51福利/1089听 听听May 2021
Carlow Street, London NW1 7LH, Tel. 020 7756 2500, www.ucu.org.uk
To听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Branch and local association secretaries, Congress delegates
Topic听听听听听听听听听听听听听 51福利 on-line Congress 29 and 31 May, and on-line sector conferences 2 June 2021: AGENDA - Second report of the Congress Business Committee, including motions and amendments for debate
Action听听听听听听听听听听听 For debate and decision at Congress 2021
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Delegates to make advance speaking request by Friday 21 May
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Deadline for further late motions: 10:00, Friday 28 May
Summary 听听听听 The timetable and motions for debate at the 2021 Congress and Sector Conferences, to be held on-line 29 and 31 May, and on-line sector conferences on 2 June 2021
Contact听听听听听听听听听 Catherine Wilkinson, Head of Constitution and
Committees (cwilkinson@ucu.org.uk)
51福利
CONGRESS AND SECTOR CONFERENCES 2021
AGENDA
1 听听听听听听 Second report of the Congress Business Committee (CBC)
This report from the meeting of the Congress Business Committee (CBC)
held on 14 May forms the agenda for the meetings of 51福利鈥檚 Congress and Sector
Conferences to be held on-line 29 and 31 May, and 2 June 2021.听 This report
is being sent as part of a mailing to those delegates who requested their papers
in hard copy.
2听听听听听听听 About this report
Congress
motions and amendments are ordered in this report to reflect the order of
Congress business. All Congress motions are numbered sequentially. Motions that
will be debated in the HE or FE Sector Conferences are numbered sequentially
with the prefix 鈥楬E鈥� or 鈥楩E鈥�. Note that
motion numbers have changed since CBC鈥檚 first report (51福利/1074). Motions
and amendments which have not been ordered into the agenda by the Congress
Business Committee appear at the end of this report, sequentially numbered with
the prefix 鈥楤鈥�. The original text of motions and amendments which have been
composited are prefixed 鈥楥鈥� and can be found at
Where
motions or amendments appear in this report in the name of more than one
submitting body but are not described as 鈥榗omposite鈥�, this means that the
motion or amendment was received in identical form from the submitting bodies
listed.
3听听听听听听 Outcome
of priority voting consultation
听听听听听听听听 As described in the calling notice of
this meeting, CBC decided that delegates should be consulted on the priority
that should be given to motions submitted to the agenda. CBC used this as basis
to structure the agenda, but made a number of amendments, intended to ensure
that no equality or employment special interest groups were left without a
motion in the first half of the relevant section of business. Some movements
were also made in the interests of grouping related motions.
听听听听听听听听 All motions
have been included in a single agenda and the chair will endeavour to take as
many motions as possible. However, due to the reduced time available, not all
motions may be reached, and those higher up each section of business are more
certain to be moved and debated.
听听听听听听听听 The results of
the priority voting are set out in appendix 1.
4听听听听听听 Advance
speaking requests
听听听听听听听听 All delegates
who wish to speak on motions and amendments, including movers and seconders of
motions, must submit advance speaking requests. These can be submitted at
/Congress2021
听听听听听听听听 Speaking
requests can be submitted to all motions ordered into the agenda. Delegates are urged to make their speaking
requests at the earliest opportunity, as far as possible by Friday 21 May.
5听听听听听听 Amendments
ordered into the agenda
CBC
received amendments from branches, the National Executive Committee and other
committees entitled to submit amendments. Amendments are printed in this report
immediately after the motion that they seek to amend, and are denoted by the
letter 鈥楢鈥� after the number of the relevant motion.
6听听听听听听 Late
motions, including those not ordered into the agenda
The committee
considered four late motions submitted to Congress and five to HE sector
conference.
One late
motion to HE sector conference was considered not to meet the criteria for late
motions (urgent, timely, requiring a decision of conference, could not have
been submitted by the deadline.) This motion was not ordered into the agenda
and appears at the end of this report numbered B2.
One late
motion to Congress was considered to be the business of the HE sector
conference. As this stood in the name of regional committee (not a HE regional
committee), it could not be ordered onto the HE sector conference agenda. This
motion appears at the end of this report numbered B4.
One late
motion to HE sector conference was not approved in accordance with the Congress
standing orders. This motion appears at the end of this report numbered B5.
The
remaining late motions were ordered into their relevant agendas as Congress
motions 2 and 13 and HE sector conference motions HE3, HE13, HE16 and HE19.
Two
further enabling motions have been added to the HE sector conference agenda:
HE1 and HE10.
One
amendment was submitted to a late motion which had not previously been in CBC鈥檚
first report (having been submitted for consideration at CBC鈥檚 second meeting).
CBC determined that an amendment to this motion could not be accepted, not
being an amendment to something in the first report. This appears at the end of
the agenda numbered B8.
6听听听听听听 Motions marked
鈥楨P鈥�
Delegates
will note that, as has been done for recent years, some motions in this report
are marked 鈥�(EP)鈥�. This indicates that those motions are 51福利 鈥榚xisting policy鈥�.
The marking is purely advisory, but it is hoped that it will be helpful to
Congress.
7听听听听听听听 Timetable
for Congress and Sector Conferences
The
timetable for Congress and Sector Conference business appears overleaf.
8听听听听听听 Arrangements
for conduct of business
Due to the
conduct of this meeting on-line, it is not possible for business to be
conducted in keeping with all parts of the union鈥檚 usual Congress standing
orders. This meeting will be conducted on the same basis as the interim on-line
sector conferences held in December 2020 and the interim on-line Congress held
on 13 and 16 February 2021.
Those arrangements
for the conduct of business set out in this report as appendix 2, updated where
necessary to reflect the circumstances of this meeting. Congress will be asked
in advance to adopt these arrangements for the conduct of business, and to
adopt this agenda, the second report of the Congress business committee.
Arrangements
for further late motions are set out in section 10 below.
9听听听听听听听 Adoption of minutes, NEC report to
Congress, questions to the treasurer
A number of sets of minutes are presented for
adoption as part of these conferences. All minutes can be found here: /congress21docs
Any
questions or corrections to the minutes should be submitted in advance to
Catherine Wilkinson, cwilkinson@ucu.org.uk
, not later than 17:00 on Wednesday 26 May.
Any
questions on the NEC鈥檚 report to Congress, or questions to the honorary
treasurer, should be submitted in the same way, and by the same deadline.
10听听听听听 Further late motions
Any further late motions received by 10:00 on Friday 28 May will be considered by CBC at a
meeting held the same day. No late motions can be considered after this time.
For CBC to accept a 鈥榣ate鈥� motion for
ordering into the agenda it must satisfy all
the following criteria (in accordance with Congress standing orders):
i听听听听 it
is urgent or timely and requires a
decision of Congress or Sector Conference; and
ii听听听 it
could not have been submitted within the prescribed time limit; and
iii听听 it
has been approved in accordance with the standing orders of Congress and the
branch/local association rules 鈥� normally
by a quorate branch meeting.
In submitting a 鈥榣ate鈥� motion,
branches/local associations must
explain how the above criteria are met, including how the late motion has been
approved.
Any further urgent, late motions
should be sent to the Congress motions email address, congressmotions@ucu.org.uk,
for the attention of Catherine Wilkinson, Head of Constitution and Committees,
taking note of the information below about late motion deadlines, and providing all the required information
described above. Receipt of late motions will be acknowledged.
Late motions must be received by 10:00 on Friday 28 May.
There will be no provision to submit emergency motions during the course of these meetings of Congress and the sector conferences.
51福利 CONGRESS 29 and 31 May 2021, with SECTOR CONFERENCES
2 June 2021
Timetable of business
In addition to the lunch breaks
shown, breaks of 10 minutes in each hour will be called by the chair, in all
conferences.
Saturday 29 May, 10:00-16:00:
Congress
10:00 Welcome and opening business, including
Welcome
from Vicky Blake, 51福利 president
How business will be conducted
How voting will be conducted
Report of the Congress business committee
Adoption of minutes of Congress 25-27 May 2019
(51福利/1081)
Adoption of minutes of special interim on-line
Congress 13 and 16 February 2021 (51福利/1091)
Address by Dr Jo Grady, general secretary
10:40 Business of the education committee (motions 1-3)
11:10 Business of the equality committee (motions 4-18)
13:00 Lunch break
14:00 Business of the recruitment, organising and campaigning committee (motions 19-32)
16:00 Close of first day of Congress
Monday 31 May, Congress 10:00-16:00
10:00 Welcome and opening business, including
How business will be conducted
Address by Vicky
Blake, President
10:30 Business of the strategy and finance committee (motions 33-54), to include update from Steve Sangwine, honorary treasurer
Motions 33-36 (finance) and the honorary treasurer鈥檚 update to be taken in closed session
Business of the strategy and finance committee continues in open session (motions 37-54)
13:00 Lunch break
14:00 Rule changes (motions 55-67, to be taken in closed session)
15:55 Closing business
16:00 Close of second day of Congress
Wednesday 2 June: sector
conferences
Further education sector conference, 09:30-13:00
09:30 Opening business, including:
Welcome
from Janet Farrar, 51福利 president elect
How business will be conducted
How voting will be conducted
Report of the Congress business committee
Adoption of minutes of FE sector conference 26 May
2019 (51福利/1082)
Adoption of minutes of interim on-line FE sector
conference 15 December 2020 (51福利/1083)
Update from Andrew Harden, Head of further
education
09:40 听Section
1, Pay and workload, motions FE1-FE5
10:30听 Section
2, Future of FE/ACE/prison education, motions FE6-FE13
11:25听 Section
3, Covid, lockdown and work/life balance, motions FE14-FE19
12:05听 Section
4, Equality, motions FE20-FE27
12:55听 Closing
business
13:00听 Close
of FE sector conference
Higher education sector conference, 13:30-17:00
13:30听 Opening
business, including:
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Welcome
from Justine Mercer, 51福利 vice president
How business will be conducted
How voting will be conducted
Report of the Congress business committee
Adoption of
minutes of HE sector conference 26 May 2019 (51福利/1084)
Adoption of minutes of special HE sector conference
6 December 2019 (51福利/1085)
Adoption of minutes of special HE sector conference
30 September 2020 (51福利/1087)
Adoption of minutes of interim on-line HE sector
conference 15 December 2020 (51福利/1088)
Update from Paul Bridge, Head of higher education
14:10听 Debate
of motions (HE1-HE38)听听
Motions HE1-HE16
16:55听
Closing business
17:00听 Close of higher education sector conference 2021
CONGRESS MOTIONS FOR DEBATE
Business
of the education committee
1听听听听听听 Education campaigning and policy听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee
听听听听听听听听听 (EP)
Congress
notes 51福利's significant influence on public policy across all UK nations and
welcomes the work of the education committee during 2020-21, noting in
particular its continued role in:
1.
pushing
for fairer approaches to assessment and higher education admissions
2.
improving
protections for academic freedom
3.
responding
to the climate crisis
Congress
recognises that the Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit and the government鈥檚 proposals
around free speech have all created significant challenges for post-16
educators, and that we need to end marketisation and build a transformative,
publicly funded education system that is fully inclusive and accessible to all.
Congress
therefore calls on the Education Committee to further develop its work on
engaging members in:
a. responding to the challenges around
digital teaching and learning
b. tackling the threats which
marketisation and managerialism pose to academic freedom and professional
autonomy
c. campaigning for inclusive lifelong
learning which moves beyond the 鈥榮kills for jobs鈥� agenda.
2听听听听听听 Defend the arts听听 National executive committee
Congress notes:
The UK Government has announced a 50%
funding cut to all arts subjects at higher education level in England.
According to the Office for Students the subjects that will have their funding
reduced by 50% include: 鈥渕usic, dance, drama and performing arts; art and
design; media studies; and archaeology.鈥�
This will not only seriously impact on
the jobs of 51福利 members, it will cause irreparable damage to the arts and
culture industries for years to come, and will reverse decades of work done to
democratise arts education and inclusivity.
Congress resolves to:
1.
Support and build a national day of action
2.
approach other arts unions and organisations to
work with us to build a campaign to fight these cuts, raise the visibility of
arts institutions in dispute and examines ways to decolonise the arts and
'bargain for the common good
3听听听听听听 Attacks on the arts and
humanities听听听听听听听 University of Sussex
Congress notes:
1. Cuts
to the T-Grant for C1 price group subjects (performing arts, creative arts,
media studies and archaeology) publicised by DfE as cuts to the Arts and
Humanities.
2. A
pattern of redundancies clustered around arts and humanities subjects.
3. Ministers
criticising the arts and humanities for 鈥渞ewriting history鈥� and 鈥渄oing Britain
down鈥�.
4. A
government vision of the arts and humanities as impracticable and unprofitable,
elitist and outdated.
Congress
believes:
a.
C1
T-Grant cuts should not be celebrated.
b.
Arts
and Humanities subjects have been made unprofitable as a result of policy, not
because they are impracticable, elitist or outdated.
c.
Attacks
on the comprehensive university damage efforts to widen participation.
d.
Ministers
have not listened, or, more charitably, have not been made to listen.
Congress resolves
to:
i. Develop a campaign against attacks on the
arts and humanities.
ii. To align this with campaigns against
redundancies.
iii. To coordinate and ally with like-minded
organisations, and institutions.
3A.1
South East regional committee
Add: 鈥榓nd Colleges鈥� to believes point c
after University;
add:
鈥榓nd cuts in widening participation鈥� to resolves point ii after 'redundancies';
and
add: 鈥榠ncluding professional bodies, arts trade unions (Equity, MU, BECTU etc.)
and students鈥� to resolves point iii at the end after 'institutions'.
Business
of the equality committee
4听听听听听听 Campaigning for equality听听听听 National executive committee
听听听听听听听听 (EP)
Congress
notes with concern the government鈥檚 rhetorical shift away from pursuing
equality for those with protected characteristics, and reaffirms 51福利's
commitment to challenging all forms of discrimination and prejudice.
Congress
commends the progress made by the equality committee during 2020-颅21 in
furthering workplace equality, including work on:
1.
addressing
the unequal impact of Covid-19 on Black, Disabled, LGBT+, Migrant and Women
members,
2.
building
anti-racist environments and community accountability
3.
challenging
sexual harassment
4.
promoting
LGBT+ liberation
5.
protecting
disability rights and challenging ableism
6.
supporting
migrants and tackling the hostile environment
7.
improving
employment rights for those with caring responsibilities.
Congress
welcomes the increased focus on intersectionality within 51福利's equality work in
addressing the complex challenges facing members.
Congress
supports the committee鈥檚 continued focus on these areas and engagement with
equality standing committees, branches and members, as well as national policy
discussions, to take forward the fight for more equal and inclusive workplaces.
4A.1听 LGBT+
members standing committee
Add to
congress notes new paragraph:
The recent
rise in transphobia led to an attack on ILGA that linked homosexuality to
pedophilia. Demonstrating that transphobia is a wedge issue that will lead to
attacks on other protected characteristics.
Add to
end:
Congress resolves:
a. to strengthen working with
affiliated international labour organisations to continue to resist push back
on equality laws, as well as push for stronger workplace protections.
b. To build cross party support on
equality campaigning.
5听听听听听听 Long Covid听听听听听听听听听 University
of Glasgow
Congress notes:
1. Estimates indicate 10-20% of those infected with SARS-CoV-2 develop complex Long Covid conditions.
2. Many of those are unable to return to work, or experience significant limitations on what they are able to do when returning.
Congress believes:
a. Restrictive sick leave regulations and rule-bound occupational health determinations often make things worse.
b. Many return to work too early for economic reasons.
c. Long Covid is likely to disproportionately impact some groups, and hence further exacerbate inequalities in pay, employment contracts, and promotion
Congress resolves to:
i. Strengthen existing 51福利 guidance for branches on how they can proactively support those with Long Covid (including adequate leave and/or workload adjustments, without detriment to careers)
ii. Demand from employers that risks of Long Covid are acknowledged and accommodated in return-to-campus policy and procedures
iii. Foster solidarity between 51福利 and other trade unions campaigning around Long Covid鈥檚 impact on workers.
5A.1听听听 Women members standing committee
Add a bullet
point under 鈥楥ongress notes鈥�: 鈥楾he TUC has noted that Long Covid
disproportionately affects women, in particular black, disabled and migrant
women鈥�
Add a bullet
point under 鈥楥ongress resolves to鈥�: 鈥榥egotiate with employers that for the
duration of the outbreak certificates will not be needed for periods of absence
up to 14 days, that self certification will suffice. Employers with
occupational sick pay schemes should agree that sickness absence or isolation
will be disregarded in respect of pay reduction triggers. This has been agreed
with several employers鈥�.
6听听听听听听 LGBT+
workers post Covid听听听 LGBT+ members
standing committee
Congress notes
that:
1.
Covid-19
disproportionally impacts on Black staff, and disabled staff;
2.
LGBT+
people are impacted by coivd-19 and many are also Black and / or disabled
3.
numerous
institutions are seeking to restructure following the financial impact of
Covid-19 this will impact on LGBT+ workers
Congress believes
LGBT+ members are sometimes disproportionately targeted for inclusion in
ring-fenced 'at-risk' pools and subsequently selected for compulsory
redundancy, or pressured into taking severance.
Congress resolves
that:
a.
51福利
will require all institutions to fully equality-impact-assess the likely
consequences of any financial restructure on their LGBT+ workforce;
b.
51福利
will lobby all institutions undertaking restructuring to compel each to produce
a full EIA report outlining the likely impact of the restructure on the
diversity of the workforce
c.
