Congress and HE Sector Conference Motions received for General Meeting 14th March 12-13:30

This is a reminder that an online General Meeting of UCL UCU will be held on: 

Thursday 14th March from 12:00 - 13:30 

To participate via zoom you need to register to receive a personalised zoom link using the link sent to members via email.

Three motions have been received and are included in Appendix 1. Members are invited to submit amendments to ucu@ucl.ac.uk by Wednesday 6th March, 5pm.  Amendments should be submitted with the subject line: Amendment for GM.  

We aim to circulate amendments by Friday 8th March for discussion and decision-making at the General Meeting on 14th March.

UCL UCU Executive
 

Appendix 1

Motion for UCU Congress 

Congress Motion 1. Gaza, BDS, and UCU

Congress notes

1. The genocidal assault on Gaza, the destruction of all its universities, and the targeted killing of its scholars;
2. The ongoing disruption of West Bank Palestinian universities, administrative detention of students and staff, and the Israeli military quota on visiting scholars; 
3. The established role of Israeli universities in the maintenance of the apartheid system; and
4. The attempt to suppress Palestinian advocacy and critical scholarly work on the Middle East and North Africa in British HE.

Congress resolves to:

1. Alert all members to UCU policy in support of academic BDS, inviting them to sign the Academic Commitment for Palestine;
2. Campaign vigorously and publicly for disinvestment by USS from genocide-complicit companies;
3. Urge branches to support local campaigns to sever ties with Israeli universities, and divest from complicit companies; and
4. Defend voices for Palestine on campuses, join and donate £1k to the national campaign, and affiliate to BRICUP.

(146 words)

Motions for HE Sector Conference

HE Motion 1. Defending union branches from employer censorship on Palestine - or other matters

Conference notes 

1. Intervention by Oxford University to deny debate to a branch motion calling for a "Socialist Intifada" in the Middle East.
2. Censorship by UCL of the UCL UCU branch website for passing a similar motion.
3. Breaking into UCU offices at Queen Mary University of London to remove a UCU "Ceasefire Now" poster and one calling for an end to "Israeli apartheid", both protected free speech.

These attacks parallel those made on individual union members for free speech on Palestine. But they also concern the independent democratic functioning of union branches.

Conference further notes

1. The launch meeting of Campus Voices for Palestine on 25 January at UCL.
2. The BRICUP-organised tour of campuses with follow-up events.

Conference resolves

1. To ensure UCU robustly defends branches from attack by employers, including with legal support.
2. To encourage branches and Regions to participate in the BRICUP tour.

 (149 words)

HE Motion 2. General Election 2024, HE and tuition fees

Conference notes

1. UUK's 2022 call to increase home undergraduate tuition fees to £12,000 or more.
2. The Conservative Government's changes to student loan conditions to compel students to repay RPI-based loans for 40 years.
3. UUK's Price Waterhouse Coopers January 2024 report claiming that 80% of universities will be in financial difficulties if international student recruitment falls.
4. The imminent General Election.
5. Existing policy opposed to tuition fees or graduate tax as a tax on learning.

Conference believes

1. The incoming Labour Government will be put under pressure to increase home undergraduate tuition fees, further pricing out working-class students.

Conference resolves UCU will build a public campaign in the run-up to a General Election to 

1. publicise and popularise UCU's priorities for a sustainable alternative funding for Higher Education, paid for via progressive taxation; and
2. emphasise Higher Education's value as a public good for an educated population.

(149 words)