 2020, an effective increase of 7% or £2,219 over 2 years
  • Minimum lecturer starting salary to increase by 13% or £2,397 per year.