This
reporting will include staff across all staff, with comparison across staff
with and without protected characteristics, including the impact on LGBT+ staff.
7听听听听听听 51福利 Black Lives Matter Day听听听听听听听听听听 Black members standing committee
Congress notes
2021 saw the brutal slaying of Georg Floyd followed by an outpouring of
support. The heightened awareness has highlighted the work needed to be
done to improve the life, and education outcomes for black people in work,
prisons, schools, colleges and universities across the nations.
Congress believes
51福利 must lead the way and play a significant role in bringing about
meaningful change for all its members by working to redress the imbalance of
black members on the NEC and in other decision-making roles
Congress resolves
to
1.
Launch
a 鈥�51福利 BLACK LIVES MATTER DAY鈥� every May in recognition of George Floyd and the
BLM cause
2.
Deliver
workshops, training and resources to support branches to challenge racial
injustice across all institutions
3.
Actively
support proposals driven by black members in a timely manner
8听听听听听听 Decolonising the Curriculum听听听听听听听听听 National
executive committee
Congress notes:
1.
听 Continued institutional racism in
universities and colleges and throughout society
2.
听 Education鈥檚 vital role in changing
attitudes and contributing to real change. Congress recognises need to
decolonise the curriculum and considers that BlackLivesMatter and some
recognition of the need for reparations for institution benefits from the slave
trade (e.g. Glasgow University) make this timely.
Calls on NEC to:
a.
Produce
branch and member resources on decolonising the curriculum.
b.
Encourage
branches to negotiate curriculum decolonisation policies, procedures and
implementation with management.
c.
Organise
a discussion meeting.
d.
Pressure
universities and colleges to ringfence funding for interdisciplinary and
innovative reparation projects in collaboration with peoples and communities
whose lands, cultures, and bodies are still subject to racialised, neo-colonial
extraction and appropriation.
e.
Pressure
institutions to actively defund and redirect investments away from
institutions, businesses and estates still sustained and resourced by
extractive colonial practices e.g. arms trade.
9听听听听听听 Time to combat ableism 听听听听听听 Disabled
members standing committee
Congress notes:听 51福利 social model of disability policy is not fully implemented and that some disabled members at branch, region, and national level have faced barriers to participation and ableist hostility.
Congress believes that it is not acceptable for this situation to continue.听 Accessibility must be built into union communications, meetings and events
Congress instructs
the NEC to implement:
1.
Clear demands in regard to disability equality
built into pay negotiations
2.
To bring a rule change to Congress 2022 to
ensure disabled members access needs are met
3.
Within three months:
4.
Within
six months:
10听听听听 Gender pay must be at the
heart of industrial strategy听听听 Women
members standing committee
听听听听听听听听 (EP)
Congress
congratulates 51福利 for putting the gender pay gap at the heart of major
industrial pay campaigns across all parts of post-16 education. The gender pay
gap is pervasive, ongoing and increasing, and yet we note how rarely trade
unions set it at the heart of UK industrial action.
The gender pay
gap is exacerbated by a gendered pensions gap: TUC research shows that
women have barely half the pensions savings of men in both defined
contributions and defined benefits systems. The multiple discriminations
faced by Black, disabled and precariously employed women increase
that detriment for them.
Congress
agrees:
1.
To continue
campaigning on all aspects of gender pay and pension detriment in post 16
education
2.
To
include gender issues as discrete and specific aspects of
campaigns on pay and pensions
3.
To
include gender-specific negotiating points in future industrial
action on pay and pensions.
10A.1 Migrant members standing committee
Add 'migrant' to the list in the final sentence of paragraph 2.
11听听听听 End gender based
violence Women members standing
committee
The appalling
murder of Sarah Everard has demonstrated anew the extent of gender-based harassment
and violence. The pandemic has highlighted issues of domestic violence, with
estimates that one in three women will suffer domestic violence in their
lifetime. While reports of rape have nearly doubled since 2015, gender-based
violence is under-reported, including in post-16 education.
Violence against
women is rooted in the oppressive system we live in, where women鈥檚 bodies are
used to sell products, dehumanised and presented as objects of
gratification including in pornography. Black, migrant, disabled women and
the LGBTQ++ community are disproportionately affected.
Congress calls
upon NEC to:
1.
Campaign
and educate to end gender-based violence
2.
Work
with sister trade unions on this matter
3.
Protest
at every opportunity to raise this issue
4.
Support
Reclaim the Night demonstrations.
11A.1听听听听听听听听 University of Sheffield
delete 鈥榠ncluding in
pornography鈥�
11A.2 Women members standing committee
Add
to bullet point 3: 鈥榓nd oppose government plans to restrict the right to
protest鈥�.
11A.3
Migrant members standing committee
In resolves 4, insert 'Sisters
Uncut and' before 'Reclaim the Night'.
12听听听听 Adopting a better definition of anti-Semitism University of Exeter
Congress notes:
1.听听 pressure from UK Government for universities in England to adopt the controversial IHRA definition;
2.听听 passed motions from the 2017 and 2018 51福利 Congresses opposing adoption.
Congress believes that the definition:
a. dangerously conflates racist views with legitimate political criticism;
b. threatens academic criticism of Israel, and Palestinian solidarity events;
c. undermines freedom of speech and intellectual thought central to Universities;
d. compromises the fight against anti-Semitism and racism.
Congress resolves:
i. to develop a better definition of anti-Semitism through consultation with Jewish members and more widely and such that descriptions of the discriminatory nature and acts of Israel should not be treated eo ipso as anti-Semitic, without independent evidence of anti-Jewish intention;
ii. to call for a reject of the IHRA definition by universities that have not already adopted it, and for an amendment or codicil appended to it by universities that have already adopted it.
12A.1听听听听听听听听 National executive committee
Add
to believes:
IHRA
definition impedes campaigning against antisemitism.
Delete
resolves i. and replace with:
Encourage
institutions that want a definition to adopt Jerusalem Declaration on
Antisemitism
Add
to resolves:
Put
pressure on institutions to campaign more actively against antisemitism
Fully
support members attacked or victimised for supporting Palestinian rights or
through ab-use of IHRA definition.
13听听听听 IHRA Definition of
Antisemitism听 听 London regional committee
Congress notes:
1.听听 Williamson鈥檚 letter threatening universities
unless they (a) adopt the 鈥淚HRA working definition of antisemitism鈥�, and (b)
implement it in staff and student codes of conduct.
2.听听 51福利's policy opposition to the definition.
3.听听 only a quarter of HEIs have adopted; of these
many have 鈥榓dopted鈥� but refused to implement.
4.听听 the Report of the UCL Working Group on Racism
and Prejudice.
5.听听 the risk that FE will be next.
Congress resolves
to:
a. condemn Williamson's
intervention as an attack on institutional autonomy, on academic freedom and
freedom of expression.
b. call on the General Secretary
to speak out.
c. call on branches to organise
against the adoption, and to develop a briefing document for branches, drawing
on the UCL Report and BRICUP briefings.
d. organise a grassroots
campaign on academic freedom and free speech on Israel, with a dedicated web
page and resources on the 51福利 website.
13A.1
University of Leeds
In
notes 3, replace 鈥榦nly a quarter of鈥� with 鈥榦nly some UK鈥�听
Add
two notes:
6. The alternative definition developed by Jewish and
Israeli scholars of antisemitism in the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism
(JDA).
7. Evidence of a chilling effect of the IHRA definition on
teaching/supervision, and unfounded IHRA-based accusations and disciplinary
action against staff.
Add
new resolves:
e. resist the creation of a hierarchy of racisms by avoiding
definitions of specific forms and, where necessary, instead to press for
adoption of the JDA as an alternative or a supplement to the IHRA.
13A.2听听听听听听听听 University College London
Add to Congress resolves section:
鈥渆. to dedicate
resources to, and support, individual members (and their branches) where the
IHRA definition is being used to attack their legitimate free speech on Israel
or Palestine鈥�
13A.3 National executive committee
Add:
Believes
IHRA definition impedes campaigning against antisemitism.
Add
at end of resolves (and number appropriately):.
Encourage
institutions that want a definition to adopt Jerusalem Declaration on
Antisemitism
Put
pressure on institutions to campaign more actively against antisemitism
Fully
support members attacked or victimised for supporting Palestinian rights or
through ab-use of IHRA definition.
13A.4 London retired members
1) Add at end of Congress notes:
6. The refusal by
Tower Hamlets Council to allow the Big Ride for Palestine to book the use of a
park in 2019.
2) Add at end of Congress resolves to:
e) Support and call for members to
participate in the Big Ride for Palestine 2021
14听听听听 Support for the Jerusalem Declaration on
anti-Semitism听 University of Northampton
Congress notes:
1. In March the Jerusalem Declaration on Anti-Semitism (JD), signed by more than 200 Jewish scholars from Israel, the UK and the US, was issued.
2. This definition of Anti-Semitism represents an alternative to the IHRA definition.
3. The IHRA definition has been rejected by 51福利 Congress votes in 2017 and 2018.
Believes:
a. Anti-Semitism, as other forms of racism, must be repudiated and campaigned against.
b. Individuals have the right to criticise the Israeli government鈥檚 treatment of the Palestinian population.
c. The 鈥渨eaponization鈥� of Anti-Semitism against critics of the Israeli government鈥檚 behaviour is unacceptable.
Resolves:
i. To adopt the JD.
ii. To urge universities and further education colleges to do likewise as an alternative to the IHRA definition.
iii. To defend any 51福利 members facing disciplinary action because of alleged Anti-Semitism for exercising their academic freedom and right to free speech in upholding the human rights of Palestinians.
15听听听听 Promoting Trans Equality听听听听 51福利 Scotland
听听听听听听听听听 (EP)
51福利 Congress
notes:
1.
The 51福利
Statement reaffirming 51福利's commitment to trans inclusion.
2.
Our
responsibility to promote equality and ensure the provisions of the Equality
Act are implemented and adhered to by our members and in the sectors where we
organise.
3.
51福利鈥檚
commitment and support for trans workers鈥� rights and, as champions of equality,
we welcome the increased visibility and empowerment of trans and non-binary
people in our society.
4.
The
right of all women (including trans women) to safe spaces and the continuation
of monitoring that can help identify discrimination against women, men and
non-binary people.
The trade union
movement鈥檚 strength is to bring workers together in our values of equality and
solidarity.听
51福利 congress
opposes any violence, bullying or disrespect towards any group that faces
discrimination, and calls on 51福利 UK to provide practical support and policy
guidance for reps and trans members in challenging discrimination and
harassment.
15A.1 LGBT+ members standing committee
Final sentence,
after 鈥榞uidance鈥�, add 鈥�e.g.
guidance on creating a gender identity policy鈥�
听听听听听听听听 Add the following words at the end of
the motion:
Congress calls on 51福利 to engage in
enabling and equipping reps and members to engage with progressing gender
identity equality by providing training on how to progress trans liberation and
build solidarity.
16 听听听 Campaign for GRA reforms and
against asylum seeker persecution 听 National
executive committee
听听听听听听听听听 (EP)
Congress notes:
That the rise of the alt right and political
scapegoating has led to a very significant rise in LGBT+ hate crime and a
consequent rise in LGBT+ asylum seekers. Congress further notes the failure of
the Government to implement the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) reforms.
Congress resolves:
1. To raise
the profile of the 51福利 campaign for reform of the GRA.
2. To
campaign for an end to the persecution of asylum seekers.
17听听听听 BLM on campus听 New City
College Poplar, National Executive Committee
听听听听听听听听听 (EP)
The Tories are using the guise of free speech to roll back the gains of the Black Lives Matter movement. Free speech and academic freedom are important and should be defended - but Gavin Williamson鈥檚 plans are an attempt to prevent anti-racists from challenging institutional racism and the legacy of empire.
Specifically they aim to reject attempts to examine institutional links with colonialism, slavery and eugenics. Students and staff have the right to challenge racism in our educational institutions.
Congress resolves:
We should continue to work with antiracist groups, students and campus unions to continue and develop the decolonising movement that has grown over recent years.
18听听听听 Swiss referendum听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National
executive committee
In March
Switzerland voted in favour of banning face coverings in public, including the
burka or niqab worn by Muslim women. The proposal was put forward by the
right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) which campaigned with slogans such as
"Stop extremism".
"Today's
decision opens old wounds, further expands the principle of legal inequality,
and sends a clear signal of exclusion to the Muslim minority," the Central
Council of Muslims said in a statement.
This vote occurred
against the backdrop of similar moves by the Far Right in France and elsewhere.
These bans are not
about promoting women鈥檚 rights but are Islamophobic.
We offer our solidarity to the Muslim community in Switzerland and will oppose any such moves in the UK.
Business
of the recruitment, organising and campaigning committee
19听听听听 Campaigns and organising听听 National executive committee
Congress
notes the progress made by ROCC in implementing the policies set by Congress,
notably
1.
Support
for branches, including with ballots and disputes
2.
Strengthening
recruitment and membership in all our sectors
3.
Developing
training and education
It
further notes the impact of the pandemic on this work.
It
supports continued focus on these areas working
a.
to
engage and involve our diverse groups of members, refreshing our approach to
training and communication
b.
to
support branch recruitment, campaigning and organization
c.
to
strengthen our inclusive, intersectional, and enabling approach to these activities
d.
to
use our response to Covid19 to build long term improvements into our work
e.
to
progress ROCC related Congress resolutions
20听听听听 Working
from home culture and cost听听听听听 Academic
related, professional staff committee
Congress notes many staff are now working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. We recognise the costs attached to providing safe, well lit, heated workspaces and the increase in utilities bills for many.
Congress further notes:
1. Proposals to introduce hybrid working from home models indefinitely in many institutions
2. Without local agreements in place staff working from home are at risk of new modes of 鈥榙istanced micromanagement鈥�, including:
- unrealistic management expectations and dangerous workloads
- further erosion or eradication of work / home life balance
- detriment from inadequate equipment provision
Congress resolves that 51福利 should:
a. Develop and publicise local bargaining guidance on WFH culture
b. Support all branches to negotiate, using this guidance, as a priority
c. To provide guidance and support to all branches to negotiate WFH utilities payments
d. Further develop bargaining and campaigning guidance to ensure all staff, including ARPS, are protected from detriment when critiquing their employer.
20A.1
University of Brighton Grand Parade, and University of Brighton, Mouslecoomb, University of Brighton, Falmer
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Under 鈥楥ongress further notes鈥� a new point 3:
'For some staff homeworking may be inappropriate because of the nature of their work or their housing, personal circumstances or preference.'
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Under 鈥楥ongress resolves鈥� to insert a new point c and renumber subsequently
'Ensure that WFH agreements also preserve the right to work on employer premises with appropriate office accommodation'
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Add to existing point c (new point d)
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 'and provision of necessary equipment and furniture.鈥�
21听听听听 Anti-Casualisation听听听听听听 University of Liverpool
Congress notes
the:
1. Growing epidemic of casualisation in universities and colleges
2. Disposal of thousands of precarious members鈥� jobs last summer
3. Likelihood that members on insecure contracts will face more cuts this summer
4. Attack on 鈥減ermanent鈥� posts by many institutions during the pandemic
Congress believes
casualisation and outsourcing:
a.
Affects
the majority of researchers and a growing portion of teaching, academic support
and professional services staff
b.
Extends
beyond cover for temporary vacancies
c.
Hinders
the ability of workers to organise effectively in the union
Congress resolves
to:
i. Launch a UK-wide campaign against yearly
redundancies for indefinite contracts to be the general form of employment in
the sectors
ii. Avoid risk sharing strategies that diminish
the ability of workers to organise
iii. Organise twice yearly training event by and
for activists
iv. Integrate this campaign into pay disputes
21A.1Anti-casualisation committee
Delete:
i.听听听听听听听 Launch a UK-wide campaign against yearly
redundancies for indefinite contracts to be the general form of employment in
the sectors
听听听听听听听听 Replace with:
i.听听听听听听听 Re-launch our campaign against yearly
redundancies and raise the profile of our demand for 24 month minimum contracts
across the post-16 education sector, as a step towards making permanent
employment the norm for everyone
22听听听听 Keep
workplaces Covid safe and accessible听听听 Disabled
members standing committee
Congress
notes:听
1. There are many people with worries about side effects who are hesitant and others, including disabled people, who cannot be vaccinated.
2. Covid vaccines are important and welcome, but do not guarantee everyone鈥檚 safety
3. The Covid crisis has shown that remote work is effective and should be offered as a reasonable adjustment for all disabled workers and carers who need it.
Congress believes
it remains necessary to ensure that every workplace has full H&S
policies and anti Covid transfer measures in place, not least because long
Covid often accompanies infection, including the right to work remotely for all
of those who need to by reason of their own impairment or that of family
members.
Congress resolves to oppose any attempts to dismiss people who cannot take a听听 vaccine and to fight for the right for those who cannot take it, for any reason, to work remotely.
23听听听听 Composite: Climate change, COP26, zero carbon economy and job creation University of Hull, London retired members,
National executive committee, Croydon College, University of Manchester
Congress notes
the importance of the passing of resolutions 39 and 40 and the urgent need to
build on this 听
The COP26 talks
in Glasgow in November 2021 come at a crucial time. According to a recent
report by the Environment Agency, climate change is hitting the 'worst case
scenario'. This means hotter temperatures, more extreme weather conditions,
drought, famine, ecosystem destruction, biodiversity loss and much more. And as
always it will be communities in the Global South who feel the worst impacts.
While we welcome
any action to deal with the climate crisis, we need to beware false solutions
that focus on the market or billionaires to rescue us. That is why the
mobilisations for the COP26 - in Glasgow and in local towns and cities - are
crucial. And it is important that trade unions are at the heart of these
mobilisations, calling for climate justice, a just transformation for workers
and one million climate jobs.
