Occupy LSE demands free education and zero tolerance of oppression on campus
Rob B, a graduate teaching assistant at LSE, reports on the latest campus protests. Around 50 students at the London School of Economics (LSE) have occupied the Vera Ansty rooms in the university’s Old Building. They are protesting against the commercialisation of LSE, for free education and over a range of other issues. Occupiers led a demonstration of 400 students around […]
Tory cuts hitting FE hard
Mark Keating, a lecturer in a London college, discusses the cuts that are hitting the further education sector hard The Tories delivered another body blow to the further education (FE) sector when they announced swingeing 24% cuts to the Adult Education budget at the end of February. This kind of cut would have been greeted […]
Autonomy! Autonomy! Autonomy! – Students occupy in the Republic of Macedonia
Over a thousand students have occupied university faculties in the Republic of Macedonia in protest against planned education reforms, reports Nick Evans Students took over SS Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje yesterday (11 February), declaring it an ‘autonomous zone’ under ‘student control’. This is the latest phase in a growing student movement: there have […]
Cambridge students boycott essays in campaign for reading week
Dan Swain reports on a new campaign by students at Cambridge University. Students at Cambridge University are campaigning for the introduction of a reading week, and committing to refuse to submit work during the fifth week of term in order to make it happen. The campaign reflects a growing awareness of the effect of stress […]
Challenging the neoliberal university: Inside the Warwick occupation
A building at the University of Warwick has been occupied since last week, after Police violence broke up a peaceful protest. Martin Platais reports from within the occupation. On Wednesday 3 December, the management of Warwick University sent in police armed with Tasers, dogs, and CS-spray who proceeded to break up a peaceful sit-in being […]
Student day of action sees protests, occupations and police violence
In December 2014, a day of action for free education saw students on up to 40 campuses take part in protests, stunts and occupations.
Students march in London for free education
Dan Swain reports from today’s student demonstration in London. Over 7000 students joined today’s demonstration for free education in London, making it the largest student demonstration in Britain since 2011. The demonstration was organised by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts and the Student Assembly Against Austerity, and supported by the Young Greens. It […]
Why a university finally stood up to misogyny
Last week the men’s rugby club at LSE was closed down for a year after producing a sexist and homophobic leaflet. Lois JC considers why the university finally took action, after years doing nothing to oppose the club’s racism and bigotry. As a former student of the London School of Economics (LSE) I was, unfortunately, […]
Why support an academic boycott of Israel?
The idea that you should boycott Israeli universities has been one of the more difficult arguments within the Palestine movement. Here a member of the University and College Union national executive, Trish McManus, tackles the key questions. In 2004 a small number of intellectuals and scholars launched the Palestinian Campaign for an academic boycott of Israel […]
NUS executive votes to back BDS boycott campaign against Israel
(picture of #nus4bds campaigners by Aaron Kiely, NUS executive member, via Facebook) The NUS national executive committee today voted 23-18 with 1 abstention to adopt a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions policy against Israel. Fantastic that #NUSNEC has passed policy to support #BDS || read more about BDS: http://t.co/KHBcC1WgRm #BoycottIsrael #FreePalestine – rs21 (@revsoc21) August 4, 2014 […]
Playing the Odds: How fractionals at SOAS organised and won
Today the SOAS Fractionals for Fair Play campaign announced that 95% (on a 63% turnout) had voted to reject a contract offer which fell well short of their demands. They also announced a 25% increase in the fractional population taking out a full UCU membership in July. The UCU branch is now committed to considering industrial action […]
4 Things We’ll Remember David Willetts For
The odious Tory ideologue who masterminded the Higher Education reforms has been shuffled off.
Build in, build out, build up! July 10 strike report
Estelle Cooch writes: Over a million public sector workers went on strike today against pay, pensions and cuts. The strike was the biggest in several years and brought together unions that haven’t struck together since the two big pension strikes of 2011 – June and November 30th. It is worth recapping how the action came […]
Save Our Staff – or we’ll strike!
