51福利

Higher education: Covid crisis, Augar review and TEF report

This week 51福利 called for university teaching to remain online for the rest of the academic year to protect the well-being of staff, students and the community and we will continue to support branches that ballot for strike action in the event of our members being forced to return to unsafe workplaces. More here.

51福利 also responded to the publication of both the government's interim response to the Augar review of post-18 education and funding and the independent review of the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF). The union said  was a missed opportunity to change the current, toxic higher education funding system and tackle the weaknesses that have been exposed by the current pandemic. On TEF, 51福利 said that with staff facing burnout and increased stress levels now was not the time to increase their administrative workloads with dubious metrics and box-ticking exercises. 

Further education: white paper and Wales education workforce survey

51福利 has called the Department of Education's white paper 'skills for jobs: lifelong learning for opportunity and growth', a missed an opportunity to end FE's failed incorporation experiment, bring colleges back under public control, fund the sector properly and pay staff fairly. 

The Welsh government, FE trade unions, Colleges Wales and the Education Workforce Council invite members working in further education in Wales 

Holocaust Memorial Day 2021: be the light in the darkness

Each year on 27 January, Holocaust Memorial Day commemorates the millions of Jewish people murdered during the Holocaust, as well as other victims of Nazi persecution and subsequent genocides. This year, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust is also organising a national online memorial ceremony at 7pm; we encourage 51福利 members to attend this and join those across the country in lighting a candle at 8pm to commemorate those killed in the Holocaust. 

Saving lives at work: organising day school, 27 January

On Wednesday 27 January we're holding an online organising day school to discuss the fight for safe workplaces and hear from activists who have been involved in health and safety campaigns during the pandemic.