We support these
mobilisations and the work done by the COP26 coalition.
Congress
believes:
1.
The
IPCC 2018 Special Report has warned of the dire consequences of exceeding 1.5潞C
global average warming.
2.
To
avoid this global carbon emissions must be halved by 2030.
3.
We need
to mobilise for a just transition which protects and improves workers鈥�
livelihoods, creates a more inclusive society and stops greenhouse gas
emissions.
4.
We face
a global and UK crisis of unemployment; tackling the Covid-19 pandemic
represents an ideal opportunity to invest in climate jobs.
5.
The UK
government continues to back false solutions like carbon markets and block the
transformational changes which are necessary.
Congress recognises
that the move to a zero-carbon economy has huge implications for the jobs of
51福利 members. Job creation and the measures needed to meet climate targets mean
this should be a central focus for 51福利 strategy.
Congress
calls on NEC to:
a.
Support
the COP26 coalition and encourage branches to join it.听
b.
Join
and support the national mobilisations and protests that take place leading up
to and during the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November 2021 by
supporting branches taking climate solidarity action with students, unions, and
campaign organisations
c.
Review
51福利 activity and infrastructure and draw up a plan for the elimination of
greenhouse gas emissions with a report on progress to the 2022 Congress
d.
Review
all 51福利 training programmes and branch guidance to ensure that the appointment
of Green Reps and Green New Deal (GND) bargaining is referenced.
e.
Provide
guidance to branches on engagement with local and regional authorities around
green jobs and skills
f.
Establish
a Climate Action Network with a formal role in 51福利 structure
g.
Support
the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill Alliance.
24听听听听 Composite: A union for all
- press coverage and representation of all members Yorkshire and Humberside regional committee, Academic related,
professional staff committee
Congress
recognises the wide, diverse membership of 51福利 and that all members from all
sectors and staff groups deserve equal representation and visibility. Congress
notes 51福利鈥檚 respect for the work and recognition agreements of unions active in
our sector.
Congress further notes that:
1.
during
the pandemic, 51福利 has achieved more press coverage for pre-92 HE than other
sectors (post-92/FE/Adult/Prison Education) over issues that affect all of
education. This media coverage
focus on lecturers erases other membership groups in HE (including ARPS), FE,
Prison Ed and ACE.
2.
reps
in some sectors have, at times, felt that they do not have the backing of the
union at national level.
This is symptomatic of a view of 51福利 as a
union for pre-92 universities only.听
Other sectors are a minority in 51福利 but we must be a united union.听听听
Issues caused by government policy require
a national position and action.
听听听听听听听听 We
call on 51福利 to:
a.
counter
the media narrative, ensuring all press releases are fully inclusive and
include all sectors
b.
make
regular public statements on government policy for all sectors
c.
check
all national all-member communications are written in a way which includes all
sectors.
d.
change
standard practice on communications and on the website to reflect the diversity
of the membership ensuring that academics are not always at the forefront of
literature or webpages
e.
focus
on all sectors in national policy and action
f.
develop
and implement national strategies to enhance the profile of all 51福利 sectors and staff, and the union鈥檚 work in all sectors, including a 鈥榥ot just a lecturers鈥� union鈥� campaign
g.
campaign
for the principle of, and funding for, lifelong learning in this post-pandemic
world.
25听听听听 Building
a trade union movement against Hostile Environment 听听听听听听听听 Migrant members standing committee
Congress notes:
1. The Hostile Environment policy worsened conditions for migrants after the passage of the Immigration Act 2014
2. That this policy has permeated society to the detriment of people鈥檚 lives
3. Migrants, racialised minorities and the working class suffer the brunt of this policy
4. That the Conservative Party have announced plans to escalate the Hostile Environment
Congress believes:
a. That trade unions have a history of fighting for justice
b. That 51福利 has led in the fight against the Hostile Environment among UK trade unions
Congress resolves:
i. To work with other trade unions in order to build a movement in the UK against the Hostile Environment.
ii. To campaign for inter-union solidarity in order to strengthen our position in fighting unjust and racist immigration policies.
iii. To seek to establish a joint-TU conference which addresses the concerns around the Hostile Environment and the ways in which a joint, unified front can combat this.
26听听听听 Understanding casualisation
by learning technology 听听听听听听 Anti-casualisation
committee
Congress
notes:
1.
Rapid
growth of learning technology in post-16 education.
2.
Proliferation
of casualised gig economy jobs, highly surveilled employment
relationships often mediated by apps
3.
Incursion
of international learning technology organisations bringing exploitative
employment models from Big Tech.
4.
Increased
reuse of recorded or pre-written materials rather than interactive teaching and
learning鈥�
Congress
resolves:
a.
51福利
will commission research into learning technology and 鈥榯ech platforms鈥� across
all sectors we represent to investigate:
路
Key
threats of increased casualisation
路
Surveillance
elements affecting employees鈥� autonomy, wellbeing and privacy
rights
路
Contextual
particularities of HE, FE, ACE, Prison Education
路
Successful
campaigns by trade unions experienced in performing rights
(e.g. BECTU/Prospect, the NUJ) to defend members鈥� rights.
b.
The
brief for this commissioned research will be formulated in close partnership
with the Anti-Casualisation Committee鈥�
c.
Findings
of this research will inform a national campaign for fighting casualisation and
deterioration of working conditions arising from new learning technology
27听听听听 Reverse
the rise in the state pension age 听听听听听听 West
Midlands retired members
Congress notes that:
1. State Pension Age (SPA) reached 66 last autumn, it will now stand still for a few years but is due to rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028 and, according to present legislation, to 68 between 2044 and 2046; and,
2. The Pension Act 2014 requires a five-yearly review of SPA, the first such review in 2017 recommended bringing forward the rise to 68 to 2037-39 and the government accepted this recommendation but, lacking a parliamentary majority, promised a further review before legislating.
Congress instructs the National Executive Committee to:
a. Campaign urgently to stop any more SPA rises;
b. Work with other trades unions towards coordinated submissions to the SPA review due to report in 2022 linked to a campaign to reduce SPA and to provide flexible early access to the State Pension in appropriate circumstances.
28听听听听 Solidarity with NHS and
other public sector workers听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Kirklees
College
听听听听听听听听 (EP)
Congress notes:
1.
The
erosion of pay in the public sector, including all sectors of education, since
2010.
2.
Further
austerity measures likely to pay for the Coronavirus crisis will hit public
sector workers in the form of pay freezes and below-inflation pay rises.
After the
insulting 1% offer made to NHS staff, all workers must say no to the very key workers
who risked their lives during the pandemic being asked to pay the price of the
government's botched response.听 Together
we are stronger and infinitely more disruptive!
Congress calls on
51福利 to:
a.
Make a
public statement of solidarity with NHS workers.
b.
Work
with other public service unions to coordinate meaningful action on pay.
29听听听听 The recalcitrant approach of
employers on improvements to pay听听听听听听 Southern
regional committee
Congress notes:
1.
the
recalcitrant approach of employers on improvements to pay;听
2.
attacks
by employers on terms and conditions worsening the effects on casualised
members;
3.
attacks
on pensions and the consequent detrimental effects in the longer terms on
equalities;
4.
the
context of a national pandemic; and,
5.
the
need for a national strategy to protect jobs, terms, conditions and pensions.
Congress calls on
51福利:
a.
to
press for employers to agree a national moratorium on compulsory redundancies
for 1 year; and,
b.
demands
for a 2-year minimum contract for casualised staff.
30听听听听
Environmental sustainability as an anti-casualisation issue 听听听 Anti-casualisation committee
Congress believes:鈥�
1.
Climate change, biodiversity- loss,
and鈥痷nsustainable鈥痙evelopment鈥痑re鈥痵erious threats鈥痶o human wellbeing.鈥�
2.
Action on sustainability should鈥痓e part of, rather
than in tension with, supporting casualised members.鈥�
3.
The contractual status
of casualised workers often excludes them
from鈥痵ustainability鈥痬easures requiring staff status or minimum employment
length.鈥�
4.
High profile campaigns on labour-
environmental issues can increase the diversity of 51福利鈥檚 membership
and activism鈥�
Congress resolves:鈥�
a.
51福利 will campaign for a 鈥楪reen New Deal鈥�
which鈥痯rioritises measures that reduce casualisation, including
special employment-interest specific 鈥榓sks鈥� designed to motivate recruitment
and organizing in highly casualized and low membership- density areas.
b.
Guidance to branches on sustainability should
incorporate anti-casualisation, including:鈥�
路 Measures
supporting 鈥榮ustainable behaviour鈥� must be accessible
to casualised employees.鈥�
路 Employers
must reduce environmental impacts and absorb associated costs, rather than
transfer these to employees, particularly casualised employees.鈥�
31听听听听 Justice for Osime Brown听听听听听听 West
Midlands regional committee
Congress notes:
1. That Osime Brown is a young boy with autism and learning disabilities facing deportation to Jamaica, a place he left aged 4 where he has no support network
2. That Osime has served a prison sentence under the disputed joint enterprise policy following the theft of a mobile phone
3. That Osime faces deportation due to the hostile environment, a policy which we as a union oppose.
Congress believes:
a. That the penal deportation of Osime would put him in grave danger & is an abuse of human rights
b. That Osime belongs at home in Dudley with his mother.
Congress resolves:
i. To call on branches to support the campaign against his deportation through inviting speakers, donating to his campaign, writing to the Home Secretary, and supporting social media campaigning
ii. To hold an annual 51福利 鈥渆nd the hostile environment鈥� campaign week while this policy remains.
32听听听听 Housing
safety for staff and students听听听 The
Trafford College Group
Grenfell demonstrated that privatisation has decimated safety in the communities our staff and students live in and is having a devastating effect on the lives and educational opportunities. Grenfell has opened up a Pandora鈥檚 Box of historical building defects, ranging from cladding to cavity barrier installation, in flats of 11m and above.
The government has made available 拢5b to cover cladding issues alone but this is a drop in the ocean of the money required to fix historical defects in flats, not built to regulation at the time of construction but sold as safe.
Congress resolves:
1. To support the MacPartland-Smith amendment (or similar) that prevents freeholders from passing on fire safety remedial costs and honour the commitment to act on the recommendations from phase one of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
2. To encourage members to lobby MPs to support this
3. To support campaigns for housing security for all.
Business
of the strategy and finance committee
33听听听听 Appointment of auditors听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee
Congress approves the appointment of
Knox Cropper as the union鈥檚 auditors for the year ending 31 August 2021.
34听听听听 Financial statements 听听 National executive committee
Congress receives the union鈥檚
audited financial statements for the 12-month period ending 31 August 2020 as
set out in 51福利/1071.
35听听听听 Budget 2021-2022听听听听听听 National executive committee
Congress endorses the budget for
September 2021 鈥� August 2022 as set out in 51福利/1072.
36听听听听 Subscription rates 听听听听听听 National executive committee
Congress accepts the Treasurer's
report on progress with the review of subscription rates and bands and endorses
the changes to subscription rates from 1 September 2021 set out in 51福利/1073.
36A.1City
University of London
Add:
鈥ut believes that in section 1.1, 51福利/1073
should read:
鈥楳otion 6 from
Congress 2018 asked the Treasurer and NEC to look at subscriptions with a view
to achieving a proportional or progressive system.鈥�
not
鈥楳otion 5 from Congress 2018 asked the Treasurer
[鈥 with a view to moving towards a more proportional system.鈥�
And in section 4.1, Principle i) should read
鈥榬ates should be proportional or progressive to income鈥�, not 鈥榤ovement towards
a more proportional system鈥�.
37听听听听 Provision of immigration
advice Migrant members standing committee
Congress notes:
1.
that
the UK immigration rules have ballooned in size and complexity, now running to
over 1000 pages
2.
that
employers in higher & further education do not routinely make immigration
advice available to current or prospective staff
3.
that
immigration advice is a regulated activity
4.
that
lack of advice can have significant repercussions for individuals who are left
to navigate a complex system alone.
Congress
believes:
a.
that
employers should proactively provide legal advice on immigration matters to
prospective and current staff and postgraduate research students free of charge
b.
that
employers should have a nominated immigration adviser who has OISC Level 3
Certification.
Congress
resolves:
i.
that
51福利 should campaign for all employers to provide current and prospective staff
and postgraduate research students with OISC Level 3 immigration advice free of
charge
ii.
that
51福利 should make OISC Level 3 immigration advice available to members.
37A.1Yorkshire & Humberside regional committee
Add to Congress resolves:
iii) that 51福利 should campaign for all employers to reimburse the full
costs to migrant staff for: visa fees, naturalisation fees and NHS surcharge
fees.
38听听听听 Defend
the right to protest听听听听听听听听听听听 Capital
City College CANDI Lifelong Learning
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is an attempt to crack down on the right to protest in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
After decades of austerity, we are now set to be asked to pay the price for the Covid-19 crisis. Working class communities, women and BAME communities have suffered disproportionately.
And it鈥檚 BLM, #ReclaimTheseStreets protests, in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard, and union protests - such as those by NHS workers over pay 鈥� that have been targeted.
We believe that the best defence of protest is to keep protesting.
We oppose any attempt by government to use the COVID-19 crisis to limit the right to protest.
39听听听听 Strike pay听 University of Brighton, Grand Parade, and
University of Brighton, Mouslecoomb
Congress notes that
entitlement to payments from the fighting fund is currently decided by National
Officers using unpublished criteria to evaluate the significance of each
dispute.
Congress believes
that:
1.
The
fighting fund is crucial to the union's strength in supporting members when
they take strike action.
2.
In
principle all official strike action by 51福利 members should be eligible for
strike pay.
3.
The
only limiting factor should be management of the fund in response to demand.
4.
The
first response to over-demand should be to find ways to boost the fund, e.g. by
increasing the proportion of the budget allocated to it or transfers from other
account heads.
Congress
instructs NEC to:
i. Devise clear policy on the strike fund which
embodies the above principles and sets out mechanisms to achieve them.
ii. Bring such rule changes to Congress as are
necessary to achieve this.
40听听听听 Collectivise the Resistance:
solidarity action works听听听听听听听听听 London
regional committee
(EP)
Congress notes
the Covid-19 crisis confronts the trade union movement with huge challenges.
Congress
believes:
1.
The
government handling of the pandemic led to one of the worse death tolls in
Europe.
2.
The
NEU鈥檚 collective use of section 44 and mass participatory meetings for reps and
all members is a model we should follow. They prevented an unsafe return to
schools.
3.
51福利
branches like Heriot-Watt and Brighton have won real victories to defend jobs.
Collective action works.
4.
Record
branch meetings and groups like 51福利 Solidarity Movement, Pandemic PGRS,
CoronaContract, showed the appetite to organise and resist.
Congress resolves
to develop strategy to co-ordinate 51福利 response across all nations to address:
a.
any
unsafe return to face2face
b.
job
losses
c.
workloads
d.
pensions
attacks
e.
fight
casualisation
f.
low pay
and the gender and race pay gap
g.
transforming
and reconstructing post-16 education.
41听听听听 Solidarity with the civil disobedience movement in Myanmar听听 University of Nottingham
Congress notes:
1.听听 That the military in Myanmar have seized power and are conducting mass arrests of activists across the country.
2.听听 That part of the Civil Disobedience Movement is organised from university campuses, involving student-led protests and strikes by academics.
3.听听 That the military is brutally suppressing this resistance, arresting at gunpoint a union leader at Yangon University, Professor Arkar Moe Thu, on 2 March 2021.
Congress resolves:
a. To extend our solidarity to the Civil Disobedience Movement, and to demand the release of Professor Arkar Moe Thu and others held by the regime.
b. To negotiate for students applying from Myanmar to be allowed to use alternative criteria to the IELTS exam due to internal restrictions in the country.
c. To demand that universities audit their investments and partners to sever connections with organisations and individuals that are linked to the Burmese military.
42听听听听 Composite: China, Hong Kong
and the Uyghurs: solidarity, peace, and democracy听听听听听听听听听听 University of Cambridge, Liverpool John Moores
51福利 believes in
political and economic democracy. China鈥檚 authoritarian state represents neither.
Uyghurs and other
majority-Muslim peoples in Xinjiang China suffer genocidal persecution and
forced labour through Chinese government policy.
Supported by
British colonial-era anti-union and anti-democratic laws, the Chinese state is
repressing Hong Kong鈥檚 democracy movement and using a recently imposed National
Security Law to arrest and charge activists.
Independent trade
unions are prohibited under China鈥檚 Trade Union Law, allowing employers to
ignore workers鈥� rights, often with impunity.
Congress calls on
our branches, NEC and General Secretary to:
1.
Build
solidarity with labour organisers, feminist activists, human rights defenders,
and others struggling to uphold their rights in China;
2.
Issue a
statement and initiate a campaign in support of the Uyghur population of
Xinjiang, calling for the Chinese government to end the on-going forced mass
imprisonment, alleged sterilisation, indoctrination, torture and oppression of
the Uighur people.
3.
Demand
the release of political prisoners and repeal of Hong Kong鈥檚 National Security
Law;
4.
Demand
supply chain audits, and cut ties with Xinjiang rights abuses;
5.
Resist
increasing Sinophobia and those who appropriate support for democracy to
promote a New Cold War.
43听听听听 Composite:
Financial disclosure and transparency听 Southern
regional committee, University of Leeds
Congress notes:
1. the series of issues relating to expenditure, some of which have caused debate within 51福利 and the media, including 拢400k of expenditure for a former General Secretary which was subject of a non-disclosure agreement;
2. that part of the business of the union involves expenditure of money;
3. the health of union democracy is best served through transparency; and,
4. which has caused debate within 51福利 and the media.