Shanice McBean reports from Kings College picket lines: Today UCU members at KCL were out on strike following the threat of 120 redundancies in the Health Schools. Fifty seven of these staff have now lost their jobs. Staff under threat are being targeted using arbitrary criteria, such as research grant income, to determine who gets […]
Lambeth College strike: Stage One ends, but prepare for Stage Two
by Matthew Cookson, UCU lead negotiator, EHWLC (personal capacity) Strikers at Lambeth College in south London marched back together to work today (Wednesday 9 July) after five and a half weeks of all-out action. The college lecturers have pledged to resume their strikes in the autumn term if the dispute is not resolved. The UCU […]
Bullying in the workplace
Barbara Jeffery, UCU Branch Secretary Tower Hamlets College (pc) discusses how to tackle bullying in the workplace. First published in the Summer 2014 edition of the rs21 magazine. Research suggests that since the onset of austerity there has been a significant rise in bullying and harassment in the workplace. Studies show a definite link between […]
UNISON join in as Lambeth College strike enters ninth day
Chants of ‘The Workers United Will Never Be Defeated’ , ‘El pueblo unido jamás será vencido ‘ rang out today from the Lambeth College Mass Strike meeting today. Neil R reports. Wednesday, the ninth day of the Lambeth College Strike, began with an even livelier and larger picket line at Clapham Common. UNISON came out on strike today joining the UCU […]
Lambeth College strike goes into its fourth day – report from the picket lines
Workers at Lambeth College voted last month for an indefinite strike to defend themselves against a principal who seems hell-bent on wrecking Further Education in the Borough.
SOAS Fractionals statement
This statement first appeared on the Fractionals For Fair Play (FFFP) Facebook page. FFFP STATEMENT ON ACAS TALKS AND UPCOMING NEGOTIATIONS ALL-FRACTIONALS MEETING ON 3 JUNE 5PM ROOM 116 On Friday 23 May UCU representatives and SOAS management reached an agreement at ACAS regarding the fractional staff dispute. This agreement is a first victory for […]
Militancy at Lambeth College strike despite injunction
Estelle Cooch reports from today’s strike at Lambeth College The resistance by lecturers at Lambeth College to the vicious attacks on their pay and conditions is quickly becoming a beacon to trade unionists and activists everywhere. The all-out strike that was meant to begin today has the potential to foster the support and solidarity that […]
Lambeth College all out strike to win!
Mark Winter discusses the importance of the Lambeth College UCU strike against changes to their contracts and what can be learnt from the experiences of the Tower Hamlets College strike.
University staff should reject a 2% rise
Amy Gilligan is a researcher and UCU member at Cambridge. This article originally appeared at the Labour blog Left Futures. (pic: UCU strike at Manchester Metropolitan University.) UCU and EIS members in higher education are currently voting in a ballot whether to accept the employer’s “full and final offer” in the pay claim. I’ve voted to […]
UCU marking boycott: Management have called our bluff – we have a choice
Management at universities across the country, including Bath Spa, UWE, Oxford Brooks, Bradford University, UEA and Westminster University, have told staff that they intend to dock 100% of their pay if they participate in the marking boycott, due to start on 28 April. Jonathan Neale, university lecturer and UCU committee member at Bath Spa University […]
The dullness of work
A university admin worker writes about their job. My job is boring. I’m an admin worker at a popular university in Northeast England. I’ve done the same job for several years. There have been developments and things I do differently, but mostly the job is the same. I answer email queries, update spreadsheets, navigate clunky […]
Left lifted by surprise win for Free Education motion at NUS conference
Amy Gilligan from Cambridge University rs21 reports from NUS conference LEFT ACTIVISTS were happy after a surprise win after a tense NUS conference vote this morning. A motion supporting free education passed, committing the union to campaigning against all methods of charging students for education. The vote went to the count, but was passed comfortably – […]
Interview: Spies, surveillance and Cambridgeshire police
Cambridgeshire police tried to recruit an activist to spy on Unite Against Fascism, UK Uncut and Cambridge Defend Education, according to video evidence which came to light in November last year.
Students occupy Taiwan’s parliament against trade deal
Hsiao-Hung Pai reports on the unprecedented occupation of the Taiwanese parliament.
The year that Goldsmiths’ students supported the miners strike: an activist’s account
On the 30th anniversary of the start of the 1984-85 miners strike, Colin Revolting remembers the support and solidarity he and other students offered towards those on strike.
Staff furious at £5 million cuts in west London college
Lecturers, support staff and students at Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College are opposing senior management’s plans to make £5 million worth of staffing cost cuts on the college in the next few months.
Campaign launched against casualisation at SOAS
One hundred and thirty people attended the launch meeting of the Fractionals for Fair Play Campaign (FFFP).