“The workers united will never be defeated”

                           Click to enlarge the photograph

Strikes scheduled for Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 February and Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 February and Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 March will not go ahead. However, all action scheduled after these dates remains in place – this will put pressure on the employers.

REBALLOT (BALLOT OPENS ON MONDAY, 20 FEBRUARY)
Solent and Winchester comrades in a show of solidarity for the reballot

Message from Jo Grady (General Secretary)
“Today we are nearer to reaching the sector defining agreement we need than ever before. But this position has only been delivered because of your support. And we will only get it across the line if you continue to deliver that support.

In practice this means:

1. Voting YES in the reballot
2. Encouraging every colleague to vote YES
3. Asking non-members to join UCU
4. Be prepared to take the rest of the scheduled action if it is needed
5. Taking every possible opportunity to pressure the employer.

In closing, we will do everything possible to update you on the progress of the negotiations in the coming days and weeks. That said, it is crucial those talks are seen as secondary to the need to deliver a huge mandate in the reballot.”

Gordon McKelvie
Chair, Southern Regional Committee

Mark Farwell
Co-Secretary, Southern Regional Committee

Over 70,000 university staff at 150 universities will strike for three days this month over pay, working conditions and pensions. The National Union of Students (NUS) has backed the strikes, which will be the biggest ever to hit UK universities and could impact 2.5 million students.

Dear SRC Delegates,

AGENDA
Southern Region Committee 
The next meeting of the Southern Region Committee will take place on Saturday, 25 June at Solent University (TS008) (10.30am to 1.30pm).

AGM and Election of Southern Region Committee Officers 2022-2023
The Southern Region Committee AGM will follow immediately after the close of the SRC meeting at 13.30pm. The AGM is scheduled for 60 minutes.

Nominations have now closed but delegates are invited to submit nominations at the AGM for the following vacant positions: Chairs and Secretaries of the Sector Committees (FE and HE), Representative of members on casual contracts, Training Officer, and Retired Members Representative. 

In Solidarity,
Dr Mark Farwell
South Region Secretary
🌈

South Region will be holding a hustings event on Wednesday, 12 August 2020 at 12 noon. The event will be Chaired by Rosey Whorlow (South East Region Equalities Officer).

AGENDA AND RUNNING ORDER
CHAIR (ROSEY WHORLOW)
Welcome and Protocols
Opening Statements (3 mins per candidate)
Open Session (Q&A)
Closing Statements (2 mins per candidate)
Close meeting

INVITEES
Candidates for UCU Vice President (VP)
Dr Justine Mercer (University of Warwick)
Dr Gareth Brown (University of Leicester)
Stephen Desmond (Solent University)
Dr Victoria Showunmi (UCL)
Marian Mayer (Bournemouth University)

Candidates for Representative of LGBT+ members
Peter Evans (South Thames College)
Jennie Appleyard (Leeds City College)

Please feel free to invite friends and colleagues from your branch.
Hope to see you there,

Mark Farwell
Regional Secretary (South)

“Southern regional committee officers are asking you to support precarious staff at the University of Sussex. Their campaign goes to the very heart of the four fights dispute.

Please see the message from James McMurray, and if you can ask your branch and members to support the campaign to protect jobs at the University of Sussex.”

MESSAGE FROM JAMES MCMURRAY

If I may,

My name is James McMurray; I am a postdoctoral school tutor at the University of Sussex. Recently, leaked plans from the University Executive Group revealed that in the context of the Coronavirus crisis they intended to ‘terminate as soon as possible’ the contracts of temporary staff such as me.

Precarious academics here – doctoral tutors, early career academics, those on fixed term contracts, and others – have organised to resist these plans. We are all members of the union. We are supported by our local UCU, and have been retweeted by other supportive branches around the country.

We ask that you consider sharing our website [precariousacademics.com] – where our petition, and details of our campaign can be found – with your members, and signing yourself, as the more support we receive the better our negotiating position.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

James McMurray
Precariousacademics.com