Congress resolves that:
1. 51福利 National Executive Committee (NEC) must be provided with proposals for, and be involved in, expenditure decisions relating to:
a. redundancy payments or other non-standard payments to 51福利 employees
b. membership levies
c. consultancy contracts
2. The honorary treasurer will report such expenditure to NEC as soon as possible before it has been incurred.
43A.1City College Plymouth
Change resolves a.
鈥榯o 51福利 employees鈥� to 鈥榯o the General Secretary鈥�
Delete resolves c.
44听听听听 Electronic
voting at Congress, FESC and HESC听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 South
West regional committee
Congress notes that:
1.听听 Counting each card vote takes 5-10 minutes which means approximately an hour of time is lost each day of Congress, FESC and HESC that could be devoted to debate and policy making.
2.听听 Electronic voting reduces opportunities for putting fellow delegates under peer pressure to vote in a certain way, ensuring that the views expressed truly reflect individual views.
3.听听 The technology is available and is widely used including by the TUC, NEU and Unite following accessibility guidelines.
4.听听 Electronic voting is more transparent, and can allow a record of individual votes, if wished.
In the above, best Trade Union practice guidelines for the use of data in line with GDPR should be adopted and incorporated into practice.
Congress resolves:听 that electronic voting - using recommendations from Democratic Services on accessible systems - be introduced at our subsequent Congress, FESC and HESC and thereafter.
45听听听听 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons听听听 Yorkshire and Humberside
retired members
Congress notes:
1.
The
continuing danger to humanity from the existence of nuclear weapons
2.
The
contribution of the nuclear weapons industry to environmental pollution
Congress
welcomes:
a.
The
2017 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons ()
b.
The
fact that 86 countries have signed the treaty and 52 have ratified it.
Congress calls
on UK Government:
i. To cancel Trident and sign and ratify the
UN treaty.
ii. To provide alternative socially useful
employment for workers in the nuclear weapons industry
iii. To use money saved from nuclear weapons
expenditure to fund education, health, social care, investment in renewables
and tackling poverty and climate change.
51福利 in its work
with the TUC, other trade unions and international trade union federations will
support the extension of the UN treaty, the case for peace and disarmament,
just transition from nuclear weapons production, and spending the peace
dividend on social justice and tackling the climate emergency.听
46听 听听 Climate
and ecological emergency 听听听听听听听 Central
Saint Martins
The urgent need to address the Climate and Ecological emergency has far reaching implications for 51福利 members and must be central to 51福利 strategy. Moving to a zero-carbon economy will impact directly on future jobs and training, while issues from social justice to curriculum development as they relate to the CEE to are fundamental to 51福利 concerns.听
A growing network of 51福利 green reps and Climate Action Network are working to foreground the CEE as a central tenet of union activities. This motion asks that 51福利 congress supports:
1.听听 The establishment and formal recognition of an annual 51福利 Climate and Ecological meeting to advise the NEC.
2.听听 That standing orders are drawn up for the meeting to keep a timetable similar to other such Annual Meetings
3.听听 That 51福利 training and branch guidance materials are reviewed to reference the appointment of Green Reps and Green New Deal (GND) bargaining.
47听听听听 International LGBT+ Rights听听听听听听听听听听 LGBT+ members standing committee
Congress notes:
1. colonial era laws from the European imperialisation project are still present in many countries
2. people should not have to hide their protected characteristics in an international workplace for fear of criminal prosecution and /or direct discrimination
3. UK organisations including many in post school education have international operations
4. LGBT+ rights are under attack in many countries
Congress believes local conditions at international campuses can create discrimination against staff and students due to gender, race, sexual orientation, disability and / or trade union membership.
Conference resolves to
i. campaign with international organisations to dismantle oppressive laws and with TUC internationally to undo colonial laws
ii. work with other organisations including ILGA, the British Council, and NGOs to put pressure on governments to change laws
iii. highlight post school education providers with international operations that have a negative impact on equality and diversity values.
48听听听听 Reclaim the streets听听听听听 Birmingham City University
Congress notes:
1.
The
referendum in Switzerland banning wearing of the niqaab and burqa in public
spaces
2.
The
death of Sarah Everard whilst walking home and the subsequent media victim blaming
and local curfew for women听
3.
The
拢10K fine imposed on a nurse for organising a socially distanced demonstration
in protest at the failure to reward healthcare workers with an adequate payrise
4.
Government
movement to tighten restrictions on public protest further and the damage this
will do to the right to and expression of dissent.
Congress
resolves:
a.
To
organise a national campaign in defence of the right to public dissent and
protest, coordinating with the TUC & NUS on this
b.
To
renew our work in organising around the rights of women and NB people to
freedom of choice whether clothing or movement; a freedom from state, street or
domestic violence.
49听听听听 International
cooperation and solidarity听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National
executive committee
Congress
recognises the importance of an active international dimension to 51福利's work,
especially during and after a global pandemic, and the value of working
alongside Education International, TUC and other affiliated solidarity
organisations.
Congress
welcomes our international activities and campaigns to defend educators and
trade unionists at risk in countries such as Colombia, Palestine, Turkey and
Egypt and to support global responses to the privatisation of public education,
including the new threats posed by Edtech companies.
Congress
also recognises the value of mutual learning from international partners in
areas such as education policy, equality and union organising and believes that
the pandemic has strengthened the case for international cooperation and
solidarity between trade unions.
Congress
calls on NEC to continue to engage members, branches and regions in concrete
international solidarity work, including the use of webinars as one of the
tools to expand member engagement.
50听听听听 Annual meeting and committee
on environmental issues听听听听听听听听听 Open
University
Congress notes:
1.
The 51福利
Climate and Sustainability Conference held in March 2021.
2.
That
the meeting positively supported the self-education and organising of
activists.
3.
That
creating stable structures for holding similar recurring meetings, and to
represent and organise members on this employment interest, would be valuable
to 51福利 and the NEC.
Congress
resolves:
a.
That
51福利 holds an Annual Meeting on Environmental Issues each year, to advise the
NEC under Rule 25.1 or by other constitutional means.
b.
That
standing orders be drawn up to formally organise the Annual Meeting, including
allowing branches to send motions and a report to be made available to the NEC.
c.
The
meeting should keep a timetable similar to other such Annual Meetings.
d.
Recognising
the organising benefits of creating a stable advisory body for members to
coalesce around within 51福利, to address this sector-wide interest by
establishing a standing advisory committee
51听听听听 Impact of UK Pensions Act 听听听听听听听听听听听 Scottish retired members branch
Congress
notes:
The Pension
Schemes Act 2021 was passed by the UK Parliament in February 2021. In addition
to long-term funding objectives and new powers for the Pensions Regulator
(TPR), it introduces a framework for collective defined contribution (CDC)
schemes called collective money purchase in the Act. This represents a
compromise alternative to defined benefit schemes such as the USS pension. It
opens the door to a new type of pension that is beneficial to university
management and less so for members.
Congress
urges:
51福利 to conduct an
urgent review of the potential impact of the Act and report this to all
members. Also, to seek an assurance that all members currently in direct
benefit pension schemes or in receipt of such pensions are fully protected.
52听听听听 We
won鈥檛 pay for the public health crisis听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 City
and Islington College Camden Road
Congress notes:
1. The 1% pay offer to NHS workers and the continued pay freeze
2. The 125,000 deaths from Covid so far will save the Treasury 拢1.5bn in state pensions by 2022.
Congress believes that:
a. The continued freeze on pay summarises the government鈥檚 plans to pass the cost of the pandemic onto working people.
b. Despite the claps for frontline workers, it is they who will be asked to make up for the Tories horrendous mishandling of the Covid-19 crisis.
c. The trade union movement must unite to make sure that after years of austerity after the 2008 crash we don鈥檛 face decades more.
d. Pay restraint will increase the gender and race pay gaps and will continue to hit casualised staff disproportionately.
Congress resolves 51福利 to approach other unions to launch a campaign around the theme, 鈥榃e won鈥檛 pay for the pandemic- no more austerity鈥�.
53听听听听 Review of 51福利鈥檚 affiliated organisations听听 City College Plymouth
Congress notes:
1. Interim Congress rightly demonstrated that our union will not tolerate sexual harassment and intimidation of survivors. (Motions 21, 22 and 23).
2. 51福利鈥檚 policy, from the Interim Congress 2021, is to establish a Gender-Based Violence Commission.
3. 51福利 funds and supports a number of national and grassroots campaigns across the range of issues our members face.
Congress resolves:
a. To review the affiliated organisations, to ensure that 51福利 can have full confidence in the policies and actions of the leadership of each organisation to root out and deal with gender-based violence cases within its structures.
b. To bring to NEC an opportunity to review and remove organisations who cannot prove natural justice and robust policies on sexual violence.
54听听听听 Discussion of pensions at Congress听听听听听听听 East Midlands retired members
This Congress is firmly of the opinion that motions dealing with industrial action associated with pensions should be dealt with by sectoral bodies. However, it also recognises that many HE members belong to the TPS and that Retired members are impacted by changes to the indexation of the pensions that they receive. To limit all discussion of pensions to sectoral bodies means that some aspects of pensions policy cannot be adequately addressed. Plenary Congress sessions should be allowed to discuss the issue of pensions that are not exclusively the property of sectoral bodies.
54A.1South
West retired members
Insert
鈥榦ccupational鈥� before 鈥榩ensions鈥� (title and lines 2, 4, 4, 5 and 6 (six
instances)
Insert
鈥榗ontinue to be鈥� after 鈥榮hould鈥� (line 2)
Insert
鈥榯he occupational pension schemes of which they are members, such as鈥� after
鈥榗hanges to鈥� (line 3)
Insert
鈥榓nd the operation of occupational pension schemes鈥� after 鈥榩olicy鈥� (line 5)
Replace
鈥榯he issue鈥� with 鈥榯hose aspects鈥� (line 6)
Replace
鈥榠mpacted鈥� with 鈥榓ffected鈥� (line 3)
Rule changes
55听听听听 Rule change: Gender identity 听听听听听听 National executive committee
In
rule 2.5 (aims and objects), after 鈥楾o oppose actively all forms of harassment,
prejudice and unfair discrimination whether on the grounds of sex鈥�, insert
鈥榞ender identity,鈥�.
In
rule 6.1, after 鈥樷��all forms of harassment, prejudice and unfair
discrimination whether on the grounds of sex鈥�, insert 鈥榞ender identity,鈥�.
Purpose:
to bring the relevant union rules on discrimination into line with current
union policy, explicitly including gender identity.
56听听听听 Rule change: 51福利 membership and far right organisations听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 National executive committee
In
rule 6.1.1, after 鈥榩olitical organisation鈥�, delete 鈥榠ncluding鈥�, add 鈥榮uch as鈥�.
After
鈥楤NP鈥�, delete 鈥榓nd鈥�, replace with comma; after 鈥楴ational Front鈥�, add 鈥榓nd AfD鈥�
Final
clause, before 鈥�6.1 above鈥�, add 鈥�2.5 and鈥�
Purpose: to update the description in rule 6.1.1 in respect of far
right political organisations and the union鈥檚 aims and object
57听听听听 Rule change: Congress delegates from
equality standing committees National executive committee
Rule 17.1, first clause, after 鈥樷�� National Executive
Committee鈥�, add 鈥�, two members of each standing committee set up under rule
23.1 (one from each sector)鈥�
Purpose: to give each
equality standing committee the ability to send two voting delegates to
Congress (currently each committee sends two observers).
58听听听听 Rule change: General data
protection regulation 听听听 National
executive committee
In rule 6.3, add at end:
All members and student members shall co-operate with
the union in the lawful discharge of its duties and responsibilities under the
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018.
Purpose:
to bring the rules into line with current data protection law and the union鈥檚
legal obligations.
59听听听听 Rule change:
Amend Congress Standing Order 18 (quorum)听听听 University
of Leeds
Congress
standing order 20, delete 鈥�(subject to rounding up to the nearest whole
number)鈥�
Add
at end:
鈥渆xcept
where, by convention, the chair asks that only a subset of the branches in a
sector should vote on the topic under discussion, in which case the quorum
shall be a fraction of 150 members proportionate to membership in that subset.
Quora shall be rounded up to the nearest whole number."
Purpose:
To have a quorum for sector specific conferences on matters
relating to a subset of the sector which is line with the membership of that
subset.
60听听听听 Rule Change:
Congress Membership and New/Small Branches University
of Sheffield International College
RULE
17: Congress membership
Proposed
Rule Change:
Rule
17.1: Delete 鈥�, or in the case of institutions/central groups/regional retired
members鈥� branches with fewer than 100 members, by aggregations of members in
institutions/central groups/regional retired members鈥� branches, as specified by
Congress Standing Orders.鈥�
Rule
17.2: Delete 鈥�, or in an aggregation of members in institutions/central
groups/regional retired members鈥� branches in accordance with Rule 17.1, as
appropriate.鈥�
Purpose:
To allow all branches of less than 100 members the right to participate in
National Congress
61听听听听 Speaking times
at Congress 听听听听听听听听 South West regional
committee
Standing
Order 21: replace 鈥榝ive minutes鈥� with 鈥榝our minutes鈥� and 鈥榯hree minutes鈥� with
鈥榯wo minutes鈥�
Purpose:
to reduce the speaking times in the Congress standing orders for movers of
motions (and sections of the NEC鈥檚 report to Congress) from five minutes to
four minutes, and for all other speakers from three minutes to two minutes.
62听听听听 Rule 24 Retired
Members鈥� Committee听听听 Yorkshire and
Humberside retired members
Add
at end of title to Rule 24
鈥榓nd
Retired Members鈥� Committee鈥�
Add
at end of 24.2
鈥楾his
meeting shall elect delegates to the Retired Members鈥� Committee鈥�
Insert
new 24.3 and renumber subsequently
There
shall be a Retired Members鈥� Committee, which advises the NEC on matters
relating to retired members. The Retired Members鈥� Committee shall have
the right to send two motions and two amendments to 51福利 Annual Congress.
Purpose:
to establish a Retired Members鈥� Committee, similar to in role to the specialist
committees which exist under Rule 25 for Academic -related and Professional
Staff and the Anti-Casualisation Committee.
63听听听听 Voting process 听听 South West regional committee
Standing
order 40: after 鈥樷��.hold up their voting cards鈥�, add 鈥榯his will initiate the use
of electronic voting, where the facility is available.鈥�
Standing
order 41, first sentence: delete 鈥榗ount employing tellers is taken鈥�, replace
with 鈥榚lectronic vote鈥�
Purpose:
to put electronic voting into the Congress standing orders
64听听听听 Addition of 15.9-15.11 to Rule 15 - National hustings event听 University of Sheffield
Add
new rules:
15.9
Between 7-14 days after a ballot for General Secretary or Officers of the Union
has opened, a UK-wide hustings event will be held to ensure that all members
and candidates have access to a fully accessible hustings event. This event
will be video-recorded and edited before distribution to all members.
Reasonable traveling and subsistence expenses will be made available to
candidates, paid from union funds.
15.9.1
The location of this event may not occur at the home branch of any
participating candidate, and the location will rotate to a different region
from the previous year, with due consideration to accessibility depending on
candidates' locations.
15.9.2
If it is not possible to hold the event physically for any reason, it will be
held online.
15.9.3
All members eligible to vote in the relevant election will have the opportunity
to submit questions in advance of this event.
15.10
The date for the event will be chosen in consultation with all candidates, and
will be finalised no later than one month before the beginning of the ballot
period.
15.10.1
If a candidate prefers to attend electronically rather than in person, or to
pre-record a statement and answers to questions, this will be facilitated.
Candidates who are disabled, impaired or have a long term health condition will
be able to make this known and have their adjustment needs accommodated to
avoid any disadvantage by reason of disability.
15.10.2
If a candidate cannot make the session due to illness or emergency, they will
be given an opportunity to record their responses on another date, to be
included in the recording for members.
15.10.3
Candidates may choose not to attend.
15.11
During the relevant ballot period, any other branch organising a hustings event
will provide candidates with 30 days notice, making every effort to make the
event accessible to all candidates, including facilitating electronic attendance.
Reasonable traveling and subsistence expenses will be made available to
candidates, paid from branch funds, on the basis that all candidates standing
for a given position are invited to attend.
65听听听听 鈥楴ew-delegate
friendly鈥� order of business for Congress听听听 South
West regional committee
Standing
Order 67: in section C, move points 2, 3, and 4 to follow point 5, and renumber
accordingly.
Purpose:
to move other topics ahead of the financial business in the order of private
sessions of Congress.
66听听听听 Entitlement to
Participate in Election of 51福利 Scotland Officers Scottish retired members
Add
at the end of Rule 18.9.2
For
the purposes of 18.9.2 only, the Scottish Retired Members Branch shall be
treated as a Higher Education Sector branch.
Purpose:
The existing rules have the consequence that in Scotland
members of the Retired Members branch are excluded from electing key officers.
There is no FE sector in 51福利 Scotland, so there is no requirement to apply the
sectoral separation. The proposed change to 18.9.2 will enable the desired
inclusion of retired members in these elections.
67听听听听 Rule 24 National
Meetings of Retired Members 听听听听听听 Yorkshire
and Humberside retired members
Add
24.4
24.4
The meeting shall select from among resolutions it has carried at its current and
immediate previous annual meeting two motions for sending to the BDC of the
NPC.
