UCL-UCU: Amendments and Motions for today's GM - 13.00-14.30

We have had a number of amendments to the motions for the General Meeting on decisions about industrial action today (13.00-14.30). Please see below the list of motions and amendments.

All these motions and amendments are now tabled for debate

Please attend to have an input into what action UCU takes next.

UCL UCU Executive Committee

www.ucl.ac.uk/ucu

@ucl_ucu

Part I of meeting: Deciding the next steps in industrial action that UCL UCU supports

Motion 1: GS proposed strategy (to be taken in parts)

UCL UCU favours:

1. A strategy of escalating strike action, involving a pattern of escalating days of action through February, March, and April, engaging members again in March/April to take stock of the dispute situation and to agree any further strike action if needed.
2. A MAB beginning on April 17 to target all final/end of year summative assessments beginning that month.
3. Immediately announcing our intention to re-ballot to renew our mandate for further action.

NB: To clarify the strategy proposed by the GS in terms of “escalating strike action” is a pattern of 2+3 = 5 days of strike action both February and March, with a MAB in April.

Motion 2: HEC proposed strategy (to be taken in parts)

UCL UCU favours:

1. A strategy of all-out indefinite strike action, involving taking industrial action every day, starting in February and continuing until members vote to end the action, or the ballot mandates expire.
2. A Marking and Assessment Boycott starting on the 23 January
3. Immediately announcing our intention to re-ballot to renew our mandate for further action.

NB: the HEC proposal is for the MAB in Jan to target summative assessments

Amendments

Additions to the text in bold.

Amendment 1 to Motion 1, part 1:

1. A strategy of genuinely strike action, involving a pattern of a substantial number of escalating days of action through February, March, and April, rather than the tokenistic blocks in the GS proposal. Engaging members regularly throughout the action to take stock of the dispute situation and to agree any further strike action if needed.

Mover: Ilektra Christidi

Amendment 2: to motions 1 and/or 2

Add additional clause in both motions 1 and 2, new clause (4)

4. UCL UCU calls on HEC and HE officers to ensure that in order to maximise impact and focus efforts, branches are consulted to ensure that strike action is not called in Reading Weeks.

Mover: Christophe Soligo

Amendment 3: to motion 2, clause 1

Replace clause 1 with:

1. A strategy of all-out discontinuous indefinite strike action, involving taking industrial action every working day, starting in February and continuing until members vote to end the action, or the ballot mandates expire.

Mover: Sean Wallis

Amendment 4: to motion 2, clause 1

Replace clause 1 with:

1. A strategy of all-out discontinuous indefinite strike action, involving taking industrial action on 4 rotating working days a week, starting in February and continuing until members vote to end the action, or the ballot mandates expire.

Mover: Danielle Lamb

Part II of the meeting: USS Legal Action - donating to the action

Motion 3: Donating to USS Legal Action

UCL UCU notes:

• A critical element of the campaign to restore our USS benefits, worth on average £8000 to every USS member between 2022 to 2024, is the legal case brought by members Neil Davies and Ewan McGaughey. 
• They are currently fundraising £350k to take their case to the Court of Appeal. Previous rounds of fundraising have been generously supported by UCU branches up and down the country, including our own.
• These branch donations have substantially alleviated the financial burden on individual members and allowed the case to proceed to this stage.
• Since the High Court hearing, the USS CEO has announced his resignation, USS is now reporting a surplus and has published more information about its climate change plans. 

UCL UCU believes that:

• As UCL UCU has previously made a donation to this effort, hence there is nothing unusual about the present proposal.
• There is a need for a second instalment, based on the stage reached by the court case.
• UCL UCU has played no role in the development of the case which is being handled by Neil and Ewan.
• Making a fresh contribution will allow their action to proceed.
• It is essential to legally test the principle that the managers of a pension scheme such as USS are not at liberty to alter its framework in a fundamental way

 UCL UCU resolves:

• To call on the branch committee to act on the Conference and the NEC’s democratic decisions by further supporting this legal action;
• To provide £2000 support to the legal case as several other branches have done for the most recent round of funding;
• To circulate the crowd funder to members in the branch; 
• To call on the national officers to enact the lawful decisions of our delegates at Conference and the NEC.

Moved by: Neil Davies

(submitted by 18 signatories)