NUS External Trustee in being-an-exploitative-boss shocker
Remember when the NUS leadership sold the idea of the Trustee Board to us? They talked about filling the (semi-elected) External Trustee posts with NGO activists, education sector trade unionists and other such inoffensive individuals. The reality has proven somewhat different.
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Solidarity wins! Sussex Six reinstated
As mass student protests coincided with a UCU strike, Sussex University management has backed down and reinstated six students suspended for anti-cuts activity.
From the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts:
As staff at Sussex go on strike against cuts today, we are happy to announce several important victories that the anti-cuts campaign have won already!
In a packed Student Union Emergency General Meeting with over 750 students present, a vote of no confidence in the Vice Chancellor and the senior management was overwhelmingly passed. That is a great blow against the legitimacy of management.
While that was taking place, the University Senate voted to re-instate the Sussex 6, and to organise an independent investigation into the events surrounding the calling of the police on the 3rd of March. The only members of the Senate who voted against were the unelected senior management.
The Sussex anti-cuts campaign have won a victory for all students. They have sent a clear signal to university managers that heavy-handed, brutal authoritarian tactics on our campuses will not go unpunished.
Now students and staff around the world should send messages of congratulations and support the Sussex strike!
University heads rake it in while they make cuts
The results of the Guardian’s survey of the pay received by universities’ top officials are vomit-inducing.
At a time when university workers and students are facing massive cuts, more than 80 university heads now ‘earn’ more than £200,000. 19 get more than £300,000. Some have received 15 or 20 percent increases in the last year, and some seen their salary double or even triple in ten years. In contrast, HE lecturers have received an average increase of 45.7 percent over the same period.
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Sussex occupies again in defence of six suspended students
Sussex University students have occupied again in defence of six suspended student activists.
What follows is from the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts. Below that is an update from the Sussex occupiers. See the Defend Sussex blog for frequent updates.
This just in from Sussex. More information to follow as we get more updates from the occupied lecture theatre:
Defend the Sussex Six!
At 1pm, a demonstration of several hundred marched around the campus at Sussex University. It was the largest demonstration yet, and included many members of staff– some of whom spoke directly in front of Sussex House, the home of management.
As of right now, there are 200 people gathered in a lecture theatre (where no lectures are scheduled), drafting a list of demands for VCEG, the Vice Chancellor’s Executive Group. They are refusing to leave until Vice Chancellor Michael Farthing or another member of the VCEG comes in person to pick up the petition demanding the reinstatement of the six students who were suspended, and until he meets their demands.
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Update from Defend Sussex
At 14:30 today (11 March) 300 students and staff occupied the Lecture theatre Arts A2 in defiance of the high court injunction placed upon all persons entering or remaining on Sussex Campus and involved in the vaguely defined act of ‘occupational protest’.
The occupation is in protest against the suspension and exclusion of six students involved in the previous occupation of Sussex House calling for their unconditional reinstatement. We, the occupiers, stand in solidarity with all staff and workers facing compulsory redundancy, and all other areas on campus affected by the devestating cuts implemented by management.
We, the occupiers, have unanimously decided to remain until our demands are met. Until they are met this space will be open to all students and workers. We will use it for educational lectures, talks, critical debates, film screenings and to create an environment where the university community can come together to educate one another in an environment determined by us and for us.
We call upon students, workers and the wider community, locally, nationally, globally, to join us in the fight against educational cuts, job losses and the cuts in the public and private sectors. Strike! Occupy! Resist!
Save the student nursery at London Met!
In 2009 London Metropolitan University announced its decision to close its remaining nurseries. UNISON with the support of the nursery staff and Parents Group has spearheaded the campaign to prevent the closure of the last remaining nursery: Hornsey Road.
Sign the petition to stop closure here.
UEA management terrified
On 1 March, the day of the Westminster occupation and two days before UEA’s day of action against fees and cuts, senior management sent an email to the anti-cuts campaign. Clearly, they had seen what was going on at Westminster and are afraid of the National Campaign’s wave of action spreading to their campus. Here is the letter they sent:
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Sussex: students occupy, lecturers vote to strike
On 3 March, the same day that 200 UCL students besieged their VC in his office, Sussex University has gone into occupation in protest against cuts. Below is a report from the Defend Sussex campaign and a statement from the Sussex occupiers.
Meanwhile, more than three quarters of UCU members at Sussex have voted in favour of strikes action against the cuts, on an 80 percent turn out.
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Interview with a Westminster occupier
From Workers’ Liberty
A Westminster occupier from inside the occupation (night of Tuesday 2 March):
“First and foremost, the aim of our occupation is to challenge and, hopefully, stop the 250-plus tutoring and admin job cuts that management have announced for April this year.
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Statement from Westminster Occupation
From the Fights Cuts Campaign at Westminster Uni
Over 200 staff and students at the University of Westminster have protested, stormed the board of governors meeting and are currently in occupation, vice-chancellors office, in regard to recently proposed tutoring and administrative job cuts.
Management are planning to slash 285 jobs by April and this follows the closures of the ceramics department and the nursery. Recently, over 150 staff and students placed a unanimous vote of no confidence in the vice-chancellor and his management at a rally addressing Westminster’s severe proposed job cuts, on February, 17.
The vice-chancellor has openly declared that job cuts are the initiative of the governors, not his. Well, demonstrators asked him for themselves, after storming past security and into the governor’s meeting. They were greeted by a board of governors who were ‘quaking in their boots;’ shortly after students persuaded Geoffrey Petts, the VC, to stick around and answer some questions which he hesitated to on the first instance but then proceed to do with a full bureaucratic and dismissive tone.
Our demands to the vice-chancellor are:
A) Issue a statement on the avoidance of redundancies
B) Make freely available to the unions in the university appropriate financial documents
C) Produce alternative, sustainable plans for addressing the financial gap over the next several years.
Join us, over 40 students are currently occupying at Regents Campus, V-C’s office
Westminster Uni occupied
4.30pm, Monday 1 March: Students at Westminster University have occupied their Regent Street campus in protest at cuts.
Please get down there (for directions see here), or send messages of solidarity: email defendeducationuow@hotmail.com or ring/text 07595 738 396
In a number of senses, more to follow!
Fight Cuts Campaign at Westminster University
The wave begins
Students on campuses all over the UK are taking action this week against cuts and fees.
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