Purpose:
to clarify and improve the process of selection by the annual meeting of two
motions for forwarding to the BDC (Biennial Delegate Conference) of the NPC
(National Pensioners鈥� Convention). This addition to rule will authorise
the meeting to consider not only motions carried at its current meeting but
also the motions from the previous year鈥檚 Annual Meeting. This rule
addition expands the scope of motions for consideration for forwarding.
Note: if the amendment for a
Retired Members鈥� Committee is carried, this will then be renumbered as 24.5
Further Education Sector Conference
Motions and amendments for debate
Pay and workload
FE1听听 FE England pay: Further education committee
Conference approves the report on the FE England
2020/21 pay round and progress in the 2021/22 round as circulated in FE branch
circular 51福利BANFE/22.
FE2 听 Pay 听 London regional FE
sector committee
FESC notes:
1.听听听听 FE
pay has been cut by 30% in the last decade;
2.听听听听
Government鈥檚 promise to fund and 鈥榬evolutionise鈥� FE;
3.听听听听
Government increase in military spending by 拢16.5bn;
4.听听听听
AoC offer of 1% for 20/21;
5.听听听听
the FE missing millions;
6.听听听听 the role of all those
working in the sector played during the public health crisis.
FESC believes:
a.听听
the government gave billions of public finances to private firms to
develop track and trace systems that never materialised;
b.听听
there is money for warfare but not education;
c.听听
the AoC and local employers did not keep their promise to ring fence
extra funding for pay.
FESC resolves 51福利:
i.听听听听
to launch a pay campaign targeting the government, AoC and local
employers;
ii.听听听听
to campaign round the figure of a 10% increase;
iii.
to
ballot all branches across England and to fully resource and prioritise this
campaign.
FE2A.1 Nottingham College
听听听听听听听听听听听 after
point 6, insert:
听听 The
huge increase in workload this summer as our members carry out 鈥榓ssessments鈥� in
place of regular examinations; the Scottish government have committed to paying
a modest bonus for this work, but for the majority of staff in the UK, there
will be no extra pay.
听听听听听听听听听听听 after
point iii, insert:
听听听听听听听听 iv.听听听听听听听听听听 to campaign, alongside other teaching
unions, for adequate bonus payments across the UK to staff replicating work
that would usually be done by paid examiners.
Conference notes that:1. We are in a second year of teacher assessed grades for GCSE, A level and vocational qualifications.2. Many, including in 51福利, welcome a move away from high-stakes external exams.3. Teachers in FE have seen an increase in teaching hours together with reduced contact time per group, leading to a situation where (for example) a full time GCSE maths or English tutor can be teaching 200 students per academic year.4.听 Additional marking and standardisation would be the final straw for many whose workloads are already at unsustainable levels.We call on 51福利 to make it policy that no permanent change which increases the teacher assessed component of qualifications should be introduced unless teachers have a reduction in teaching hours.
FE4听听 Admin and
workload听听 Croydon College
Conference notes that years of managerialism have expanded the admin duties of lecturers, administrators and support workers. It is eating in to the time teachers and support workers need to prepare for lessons, it is creating stress and anxiety, and data bullying is becoming a feature in our workplaces.
Conference resolves:
1. To launch a campaign to safeguard teaching and support preparation and assessment hours to be safeguarded and expanded
2. To develop guidelines for admin and support staff to identify excessive data recording and admin workload
3. To support action where employers use data to undermine staff confidence and intimidate staff.
FE4A.1 South East regional FE committee
Add 'teaching in Further Education has been undermined and' after 'notes that' in line one.
FE5 听 For a national campaign on workload and defending professional
autonomy 听听听听听听听听听 Capital City College
Group CANDI Camden Road
Notes:
Believes that:
a. Three areas are responsible for the increase in workload; i) Cuts in guided learning hours; ii) Attendance chasing and iii) increase in admin duties as colleges cut support staff.
b. Through an increase in monitoring, open classroom observation polices and micro management of lecturers鈥� time, management have eroded our professional autonomy.
Resolves:
i. 51福利 to launch a national workload/defending professional autonomy campaign around the slogan 鈥楾ake back control of our working lives鈥� aimed at the AoC.
ii. To reach agreement with the AoC around issues such as; the use of guided learning hours and resourcing the recruitment of administrative staff to support lectures in their departments.
Future of
FE/ACE/prison education
FE6听听 ALPs Grades
and grade inflation are damaging academic standards The Manchester College
Conference notes:
5. Urgent investment is needed to manage the achievement gap and protect students from financial consequences of progressing above ability level.
听听听听听听听听听 FE Sector conference instructs 51福利 to:
a. Campaign to protect teaching staff harbouring unrealistic group targets and to maintain integrity of qualifications and professional standards of education.
b. Lobby the AoC and UK governments to identify grade inflation as an issue and include ALPs benchmarking in the Safeguarding Policy Agenda.
FE7听听 FE White Paper听听 London regional FE sector committee
听听听听听听听听 FESC
notes:
1. DFE FE White paper;
2. no real terms increase in funding for
Further and Adult Education.
听听听听听听听听 FESC
believes that:
a.听听听听
the government strategy for social and economic recovery in a Post
Coronavirus world must place Further and Adult Education at its centre;
b.听听听听
the DFE FE White Paper is a step backwards for the sector;
c.听听听听
its emphasis on skills training above and beyond everything else narrows
the sector educational role to narrow skills training;
d.听听听听
this model will not meet the needs of our communities; neither in
creating meaningful jobs opportunities nor educationally.
FESC resolves 51福利 to:
i.听听听听
campaign against the FE White Paper and put forward a collectivist
approach based on a plan led model;
ii.听听听听 promote the alternative vision for FE as outlined in the Reconstruction of FE in a Post Coronavirus world discussion paper.
FE8听听 Asset
stripping in FE听听 West Midlands regional FE
sector committee
FESC notes:
The West Midlands region is experiencing multiple incidences of asset stripping across numerous college sites. Whole and part sites continue to be sold off for nominal gain to resolve deficits. Sell-off is happening with little or no consultation with local communities or regard for local educational needs. Since 2002 the West Midlands has lost almost 50 percent of FE provision. Government has acknowledged the vital role FE has to play in the economic recovery of the country. FE provision should be expanding, not shrinking.
FESC believes:
Due regard is not given to equality legislation and impact assessments are inadequate or disregarded. Continuous government under-funding over the last decade has led to the position where college survival is dependent on asset sell-offs.
FESC resolves:
51福利 should scrutinise the extent of asset stripping in the last decade and the impact this has had on our rural and urban communities.
FE9听听 Build Back Better听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Further education committee
FESC notes the Build Back Better campaign which seeks to ensure society鈥檚 response to the pandemic is to protect public services, tackle inequality and provide quality jobs whilst addressing the climate crisis.
FESC notes the bargaining priority areas to tackle the race & gender pay gaps; insecure work and unmanageable workloads, as well policy on democratic governance and ending outsourcing and the Green New Deal bargaining guidance to branches.
FESC believes that the pandemic has left branches struggling to address these priority areas whilst ensuring that their workplace is a safe environment to work. As such there is a need for bargaining support to be streamlined to help branches achieve maximum impact in all these areas with the resources they have.
FESC therefore instructs FEC to draw up a model claim and accompanying guidance for branches which includes the principles of the Build Back Better campaign and 51福利鈥檚 bargaining priorities.
FE10 Build Back
Better听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Novus prison
education
Conference notes that during the pandemic Prison Educators have had to adapt their ways of working at short notice to carry on supporting students. Lessons learned from this need to shape how future blended learning will look, ensuring that this works for both students and our members.
This conference believes we must prioritise the following areas when discussing future provision:
1. Job security and maintaining terms and conditions
2. Health, safety and wellbeing of staff
3. Government investment in tech and digital infrastructure
4. Training and professional development of staff
5. Intellectual property rights
This conference resolves to:
a. Ask NEC to commission research into Blended Learning in a custodial setting
b. Mandate negotiators to focus on pursuing with the employers and commissioner a solution that addresses the areas listed above.
FE11 Adult Education听 Further education committee
FESC notes:
听听听听听听听听 The Education select committee report on Lifelong Learning
1. That there has been a decline in participation in community learning by 32% between 2008-2009 and 2018-2019 the lowest for 23 years.
2. Nine million working-age adults in England have low literacy or numeracy skills, or both, and six million adults are not qualified to level 2 (equivalent to GCSE level).
3. Support the Select Committee report and its calls for a community learning centre in every town in the country and national strategy for adult education and for childcare, ESOL and SEND Adult Education, IAG.
FESC calls on FEC:
a. Invite the Select committee to work with FESC by organising a parliamentary committee meeting.
b. Discuss the Reconstruction of Further and adult education paper听 and the Adult Community Education Manifesto as part of the wider discussions.
FE12 Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automated Decision Making (ADM) Further education committee
FESC notes:
1. The impact of the pandemic on the uptake of technology in the sector.
2. The Automatic University report.
3. The TUC working group on AI which produced the Technology Managing People report and is due to publish a legal report and a manifesto.
4. Data Protection Impact Assessments should be carried out by employers when implementing new systems using workers鈥� personal data, but unions are not consulted about them.
FESC believes:
a. AI and ADM can be useful in workplaces but must be used in a way that doesn鈥檛 infringe on rights workers鈥� or discriminate against individuals.
FESC resolves to:
i. Produce bargaining guidance for branches on how to approach the issue of new technology with their employers using current legislation, and provide training to support this.
ii. Seek to draw up a joint ethical AI policy with the AoC which colleges can implement with local branches to protect workers.
FE13 FE - Trainers/Assessors contract status - no
longer to be "Business Support"听听听听听听听听听 Bridgwater
and Taunton College
Conference notes:
1. the successful learning delivery by Trainer-Assessors, Specialist Trainers, and other colleagues in FE.
2. these colleagues frequently earn the same or more than lecturers in the same institutions.
3. these colleagues contribute significantly to learning in FE
4. some colleges have resolved differentials and pay and conditions have been rationalised and merged.
Conference resolves that:
a. 51福利 negotiate nationally for recognition of all colleagues delivering learning in FE and inclusion in the 鈥渓ecturer family鈥� bargaining unit
b. 51福利 Branches consider negotiating such recognition at local level
c. Such contracts no longer be deemed 鈥淪upport鈥� or 鈥淏usiness Support鈥�
d. Every effort be made to achieve parity between delivery of learning (especially to Apprentices in the workplace and at the college or other provider base) and delivery of full-time learning
e. Multiple
and diverse salary scales be rationalised to demonstrate more obvious parity of
status for all colleagues delivering learning in FE Colleges.
Covid and
health and safety
FE14 COVID, lockdown and work/life balance听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 City College Oxford (Activate
Learning)
Conference notes the excessive workloads for staff in FE during the pandemic and lockdown:
1. Extra time spent on marking, adapting teaching material and having to get to grips with new technology
2. Staff were asked to undertake many administrative roles and the bureaucratic parts of the work actually increased
3. Homes had to be turned into offices and home life disrupted
4. Work/life balance lost meaning for many staff
There is a real danger that these features may become the new normal as students return to site and management will seek to take advantage of the 鈥榙isaster鈥� status of COVID.
Nationally with AOC and locally with management 51福利 must seek to achieve new agreements on work/life balance which mean FE staff work to contracted hours as a maximum rather that a nominal figure that has no meaning.
FE15 Casualisation, FE and Covid Anti-casualisation committee
Covid has resulted in the fragmentation of the work life of members in FE and given employers the opportunity to employ staff on a 鈥榡ust in time鈥� philosophy. Remote working disguises the factors that already affect casual staff whilst the ACC has found it difficult to encourage FE members to attend the Annual Conference and stand for election for committee.
This conference calls on:
1. all branches to elect an anti-Casualisation representative and seek paid facility time for them.
2. regional committees to use their networks to identify and encourage members from FE/ACE/Prisons to stand for the ACC and attend 51福利 regional and national events.
3. the national union to:
a. highlight to members in FE/ACE/Prisons the work of the ACC and encourage involvement in anti-casualisation events
b. reconsider how Anti-Casualisation events and campaigns are advertised in order to reach those members, and potential members, who work in hard-to-reach areas.
FE16 Full
funding for COVID-19 catch-up education and support 听听听听听 Further education committee
听听听 FESC notes:
1.听听 The impact of the COVID pandemic will be ongoing and systemic across all sectors of society. Yet again, 51福利 members will be expected to pick up the pieces.
2.听听 Filling the gaps left by long periods without education and the mental health crisis that will unfold will need specialist help and skills.听听听
3.听听 The government cannot be allowed to get away with expecting staff in these sectors to paper over society's cracks when they are not adequately paid and the funding for provision is not adequate.听
听听听 FESC resolves:
a. to revise the Fund the Future campaign to secure a real funding increase from government to fund 鈥榗atch up鈥� education in the FE sector听听
b. to lobby government to provide emergency funding for colleges to cover all aspects of support not just educational, including mental health support听听 and fully funded tutorial support.
FE17 Health and Safety Programme of Mobilisation听听听听听听听听听 West Midlands FE sector regional
committee
FESC notes:
Covid and the global pandemic has created uncertainty, dangerous conditions for all. The Government continues to treat FE in the same way as schools which have a different population make up, primarily having more adults which currently have a greater risk of being affected by Covid. 51福利 needs further mobilisation around Health and Safety to keep members safe.
FESC resolves to:
1.听听听听听听 Run an organisational programme to recruit and train Health and Safety Officers to ensure they are in every branch.
2.听听听听听听 Develop the role of a Regional Committee Health and Safety Officer in every region.
3.听听听听听听 Encourage and develop regional health and safety networks to share ideas, expertise and best practice.
4.听听听听听听 For 51福利 to develop stronger working links with the HSE/Directors of Public Health to support safe working conditions.
5.听听听听听听 Report the worst offenders flouting guidance and breaking the law to the HSE/appropriate organisation.
FE18 Wellbeing and
outsourcing听 Croydon College
Conference notes the increase in outsourcing of mental health support provision for students and the lack of on-site counselling in many colleges. We further note that Covid -19 has increased the need for this support and will continue to have an impact on mental health wellbeing in to the future.听 The pressure on lecturers to take on counselling responsibilities without support is unacceptable and potentially dangerous to both students and staff.听
Conference resolves to launch a campaign to ensure that every college has appropriately trained and fully funded in-house counselling services to meet the needs of students as a matter of urgency.
FE19 Safe working in
FE听听听听听听 LGBT+ members standing committee
Conference notes:
1. FE colleges have been called to go back to face-to-face working whilst many other workers remain at home
2. Working from home is in some cases safer but also poses some issues around privacy and home-life
3. FE is treated as a key working environment whilst undervalued and underfunded
4. Safety in prison education can be precarious
Conference believes:
a. FE should be more valued and better funded
b. LGBT+ staff and students in FE should be supported by implementation of strong supportive and inclusive policies
c. Conditions across the FE sector should be supportive of health and well-being
Conference resolves to:
i. Campaign for a well-resourced, safe FE sector
ii. Develop toolkit for branches to review FE LGBT+ policies and data collection
iii. Lobby for routine inclusion of LGBT+ people and issues across FE including data collection, curriculum, policies, training, and provision of facilities.
Equality
FE20 Online working and accessibility for disabled members听听 Disabled members standing committee
During this Pandemic, conditions for disabled members have deteriorated significantly.听 For many members the uncertainty of providing online lessons and resources without regard for accessibility issues have added to their stress.听 A recent 51福利 survey identified that the increased workloads and lack of reasonable adjustments has affected the mental health of disabled members.听 The alternative, of attending work, leads members to feel unsafe. For example, the survey identified prison staff as part of this cohort, some of whom will be disabled members.
We call on 51福利 to identify the prevalence of these factors for disabled members and ensure that FE institutions do not use the cover of coronavirus to discriminate against disabled members.
FE21 Improving
organisation for disability equality in FE 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Disabled
members standing committee
Conference notes:
1. disabled workers are twice as likely
to be made redundant as non-disabled workers
2. one in four disabled workers face
redundancy because of covid crisis
3. many disabled FE workers face
unreasonable delay in obtaining adjustments and often face employer hostility
when taking action on this
听听听听 Conference believes that:
a. every branch needs to support
disabled workers to improve this situation and all reps should have training on
ableism and its impacts on members
b. the AOC should produce a charter to
support disabled workers including:
Conference instructs
FEC /NEC:
A. to pursue this anti disability
discrimination charter, and union training, bargaining and organising agenda,
without delay
B. to provide better legal support to
disabled workers facing discrimination and redundancy
FE22 Educating our FE students about public sexual harassment听听听听听 Women members standing committee
The majority of schoolchildren in the UK are not taught about street harassment, despite the fact that 2 in 3 girls will be subject to this violence (Plan UK, 2016). The recent murder of Sarah Everard, and others yet to be identified, exemplifies the danger that women face within the public space.
Conference supports the call for greater resources within FE to educate students and staff about the issues around public sexual harassment and gender-based violence.
Conference calls upon FEC to:
a. Advocate for curriculum to support education around public sexual harassment and gender-based violence within FE, as well as funding for resources.
b. Work with Student Unions, lecturers and support workers to help promote increased awareness of public sexual harassment and gender-based violence and what that entails.
FE22A.1 LGBT+ members
standing committee
Insert new
paragraph 2:
Conference recognises reports of attacks on trans women in public spaces have increased. The FE curriculum does not fully reflect trans lives and trans inclusive policies are mostly either non-existent or implemented poorly across FE. FEC action on sexual harassment and gender based violence should be inclusive of all women.
FE23 Facility time and equal representation for
women in FE branches 听听听听 Women members standing committee
There is an under-representation of women, especially women from marginalised groups, in trade union leadership and structures. They continue to be under-represented in 51福利 FE branch committees and urgent intervention is needed to ensure equitable representation.
Conference instructs FE branches to adopt the following principles to address this under-representation and ensure equitable facilities time:
1.鈥����疉ll women in FE should be actively encouraged to take on branch committee roles.
2.鈥����疶hey are allocated equitable facilities time. Where facility time is inadequate, the branch should endeavour to negotiate an increase in facility time.
3.鈥����疨eople holding multiple committee positions in FE should make some positions available so women can stand for election as representatives.
4.鈥����疻omen, especially those from marginalised groups in FE, should be given priority as delegates for Congress.
5.鈥����疉nnual audit of FE branch committees by WMSC and other equalities groups to monitor compliance.鈥���
FE24 Black Lives Matter 听听听听听听 Further education committee
FESC notes:
1. The supportive Black Lives Matter statements from Principals across the country
2. That FE has some of the most diverse classrooms
3. Black Lives Matter Movement has exposed systemic racism
Believes:
FESC resolves:
To call on Principals to meet with 51福利 to revise the FE curricula which embraces all Black history with inclusion of colonial history
To call a 鈥渙pen decolonisation" of FE Conference, which seeks to work with Principals and 51福利 members.
FE25 Composite Network for Black Members in Prison Education听听听听听听 Novus prison education, Black members
standing committee
This conference notes:
1. There is a lack of diversity within our prison education system听
2. For a long time the voices of Black members have been silenced through fear, intimidation and bullying throughout society but especially so within the prison system. The experience of black workers in the sector is exacerbated by the fact that the prison education workforce does not reflect the learners or the wider community.
3. The 51福利 response to the Education Select Committee Inquiry which made recommendations as to how a revised and decolonised curriculum could go towards addressing the differential outcomes experienced by black and other ethnic minority groups in prison populations.听听
Conference believes that black workers in prison education are entitled to a work environment that is free from bullying and discrimination.
This conference resolves to:听 听听听听听听听
a. Build support networks for black members in prison education which will provide a safe space for members to express their thoughts and feelings, raising issues of systemic racism within prison education. The network will support members to engage in the democratic process of 51福利 and link to the BMSC. The network will also work with branches to hold prison education providers to account and embed anti-racist practice.听
b. Establish clear links for black prison educators to access regional self-organised black networks
c. Support the work of the 51福利 Black Members鈥� Standing Committee in liaising with black prison educators.
FE26 Exam Process: Equality Issues for Black,
Asian and Minority Ethnic students听 Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Committee
COVID-19
has exposed a number of significant inequalities in the education system for
students from a Black, Asian and minority ethnic heritage. Evidence shows Black
students are more likely to be subjected to teacher bias, both unconscious and
conscious due to the imposition of tutor assessment grades.
Following
last year鈥檚 exam fiasco, there are concerns that teacher assessment grades
could severely impact on Black students鈥� ability to secure the university place
of their choice again this year.
We
call on 51福利 to lobby the Government and the AoC to support the call for all
teaching and assessing staff to be trained in fair methods of assessment
including:
1.
unconscious bias training;
2.
anonymous marking carried out by internal and external assessors/markers;
3.
ongoing training for staff to support students in accessing career advice and
their choice of HE destination.
FE27 Intersectional
LGBT+ in FE听听 LGBT+ members standing
committee
Conference notes
1. Many LGBT+ people are drawn to FE for various reasons including bullying and isolation
2. FE is a diverse environment.
Conference believes
a. A person who is LGBT+ can experience multiple discriminations in employment practices, curriculum, team dynamics, curriculum, and classroom relationships. Assumptions are made about one鈥檚 LGBT+ status based on other protected characteristics e.g., disability, race, and gender
b. As FE is diverse there are people from multiple backgrounds within the learning environment. These can be people with a wide range of disabilities, migrant status, race, gender, and age.
Conference resolves to
i. Make available resources that challenge assumptions and raise the profile of LGBT+ intersectionality in the context of the curriculum and learning environment within FE
ii. Campaign to raise awareness of the challenges and joys experienced by LGBT+ with intersectional characteristics
iii. Campaign for LGBT+ inclusion in FE curriculum.
Higher Education Sector
Conference
Motions and amendments
for debate
Motions HE1-HE17 take place in closed session.
HE1听听 HE pay听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Higher
education committee
HE Sector conference notes the report and approves the recommendations of the national negotiators contained in 51福利BANHE/76.
HE2 Pay - 4 Fights听听听听听听 Higher education committee
HESC notes:
1. The continued support for a focus upon the four fights (pay, pay inequalities, casualisation and workloads) in our pay claim among members as witnessed by the branch delegate meetings in 2020.
2. HESC believes standing committees of 51福利 should continue to have input into the demands in each of their respective areas.
HESC resolves:
a. To continue to ensure that
the four fights, informed by the decisions of the equalities standing
committees and anti-casualisation committee, should remain a central element of
our claim in 2021.
51福利 commits to re-launch a campaign over the four
fights among 51福利 members with publicity and social media prior to balloting for
industrial action up to and including strike action where these are not met.
HE2A.1 University College London
Add at end, 鈥淲here possible, to coordinate this
campaign with ongoing national HE dispute(s) over USS to maximise unity and
organisational efficiency, and ballot and call action according to this
principle.鈥�
HE3听听 Response to the New JNCHES 2021-22
negotiating round 听听听听听 Higher education committee
Conference notes
1. The unacceptable 2021-22 UCEA offer, the 0% pay adjustment of 2020-21, and over a decade of prior subpar offers.
2. Local attacks on member conditions and job security by individual HEIs.
3. Ongoing threats to pension security, both in USS and TPS,
Conference resolves to
a. Reject UCEA鈥檚 2021-22 offer and formally enter into dispute.
b. Task HEC Chair and elected negotiating team with developing materials to raise member awareness around the headline issues of the 2021-22 New JNCHES claim during summer 2021, and to actively organize towards the possibility of balloting.
c. Task HEC with holding a Special HE Sector Conference in the first two weeks of August 2021 on the topic of HE dispute(s), including New JNCHES, USS, TPS, and any possible links between them.
d. Schedule a HEC meeting the week following this Special HESC to action the policy determined by conference
HE4 Building on the successes of the Four Fights dispute Anti-casualisation committee
Conference notes:
1. The Four Fights campaign was built by broadening our pay claim to include casualisation, pay inequality and workload and on the basis of these demands we delivered the largest national university strike in history
2. That the Four Fights campaign succeeded in forcing UCEA to negotiate around these issues for the first time
3. That while there are lessons to be learnt, the principle of combining the issues that motivate our members into one dispute was correct and that members and branches demonstrated incredible determination and resolve to deliver 22 days of industrial action
4. That while the 2020/21 pay claim contains demands around casualisation, workload and pay inequality, the profile of these demands has been reduced
听听听听 Conference resolves:
a. To build on the progress made by including demands around casualisation, workload and pay inequality in future claims
b. To embed/promote these demands in all future campaigns
HE5 Maintaining the 'Four Fights' University of Brighton, Moulsecoomb, University
of Brighton, Grand Parade
Conference notes:
1. The 86% rejection by members of the 0% pay 鈥榦ffer鈥� for HE staff for 2020-21
2. The unfinished business of the Four Fights dispute of 2019-20.
3. The success of recent UK-wide action in building the 51福利.
Conference believes
a. Issues of pay, casualisation, equality and workload have become more not less urgent as a result of the pandemic.
b. The HE sector has the ability and the resources to address these issues.
Conference resolves to develop a strategy to mobilise members over the Four Fights issues.
This should include:
i. a timetable for balloting and for taking UK-wide industrial action听
ii. a campaign making the case that staff and students deserve better in HE
iii. a GTVO strategy.
HE6听 For a national campaign on workload and
casualisation听听听 Bournemouth University
Conference
notes
1. a crisis of spiralling workloads during the pandemic
2. a failure to offer secure jobs to casualised members
3. a number of institutions restructuring for the market
Conference believes that there is an opportunity to argue for consolidating casualised jobs to relieve the workload crisis for 2021/22
Conference resolves
a. to launch a UK-wide public campaign for decent jobs in HE with publicity materials (e-posters, petitions, twitterstorms), resources for reps, launch events, etc
b. to integrate this public campaign with the national pay dispute, including the demand for a decent pay rise.
c. to use this to drive up turnout for the national JNCHES ballot.
HE6A.1
Southern regional HE sector committee
Delete 鈥渁nd casualisation鈥� (title) and replace with 鈥�: impact on casualised and disabled members.鈥�
Add at end of point 2 (Conference notes) after 鈥榤embers鈥� 鈥渋mpacting disproportionally on disabled staff.鈥�
Add at end of b. (Conference resolves) after 鈥榩ay rise鈥� 鈥渨ith additional focus on casualised and disabled staff.鈥�
HE7
Formula for the election of HE negotiators听听听听听听听 Higher
education committee
Conference notes that the current formula for the election of HE negotiators is out of its keeping with 51福利鈥檚 approach to equality and representation in its requirement to elect 鈥榓t least two men鈥�.
Conference therefore agrees that the formula for the election of HE negotiators (which also applies, as relevant, to the election of USS negotiators) should be amended as follows:
Paragraph E, clause b, delete 鈥榓nd at least two are men鈥�.
HE8 Composite: Support for branches pursuing the model claim for ARPS Academic related, professional staff committee, University of Liverpool
HESC notes:
1. The work of the ARPS committee and ARPS members in branches
2. The development of a draft model claim for branches on ARPS.
3. The erosion of terms and conditions for ARPS members by employers.
4. That pursuing the claim under current circumstances represents a significant challenge for already stretched branches.
HESC instructs HEC to:
a. Ensure support and resource is provided via all relevant 51福利 national and regional structures to branches and ARPS members to pursue the claim via template campaign plans including data and information requests, and regular, ongoing support for negotiators within branches.
b. Develop a coordinated campaign in support of the model claim for branches that is centred around wage theft and pay inequality.
c. Facilitate communications between ARPS reps and members and the ARPS committee as a priority work area.
HE9听听 Risk assessment, health and safety and black workers听听 Black members standing committee
Conference notes that according to the ONS, the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted Black communities with a disproportionate number of deaths recorded. A lack of appropriate risks assessment has impacted profoundly on the health and wellbeing of black members.
Conference resolves that:
1. The impact of Covid 19 on black members must be considered in the institutional risk assessment and workload allocation
2. HE institutions should carry out a complete and sufficient risk assessment.
3. The risk assessment must be carried out for Black staff and staff who live with a Black person, based on ethnicity, and taking into account all relevant factors
4. All redeployment options should be considered for black staff, including specialist staff working from home if appropriate
5. Appropriate workload allocation and the health and wellbeing measures for black members must be considered
6. The health, safety and well-being of Black members must be assured.
HE10 USS听听听听听听听听听听听 Higher education
committee
HE sector conference notes the report and approves the
recommendations of the Superannuation Working Group contained in 51福利BANHE/77.
HE11 Composite: Condemn the USS valuation, defend USS听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Newcastle University, Northern
regional HE sector committee
HESC condemns:
1. The unnecessary valuation during Covid
2. USS鈥檚 valuation proposals giving likely member contributions of 13.6-18.6%
3. UUK proposals to slash benefits and a lower value scheme for casualised and lower paid members.
听听听听听听听听听 HESC believes:
a. Current benefits can be maintained at 26% total contributions.
b. Very high member opt-outs due to soaring costs or slashed benefits could lead to USS closure.
HESC mandates negotiators to maintain current benefits at very close to 8% member costs.
HESC mandates HEC to:
i. implement multi-pronged strategy to defend USS.
ii. call on employers to (i) withdraw proposals for benefit reductions and worse benefits for lower paid members and (ii) put pressure on USS to modify valuation approach to give total costs of 26%
iii. otherwise to call a ballot for industrial action to start at the start of the autumn term which involves strikes and action short of a strike
HE11A.1 University of Dundee
HESC condemns: add
at end of 2. 鈥榠ncluding deficit recovery contributions of 2.3-6.0%.鈥�
HESC believes: add
鈥榖. Expecting members, especially those early in their career, to pay DRCs is
unjust and will lead to more opt-outs.鈥�
Delete sentence
鈥楬ESC mandates negotiators to maintain current benefits at very close to 8%
member costs.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听 HESC
mandates:听
ii (ii) delete and
replace with 鈥榮upport a rule change so that cost-sharing only applies to future
service contributions.鈥�
Add iv. Reject any settlement within the 2020
valuation.
HE11A.2 Heriot-Watt
University
Believes a. replace
鈥榓t 26%鈥� with 鈥�, and it will be possible to return 鈥� add 鈥榖ack to past levels
in due course鈥� after 鈥榗ontributions鈥�
Replace from 鈥榲ery
close鈥� to 鈥榗osts,鈥� with 鈥榯he best cost achievable whilst keeping lower member
costs in future within reach鈥�.
a.听听听听听听 (ii)
replace from 鈥榯o give鈥� to 鈥�26%鈥� with 鈥榓nd to scrap the 2020 valuation鈥�
b.听听听听听听 (ii) remove 鈥榦therwise to鈥� replace 鈥榮tart
at鈥� with 鈥榦btain a mandate running from鈥�
HE12 USS - Build the Resistance听听 UCL
HESC notes:
1. The 2020 USS valuation, claiming a very large projected deficit dueto 鈥榙e-risking鈥�. Yet in reality, assets have grown to ~拢80bn. 100% DC or swingeing cuts are likely to be re-imposed.
2. Strikes in 2018 stopped a similar attack. Now USS and the employers are attempting to repeat it.
3. Pension cuts affect those beginning their careers the most.
4. We will likely need to take industrial action to stop the attack, potentially as early as Autumn 2021.
HESC resolves to:
a. Organise a member-level campaign to stop detrimental USS changes.
b. Develop campaign materials, invite speakers and call meetings to demystify the valuation and projected deficit.
c. Call on university leaders to support 51福利鈥檚 position in negotiations with USS and lobby to adopt a more credible valuation methodology.
d. Support initiatives to build the campaign, alongside organisations including USS Briefs, HE Convention and 51福利 Solidarity Movement.
e. Ballot members for industrial action.
HE12A.1Imperial
College, University College London
Insert before 鈥渋nvite speakers鈥� in point b. 鈥渆ncourage branches and Regions to鈥�
Replace point e. with 鈥淚f the employers have not joined 51福利 to pressure USS and the pension regulator to cancel the 2020 valuation and use an evidence-based moderately prudent approach in 2021, ballot members from June to September 2021 for escalating industrial action in the Autumn, using the full resources of the union to deliver a resounding Yes vote and a high turnout.鈥�
HE13 USS 鈥淪WG Principles鈥� University College London
HESC notes
1. HEC鈥檚 proposed 鈥淪WG Principles鈥� for negotiation with UUK over USS.
2. That exploring Conditional Benefits represents a new policy - which is the role of HESC to determine, not SWG.
3. That we need a solution to the 2020 valuation, which could include it being cancelled, or we will be faced with unaffordable contributions and smaller benefits than contributions.
4. That negotiations around additional Covenant Support require a similar high level of care.
Notwithstanding the importance of keeping open negotiations with the Employers, HESC believes that issuing these two 鈥淧rinciples鈥� at this time sends the wrong message to the Employers and union members.
HESC therefore resolves to withdraw them and instruct negotiators to focus on clear demands to set aside the valuation and to preserve members' benefits and contribution levels.
HE14 Composite: Initiating legal action on USS听听听听听 Lancaster University, University of Glasgow
HESC notes:
1. USS's proposed 2020 Covid valuation risks members' contributions rising to 14-20%.
2. Academics for Pension Justice鈥檚 QC opinion that there are good grounds for taking legal action against USS on breach of trust.
HESC believes:
a. There is an urgent need to defend USS.
b. What happens to USS will probably affect all DB schemes, including those in post-92 and FE, and members of the wider trade union movement.
HESC agrees that legal action is an appropriate means of defending USS and should be initiated as soon as possible.
HESC instructs Strategy and Finance Committee to:
i. Take immediate steps to initiate urgent legal action, e.g. to delay current and overturn previous valuations and replace them by a better process. This will require obtaining legal advice on the most appropriate forms of legal action.
ii. Actively involve the 51福利 Superannuation Working Group (minus directors) and endeavour to get them included in the legally privileged group with access to the legal advice.
HE15
Replacing USS ltd. as the trustee company of the USS听听听听 Lancaster University
Conference notes 鈥�
1. USS having acquired master-trust status, 51福利 (and UUK) have lost the right to dismiss/replace their nominated trustees.
2. Repeated calls in previous HESCs for USS executive to resign
3. The wish of members to regain control of our pensions.
Conference believes 鈥�
a. USS governance structures are not transparent or fit for purpose
b. USS executive is not acting in the best interest of members as demonstrated by the non-implementation of JEP 1&2 reports.
Conference resolves that 鈥�
i. 51福利 should immediately initiate an investigation to explore mechanisms by which USS ltd (trustee company) can be replaced, and explore options to appoint a successor to administer the scheme.
ii. The investigation should explore the advantages and disadvantages of replacing the trustee company with another, and make recommendations to 51福利.
iii. This investigation should be completed within the next 6 months to allow 51福利 to effectively evaluate its options.
HE16
Pension policy: reverse the governance deficit, divest from fossil fuels听听听听听 King鈥檚
College London
Conference notes that:
1. USS trustees valued our pension assets in March 2020 when the FTSE 100 was down 36.7%,
2. USS annual 鈥榩ersonnel costs鈥� inflated 1240% from 2008 to 2020,
3. five USS trustees are board-appointed, and have backgrounds at JP Morgan, Citi, HSBC and in coal,
4. the USS ethical investment survey showed members want to divest from fossil fuels. Trustees have refused to follow, and have no credible policy for casting shareholder voting rights.
Conference resolves that:
a. we must elect at least half of USS trustees. It鈥檚 our money, not theirs,听听
b. USS personnel costs must be reduced to pre-2008 levels,
c. USS assets must be managed through an in-house, low-cost indexed fund by default,
d. USS must divest from coal, oil and gas, and have a shareholder voting policy that follows members鈥� views,
HE17 Women and pensions听 Women
members standing committee
Conference notes that women have lower pensions, due to structural discrimination in promotion and the greater casualisation of female staff. Women are harder-hit by contribution increases, and also by reductions in benefits as they generally have fewer savings. This applies to both USS and TPS. The move from final salary to CARE has also led to indirect discrimination as women tend to get promoted later. The situation for BAME, disabled and precariously employed women even worse as they experience multiple discrimination.
Conference agrees:
1. To demand that USS and TPS carry out equality impact assessments.
2. To fight contribution increases and benefit cuts to the maximum, including industrial action
3. To make links with women politicians to put pressure on USS and call for a public inquiry including equality impact assessment.
4. To organise webinars about women and pensions (USS and TPS).
HE18 Resisting cuts to research funding, defending academic freedom 听听听听 Anti-casualisation committee
Conference notes:
1. The almost 50% cuts鈥痶o the UKRI ODA budget announced March 2021
2. The almost immediate withdrawal of funding, including from grants in progress.
3. Fears of further cuts to research funding, such as Horizon funding
Conference believes:
a. The speed and size of cuts is an intentional assault on the HE sector鈥檚 finances, stability and strength.
b. Volatile, narrowly-defined funding streams are an assault on academic freedom that erodes the stability required to support an independent voice
c. The harms of withdrawing funding will disproportionately fall on casualised staff
鈥疌onference calls on employers to:
i. Guarantee no compulsory redundancies
ii. Provide replacement funding for PhD students
iii. Provide adequate funded time to bring in replacement funding from other sources or be redeployed
Conference commits 51福利 to lobby the government to reverse the cuts and increase research funding, allocated according to academic excellence
HE19 Stop the
government cuts to UKRI ODA projects 听听听 University
of Leeds
Conference notes:
1. 49% government cuts to the 拢245million UKRI ODA budget for 2021-22.
2. these cuts, in an unprecedented breach of faith, affect projects mid-contract in around 30 Universities employing researchers working with developing nations.
3. managements are considering closing projects and making researchers redundant.
4. many pre-92 Universities affected have 拢multimillion operating surplus/reserves; they need to take exceptional measures.
5. public opposition from professional bodies.
Conference believes:
a. 51福利 must urgently act on these short-notice cuts.
b. this scandal exposes the fragility of the neoliberal research funding model with its permanently vulnerable casualised workforce.
Conference resolves to:
i. launch an immediate campaign demanding the Government reverses the cut.
ii. demand that universities guarantee the jobs of their research staff for at least the duration of the awarded project.
iii. initiate a national petition.
iv. plan for industrial action.
v. establish a network open to all research staff.
HE20 Discrimination in
promotion听听听听听听听听听 Higher education
committee
HESC notes:
1.
Continuing promotion discrimination of women and minority groups, particularly
BAME and Disabled members.
2.
Negative impact of casualisation.
3.
Limited promotion opportunities for T&S and ARPS members
4.
Continuously increasing criteria and resulting indirect discrimination.
HESC instructs HEC to:
a.
Produce
campaigning pack to support branches to get management to:
a.
provide
data on promotion of people in equality strands, L&T and ARPR staff,
existing policy and how implemented in practice.
b.
carry
out equality impact assessments of promotion procedures and changes in them and
provide results to branch committee.
c.
make
criteria more flexible to take account of individual circumstances such as
disability and separate this from the promotion form and monitor the impact.
d.
implement
and monitor measures for equality in promotion of L&T and ARPR staff.
e.
promote
equal numbers of women/non-binary people to men in male dominated areas.
2. Negotiate an agreement with UCEA.
HE21 Disputes of National
Significance University of Liverpool
HESC notes:
1. More than a dozen 51福利 branches face threats of compulsory redundancies, including Liverpool, Leicester, Dundee, Roehampton, UEL, Solent, Goldsmiths, Leeds and more
2. Many of these are targeting union activists, including UEL, Leicester and Dundee.
3. Elements of success have been seen at Northumbria where a formal ballot was initiated immediately without a consultative ballot and at Heriot Watt with their rapid activation of the Academic Boycott & Censure process.
4. 51福利 existing policy recognising disputes of national significance.
HESC resolves to:
a. Declare all current disputes to be of national significance.
b. Streamline the process of balloting, remove the requirement for consultative ballots
c. Allow Academic Boycott and Censure to be declared immediately on request of the branch.
d. Report back to HEC on all branches in dispute with the time taken from an employer declaring proposed job cuts to beginning of the balloting of members.
HE22 Defending International
Students听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Migrant members
standing committee
HESC notes:
1. 51福利 has existing policy against tuition fees
2. historically, international student fees opened the door to the marketised HE sector that we now face
3. the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown many international students into financial destitution
4. Many international students in UKHE participate in tuition/rent strikes; many face withdrawal from their courses for both unwillingness and inability to pay.
HESC believes in free and accessible higher education for all, the end of the hostile environment, and the importance of students, staff, and broader community working together to fight for justice.
HESC resolves:
a. to campaign to end all international student tuition fees, endorsing campaigns such as that run by Unis Resist Border Controls
b. to lobby government to end no recourse to public funds for Tier 4 students
c. to campaign at national and branch level to defend protesting international students from course withdrawals and visa cancellations
HE22A.1 Migrant members standing
committee
Replace existing
resolves a with 'to campaign with Unis Resist Border Controls and others for
tuition fee amnesty and an end to international student fees'.
HE23 IHRA Definition of Antisemitism听听 Higher education committee
HESC notes the:
1.
the unions commitment to opposing anti-Semitism
divergent HEI responses to the IHRA definition of antisemitism 鈥� adoption,
adoption with caveats, review of adoption decision, rejection;
2. careful investigation of antisemitic incidents and of the IHRA definition in the UCL Working Group Report and its relevance for the whole sector;
3. Unfounded accusations of antisemitism against academic staff, using the IHRA听听听听 definition;
4. Scurrilous attack on Ken Loach, and attempt to 鈥榥o platform鈥� him at Oxford.
HESC believes defence of members鈥� integrity and job security requires negotiated agreements to reject use of the IHRA definition, adopting an alternative, if appropriate.
HESC resolves to:
a. circulate, in a dedicated message, links to the UCL Report, PSC/BRICUP Guide, legal opinions, and relevant statements of opposition;
b. urge branches to share these with all members, open negotiations with managements, and mount staff-student campaigns in favour of academic freedom to teach Middle East studies on campuses.
HE24 Rebate of accommodation costs
for students West Midlands HE sector
regional committee
HESC notes:
1. Most students that move away from home to attend university live in university or private sector accommodation at considerable cost to themselves.
2. During the 鈥�3rd lockdown鈥� from January to March 2021, most students were unable to use their university accommodation because they returned home.
3. In many cases universities have given a rent rebate or refund for their own managed accommodation.听 However private sector landlords generally have not done so.
HESC believes that universities and private sector landlords should all treat students fairly, and provide a rent rebate for the lockdown period when the accommodation wasn鈥檛 used.
HESC resolves:
a. To support the UK Rent Strike鈥檚 national 鈥楥ut the Rent鈥� campaign also backed by the NUS.
b. To encourage 51福利 Branches to support their local student rent-strike campaigns for a rent refund or rebate from university, private partnerships in association with universities, and private sector landlords.
HE25 Challenging the impact of online working for HE neurodivergent staff Disabled members standing committee
HESC deplores the intensification of workloads, lack of resources and support for online working and their disproportionate and discriminatory impact on disabled and neurodivergent staff.
Conference reaffirms:
1. Its commitment to equality and ending discrimination against disabled members.
2. The need to act collectively to ensure that disabled members receive the reasonable adjustments they need.
Conference instructs HEC to:
a. Produce guidance for branches to negotiate policies for proactive approaches to reasonable adjustments for online working for disabled members, including (i) provision of all required equipment and support, (ii) support for doing tasks differently e.g. hard copies instead of online marking. (iii) reductions in workloads, but not pay due to longer time to carry out tasks.
b. Survey disabled members on impact of online working and use results to improve guidance.
c. Publicise examples of good practice.
d. Support legal action against employers who engage in disability discrimination.
HE26 LGBT+ Liberation in Higher
Education 听 LGBT+ members standing
committee
Conference believes:
1. Hetero and cis-normative societal values are prevalent in HE and don鈥檛 mirror LGBT+ lives
2. HE can enable people to see different experiences and perspectives through teaching and research
3. Erosion of space for exploring non-normative lives is a by-product of ongoing marketisation of HE.
Conference notes:
a. Attempts to dilute commitments to support LGBT+ people and / or rights in policy and action
b. Hetero and cis-normative values lead to LGBT+ people experiencing micro-aggressions and discrimination in HE
c. Data collected in HEIs about LGBT+ people isn鈥檛 routine
d. Some HEI鈥檚 data collection questions demonstrate poor awareness and/or exclude some LGBT+ people
Conference resolves to:
i. Develop toolkit for branches to review HEI LGBT+ policies, data collection and implementation
ii. Organise LGBT+ liberation training
Campaign for LGBT+ inclusion in teaching and research to be given increased value and undertaken by all not just LGBT+ people.
听听听听听听听听 HESC notes:1. The Education Secretary threatened (9.10.20) to cut 鈥渇unding streams鈥� if universities did not adopt the 鈥渨orking definition鈥� of anti-Semitism promulgated by the IHRA. 2. The IHRA so-called 鈥渋llustrative examples鈥� were widely criticised as infringing upon freedom of speech and in particular by defenders of Palestinian rights.3. Some UK universities' have adopted the controversial IHRA definition. 听听听听听听听听 HESC believes:a. These developments are detrimental to academic autonomy, freedom, and freedom of speech.b. These developments intimidate and suppress speech by academics researching Israel and Palestine.听听听听听听听听 HESC resolves:听 i. To defend academic freedom and reject adopting and enforcing the IHRA working definition and its 鈥渋llustrative examples鈥�.ii. To urge HEI management to reject pressure from government and OFS to adopt the flawed IHRA working definition and its 鈥渋llustrative examples鈥�.听听 iii. To urge UK Higher Education Institutions to defend academic freedom and student activism from external and politically motivated attacks.听听听听
HE28 Peaceful protest and assembly听听听听 West Midlands HE sector regional committee
Conference asserts its full support for the right to peaceful protest on University campuses.
HESC recognises the right to peaceful protest and assembly under the HRA 1998 and the 1997 UNESCO definition of academic freedom. We recognise the right of staff and students to enter our campuses and note that this right cannot be removed or deemed to be 鈥榯respass鈥� without legally adequate justification.
HESC notes that picketing during strike action may take place at or near the entrances to our workplaces, which may be within the boundary of our employer鈥檚 property if this is a public space.
HESC resolves:
1. to replace reference to 鈥榯respassing鈥� in our guidance on picketing to clarify our legal right to peaceful protest on our own campuses.
2. to ensure that full support under the 51福利 legal scheme is provided to any 51福利 member victimised for participating in peaceful protest.
HE29 Artificial Intelligence (AI)
and Automated Decision Making (AD) 听听听听 Higher
education committee
听听听听 HESC notes:
1. The impact of the pandemic on the uptake
of technology in the sector.
2. The Automatic University report.
3. The TUC working group on AI which produced
the Technology Managing People report.
4. Data Protection Impact Assessments should
be carried out by employers when implementing new systems.
5. The importance of all technologies being
fully accessible to all members.
6.
Potential
cost implications.
HESC
believes AI and ADM can be useful but must not infringe workers鈥� rights or
discriminate.
HESC resolves to:
a. Produce bargaining guidance for branches
on how to approach the new technology with their employers and provide training
to support this. This guidance should include the importance of accessibility
to all members and the employer covering all costs
b. Include an element in HE national claim on
agreeing an ethical AI policy with UCEA which universities can implement with
local branches
c. Involve members with expertise in this area in drawing up guidance.
HE30 Governance standards 听听听听听听听听听 University of Sussex
Conference notes that:
1. UK universities are charitable institutions with a duty to uphold ethical standards
2. UK universities have become increasingly marketised.
Conference believes that the increasing pressures on UK universities have seen some university executives systematically bypass University formal academic and governance structures to the detriment of academic assurance, ethics and transparency.
Conference instructs Higher Education Committee to commission a report investigating the current standards of University governance in order to inform future national and local campaigns.
HE31 LGBT+ International working 听听听听听听 LGBT+ members standing committee
Conference notes:
1. HEIs have established international campuses
2. Some campuses are in countries that don鈥檛 support LGBT+ rights
3. LGBT+ staff have expressed concern about not having the same support or rights as non-LGBT+ colleagues when working in some countries
Conference believes:
a. LGBT+ workers shouldn鈥檛 have to hide their protected characteristics to enjoy a full working life
b. LGBT+ workers shouldn鈥檛 be put in positions where they fear criminal prosecution, unequal protection for their employment status, and / or family life just for being themselves
听听听听 Conference resolves to:
i. Engage with and initiate campaigns to stop HEIs opening campuses where LGBT+ rights aren鈥檛 recognised
ii. Organise and lobby for protection of LGBT+ workers lives and careers particularly where compromised by HEIs international operations
iii. Call on employers to provide equal progression routes for LGBT+ workers who don鈥檛 wish to work in countries where their rights aren鈥檛 recognised.
Conference notes that the General Secretary's election manifesto included a suggestion that "we should consider adopting alternative approaches that might deliver more for our members: in particular, open negotiations", and that the 51福利 ran a workshop on open negotiation in February 2021.Conference believes that there is merit in further consideration of open negotiations in various aspects of the union鈥檚 operations, and supports its adoption in principle in any forum where there is a good case as to its desirability and feasibility.Conference requests that the HEC commissions a paper on the merits of open negotiation for debate within branches, and asks that the Superannuation Working Group and pay negotiating team explore and report back to HEC at the earliest opportunity, and within six months, on the desirability and feasibility of implementing open negotiation at the USS Joint Negotiating Committee and New JNCHES fora.
听HE33
Building 51福利 in private HE 鈥楶athway鈥� colleges听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听 University of Sheffield International
College
Conference notes:
1. The rapid expansion of private HE providers such as Kaplan, Study Group and OnCampus.
2. That universities collaborate with these providers to secure profitable international students while sidestepping 51福利-negotiated terms and conditions. In the vast majority, 51福利 is not even recognised.
3. That the expansion of these providers (which are outside of sector pension schemes and where staff are highly casualised and overworked, often working evenings and weekends) normalises shocking working conditions in our sector.
4. That although Congress 2019 resolved to 鈥渙rganise campaigns through local branches to recruit private providers' staff and support them in building new branches鈥� this is a massive challenge and little progress has been made so far.
Conference resolves to initiate a serious campaign of recruitment and organising in private provider institutions, aimed at building branches and securing local recognition agreements, as a step towards national collective bargaining in each provider.
HE34 Academic freedom, black workers/students and the IHRA听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Black members standing committee
HESC notes that universities have been instructed to adopt the 鈥淚HRA working definition of antisemitism鈥�, and implement it in staff and student codes of conduct.
HESC also notes that only a quarter of HEIs have adopted the definition.
Furthermore, 51福利 has established policy opposition to the IHRA definition. 51福利 also has a proud track record of fighting antisemitism.
HESC believes that:
1. The struggle of the Palestinian people and all oppressed peoples across the world is inextricably linked with our own freedom.
HESC resolves to:
a. condemn the Government鈥檚 intervention as an attack on institutional autonomy, on academic freedom and freedom of expression.
b. publicly oppose this assault on academic freedom
c. call on branches to organise against the adoption, and to develop a briefing document for branches
d. organise a grassroots campaign on academic freedom and free speech on Israel.
HE35 Build Back Better听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Higher
education committee
HESC notes the Build Back Better campaign which seeks to ensure
society鈥檚 response to the pandemic is to protect public services, tackle
inequality and provide quality jobs whilst addressing the climate crisis.
HESC notes the bargaining priority areas to tackle the race &
gender pay gaps; insecure work and unmanageable workloads, as well policy on
democratic governance and ending outsourcing and the Green New Deal
bargaining guidance to branches.
HESC believes that the pandemic has left branches struggling to address
these priority areas whilst ensuring that their workplace is a safe environment
to work. As such there is a need for bargaining support to be streamlined to
help branches achieve maximum impact in all these areas with the resources they
have.
HESC therefore instructs HEC to draw up a model claim and accompanying guidance for branches which includes the principles of the Build Back Better campaign and 51福利鈥檚 bargaining priorities
HE36 Digital Learning
Technologies study听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 SOAS
HESC notes:
While digital technologies offer many potential advantages for staff and for student learning, they also bring potential changes in workplace relationships.听 The implementation of classroom recording, online learning support, remote teaching tools and marking software as well as other A.I. and digital technologies can raise issues such as workplace surveillance, intellectual property, student and staff privacy, automation of teaching and/or deskilling.听听 Implementation of these technologies has been accelerated by the pandemic, often without proper planning or consideration of the long-term consequences.
HESC resolves:
51福利 should investigate the role and impact of online and digital teaching software and the variety of implementation policies used across the education sector in the U.K. Such a study would help support individual branches as well as identify the long-term threats and potentials that digital teaching software presents for the future of further and higher education.
HE37 Re-dressing the leaky
pipeline for disabled graduates 听听听 Disabled
members standing committee
听听听听听听听听 Conference notes:
1. 14.5% of students are disabled and 5.7% of HE academics declared a disability, compared to proportion 19% of working age people in the UK.
2. Disabled workers are twice as likely to be made redundant than non-disabled workers
Conference believes this is due to disability discrimination in the employment of disabled people within academic roles.
Conference instructs HEC to develop a fully resourced campaign to address this inequality to include the following elements:
a. Encourage disclosure of disability status for students and academics
b. Mandate negotiators at branch and national level to push employers to release data on disability status for staff at different pay scales.
c. Create campaigning materials and branch action plans to increase the proportion of disabled academic staff
d. Include disability pay gap the next pay negotiations
e. Prevent redundancies for the few disabled staff in HE
HE38 Teaching only institutions do
not benefit staff, students and stakeholders Southern
regional HE sector committee
HESC believes:
1. High quality research is found in all HEIs;
2. That the government should support research at all HEIs; and,
3. That teaching only institutions will be to the detriment to staff, students and the general public.
HESC instructs 51福利 to fully support any branch that resists any attempts to turn their HEI into a Teaching-only institution under any circumstance.
HE39
University libraries opening during the pandemic听听 Academic related, professional staff committee
HESC notes:
1. 听 During the first Covid-19 lockdown many campuses were closed, including libraries.
2. 听 Many libraries operated a 鈥榗lick and collect鈥� service for access to books/materials.
3. 听 51福利鈥檚 strong campaign to ensure most teaching moved online, with considerable success in many universities.
4. 听 Many universities have now opened study space in libraries, claiming they are 鈥榗ovid-secure鈥�.
5. 听 Library staff (and their communities) are therefore at unnecessary elevated risk of contracting coronavirus.
HESC instructs HEC to:
a. Ensure that risks to ARPS staff (including library staff) are highlighted in all Covid-19 campaigns, materials, and press releases.
b. Launch a UK campaign for university libraries to return to click and collect access only during the Covid-19 pandemic.
c. Provide specific central and regional support to branches where library staff feel they are being placed in serious and imminent danger.
HE40 Defending academic freedom and defending equality听听听听听 University of Glasgow
HESC affirms the importance of defending both academic freedom and equality and diversity.
HESC believes that academic freedom should not be used to justify racism, eugenics, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia in research or teaching.
HESC is equally concerned about the misuse of equality concerns to suppress academic freedom.
HESC calls on HEC to:
1.听 Organise online meetings with input from the Equality Standing Committees in regions and devolved nations to discuss these issues.听听
2.听 With input from the Equality Standing Committees to produce a discussion document on guidelines on intersection between equality issues and academic freedom and what is and is not acceptable.
3.听 To provide support for branches negotiating the guidelines with management and for making public statements where required to condemn management practice in this area.
HE40A.1
LGBT+ members standing committee
Add after first sentence:
HESC notes the conflation of academic freedom with 鈥榝reedom of speech鈥�,
and the use of both concepts to justify hate speech and the so-called debating
of the rights of trans people and other minority groups
Delete sentence 3.
HE40A.2 University of Bristol
After third
sentence insert听 鈥淗ESC deplores the
online abuse, harassment and targeted intimidation of staff who have
demonstrated publicly whether on social media or as signatories of open letters
their defence of David Miller, his academic freedom and employment rights鈥�
After point 3.
insert 鈥�4. Publicly call upon all Universities to address any testable
allegations according to their own procedures, following principles of justice
and due process and not bow to lobbying campaigns to pre-empt them.鈥�
MOTIONS NOT ORDERED ONTO THE AGENDA
I听听听听听听听 Motions submitted after
the deadline, not considered to meet the criteria for late motions
Submitted to Congress
B1 听听听 Solidarity with
Uyghurs, HK Democracy campaigners, Chinese workers, HK/Chinese
migrants 听听听听 SOAS
Congress
notes:
1.
53
democracy and trade union activists arrested in Hong Kong stand accused of
鈥渟ubverting state power鈥� under the National Security Law.
2.
HK
trade union leader Lee Cheuk-yan鈥檚 prosecution for 鈥渦nauthorised assembly鈥�.
3.
Similar
repression of workers鈥� organisations throughout China.
4.
Collective
mass incarceration of Uyghurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang and evidence of
sterilisation, surveillance, rape, torture and forced labour.
5.
Increasing
levels of Sinophobia, pandemic-racism and 鈥楴ew Cold War鈥� rhetoric.
Congress
believes the 51福利 must stand in solidarity with struggles for democracy in
China.
Congress
resolves to:
i.
Call
on the 51福利 to support detained activists for workers鈥� rights and democracy in
China and Hong Kong.
ii.
Support
events highlighting the repression of Uyghurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang.
iii.
Oppose
all forms of Sinophobia.
B2听听听听 Student Number Controls University of Lincoln
HESC notes that:
1. The combination of COVID-19 and marketisation of HE created a 'perfect storm' of adverse conditions
2. Some UK universities over-recruited in 2020, and expect to do the same in 2021, leaving some university departments with unsustainable workloads while others, especially at Post-92 institutions, struggling to recruit
HESC believes that:
a. The current 'free-for-all' system of student places provides undue advantages to 'highly ranked' institutions that have aggressively expanded since institutional student number controls were lifted in 2015, often relying on employing and exploiting casualised staff
b. Attempts to create an education 'marketplace' have done enormous harm to HE sector, workers and students
HESC resolves to:
i. Request modelling of student number controls aligned with 51福利's opposition to HE marketisation
ii. Explore the development of a campaign for controls to prevent institutional failure and departmental closure
II 听听听听 Motions not
approved in accordance with the Congress standing orders
Submitted to Congress
B3听听听听 Post Covid-19
video delivery听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 University
of Westminster
Congress
notes that:
1.
Many
HE/FE employers have opted for continued online delivery as part of their
post-Covid19 planning, including video recordings made by academic staff;
2.
At
the same time,听 employers are actively
considering or have imposed video recording policies which breach the
Intellectual Property, moral and performance听
rights of academic staff;
3.
Such
moves create opportunities for employers to use teaching material in perpetuity
and, thus, substantially reduce reliance on their academic and academic related
work-force.听 These moves are also
detrimental to the student educational experience and to student wellbeing.
Congress
resolves:
b.
To defend, promote
and reinforce the听 academic staff and
students鈥� rights to the established pedagogic benefits听 of face-to-face/ blended learning through a
national campaign;
c.
To undertake joint
initiatives with NUS against the marketisation of education.
d.
To support local
branches to defend members鈥� rights and IP through a campaign of national importance.
B4听听听听 ODA cuts will lead to compulsory
redundancies in UK universities听听听听 Southern
Regional Committee
听Congress notes:
1. The cuts to the Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) budget which have led to cuts in several research funding streams, including those projects that have already been awarded and projects that are already in place;
2. These cuts will lead to compulsory redundancies, especially casualised staff, in UK universities and cause serious reputational damage to the UK sector;
3. Such cuts to ongoing and awarded projects are unprecedented in the UK;
4. They set a dangerous precedent where already awarded grants may not be honoured.
Congress resolves to:
a. Campaign vigorously to oppose and reverse these funding cuts in the UK;
b. Campaign for institutions to explore all possible means to avoid compulsory redundancies arising from the ODA budget cuts, and to use alternative funding streams, and to honour all existing contracts;
c. To support branches in setting up local disputes where compulsory redundancies result from the ODA cuts.
B5听听听听 Kill The Bill Solidarity听 Queen Margaret University
Congress re-affirms 51福利鈥檚 support for the aims of the Kill the Bill Statement but听 notes that on top of the issues detailed in this statement, this bill allows police forces to criminalise any picket they deem to represent a 鈥減ublic nuisance鈥�. Extending such powers to the police will almost certainly lead to this tactic becoming widespread amongst employers who want to subdue industrial action. This should be seen as an attack on the whole working class.
This congress resolves:
To mobilise for any 鈥楰ill the Bill鈥� protests, including branches organising delegations to attend these demonstrations.
To call upon 51福利 to go to the TUC with a demand for a national mass campaign across all affiliated unions to oppose and defeat this bill including mobilising its members for a one day coordinated strike to use as leverage.
Submitted to HE
sector conference
B6听听听听 Third semester imposition in post-92
institutions听听听 University of Westminster
听听听听听听听听 Congress (HE sector) notes that:
1. the introduction of a third semester (April-July) at post-92 institutions
2. such as Westminster, combined with the threat to staff of teaching three
3. semesters per year, negatively affects the wellbeing of academic and
4. academic related staff and their ability to take annual leave and/or
5. conduct scholarly activity and research;
6. the imposition of such decisions without prior consultation with 51福利
7. is against the post-92 contract and any local variations, and demonstrates an unwillingness by managements to protect staff wellbeing.
HE sector Congress resolves:
a. to defend the post-92 contract and maxima;
b. to support local negotiators, to ensure that no post-92 member of staff will have to teach more than 2 semesters, or beyond the contractual 38 weeks, each academic year;
c. local disputes will be supported nationally through a campaign of national importance that highlights the importance of protecting staff wellbeing and mental health.
Submitted to FE
sector conference
B7听听听听 51福利 must
campaign harder on pay in FE听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 City
of Liverpool College
We must not forget the expensive executive pay, expensive private consultants, and now missing millions.听 51福利 has a rare opportunity to expose these excesses and galvinise a workforce for change.
Yet again real FE is being abandoned by government seeking to strengthen skills and the needs of business. The AoC鈥檚 stubborn refusal to recognise a pay offer is evidence of further exploitation of the sector. 1% is an insult to the workers.听
51福利 must do better on campaigning on pay.听 The pay strategy must include local, regional and national pay campaigns.听听 The pay campaign must target the government, AoC, and employers.
Congress resolves:
1听听听 Launch a National Pay Campaign that is visible in all aspects of social media.
2听听听 All branches to campaign on a single, clear, unified pay message.
3听听听 Provide a definitive strategy with deadlines.
4听听听 Coordinate pay and funding campaign with other unions.
III Amendment not submitted in accordance with standing orders (not to
a motion in the first report)
Submitted to HE sector conference
Amendment to motion (late motion
HE3)
B8听听听听 Yorkshire and Humberside regional committee
Add to resolves:
a. Combine any balloting on four fights and USS together ie. one ballot envelope with two separate ballot papers in order to link the two disputes together time-wise but keeping them separate as disputes.
Appendix 1: Results of priority voting consultation
The number that each motion has in this second report is given
followed, in brackets, by the number that the motion had in the first report.
|
Motion number |
Number of votes |
Title/mover |
|
Business of the education committee |
||
|
1 (ED1) |
68 |
Education campaigning and policy听听 National executive committee |
|
2 (ED2) |
99 |
Defend the arts听听听 National executive committee |
|
3 (-) |
- |
Attacks on the arts and humanities听听 University of Sussex |
|
Business of the equality committee |
||
|
4 (EQ1) |
77 |
Campaigning for equality听听 National executive committee |
|
5 (EQ2) |
122 |
Long Covid听听 University of Glasgow |
|
6 (EQ3) |
45 |
LGBT+ workers post Covid 听LGBT+ members standing committee |
|
7 (EQ4) |
99 |
51福利 Black Livers Matter Day听听 Black members standing committee |
|
8 (EQ6) |
93 |
Decolonising the Curriculum听听 National executive committee |
|
9 (EQ7) |
64 |
Time to combat ableism听听 Disabled members standing committee |
|
10 (EQ8) |
83 |
Gender pay must be at the heart of industrial strategy听听 Women members standing committee |
|
11 (EQ9) |
87 |
End gender based violence听听 Women members standing committee |
|
12 (EQ13) |
57 |
Adopting a better definition of anti-Semitism听听 University of Exeter |
|
13 (EQ12) |
77 |
IHRA Definition of Antisemitism听听 London regional committee |
|
14 (-) |
- |
Support for the Jerusalem Declaration on anti-Semitism听听 University of Northampton |
|
15 (EQ14) |
65 |
Promoting Trans Equality听听 51福利 Scotland |
|
16 (EQ11) |
64 |
Campaign for GRA reforms and against asylum seeker persecution听听 National executive committee |
|
17 (EQ5) |
32 |
BLM on campus听听 New City College Poplar, National Executive Committee |
|
18 (EQ10) |
20 |
Swiss referendum听听 National executive committee |
|
Business of the recruitment, organising and campaigning committee |
||
|
19 (ROC1) |
61 |
Campaigns and organising听听 National executive committee |
|
20 (ROC3) |
119 |
Working from home culture and cost听听 Academic related, professional staff committee |
|
21 (ROC2) |
109 |
Anti-Casualisation听听 University听 of Liverpool |
|
22 (ROC4) |
105 |
Keep workplaces Covid safe and accessible听听 Disabled members standing committee |
|
23 (ROC13) |
103 |
Composite: Climate change, COP26, zero carbon economy and job creation听听 University of Hull, London retired members, National executive committee, Croydon College, University of Manchester |
|
24 (ROC8) |
93 |
Composite: A union for all 鈥� press coverage and representation of all members听听 Yorkshire and Humberside regional committee, Academic related, professional staff committee |
|
25 (ROC9) |
85 |
Building a trade union movement against Hostile Environment听 Migrant members standing committee |
|
26 (ROC5) |
69 |
Understanding casualisation by learning technology听听 Anti-casualisation committee |
|
27 (ROC11) |
53 |
Reverse the rise in the state pension age听听 West Midlands retired members |
|
28 (ROC7) |
50 |
Solidarity with NHS and other public sector workers听听 Kirklees College |
|
29 (ROC6) |
48 |
The recalcitrant approach of employers on improvements to pay听听 Southern regional committee |
|
30 (ROC14) |
46 |
Environmental sustainability as an anti-casualisation听 Anti-casualisation committee |
|
31 (ROC10) |
38 |
Justice for Osime Brown听听 West Midlands regional committee |
|
32 (ROC12) |
23 |
Housing safety for staff and students听听 The Trafford College Group |
|
Business of the strategy and finance committee |
||
|
37 (SFC12) |
110 |
Provision of immigration advice听听 Migrant members standing committee |
|
38 (SFC10) |
101 |
Defend the right to protest听听 Capital City Collee CANDI Lifelong Learning |
|
39 (SFC8) |
94 |
Strike pay听听 University of听 Brighton, Grand Parade, and University of Brighton, Moulsecoomb |
|
40 (SFC6) |
84 |
Collectivise the Resistance: solidarity action works听听 London regional committee |
|
41 (SFC22) |
84 |
Solidarity with the civil disobedience movement in Myanmar听听 University of Nottingham |
|
42 (SFC20) |
82 |
Composite: China, Hong Kong and the Uyghurs: solidarity, peace, and democracy听听 University of Cambridge, Liverpool John Moores |
|
43 (SFC5) |
79 |
Composite: Financial disclosure and transparency听听 Southern regional committee, University of Leeds |
|
44 (SFC15) |
64 |
Electronic voting at Congress, FESC and HESC听听 South West regional committee |
|
45 (SFC18) |
56 |
UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons听听 Yorkshire and Humberside retired members |
|
46 (SFC14) |
55 |
Climate and ecological emergency听听 Central Saint Martin |
|
47 (SFC21) |
51 |
International LGBT+ Rights听听 LGBT+ members standing committee |
|
48 (SFC11) |
51 |
Reclaim the streets听听 Birmingham City University |
|
49 (SFC19) |
51 |
International cooperation and solidarity听 National executive committee |
|
50 (SFC13) |
46 |
Annual meeting and committee on environmental issues听听 Open University |
|
51 (SFC16) |
46 |
Impact of UK Pensions Act听听 Scottish retired members branch |
|
52 (SFC7) |
44 |
We won鈥檛 pay for the public health crisis听听 City and Islington College Camden Road |
|
53 (SFC9) |
44 |
Review of 51福利鈥檚 affiliated organisations听听 City College Plymouth |
|
54 (SFC17) |
38 |
Discussion of pensions at Congress听听 East Midlands retired members |
|
Rule changes |
||
|
55 (R1) |
124 |
Rule change: Gender identity听听 National executive committee |
|
56 (R2) |
99 |
Rule change: 51福利 membership and far right organisations听听 National executive committee |
|
57 (R5) |
90 |
Rule change: Congress delegates from equality standing committees听听 National executive committee |
|
58 (R3) |
85 |
Rule change: General data protection regulation听 National executive committee |
|
59 (R10) |
80 |
Rule change:听 Amend Congress Standing Order 18 (quorum)听 University of Leeds |
|
60 (R6) |
79 |
Rule change: Congress Membership and New/Small Branches听听 University of Sheffield International College |
|
61 (R11) |
68 |
Speaking times at Congress听听 South West regional committee |
|
62 (R8) |
62 |
Rule 24 Retired Members鈥� Committee听听 Yorkshire and Humberside retired members |
|
63 (R12) |
56 |
Voting process听听 South West regional committee |
|
64 (R4) |
48 |
Addition of 15.9-15.11 to Rule 15 鈥� National hustings event听听 University of Sheffield |
|
65 (R13) |
38 |
鈥楴ew-delegate friendly鈥� order of business for Congress听 South West regional committee |
|
66 (R7) |
24 |
Entitlement to Participate in Election of 51福利 Scotland Officers听听 Scottish retired members |
|
67 (R9) |
23 |
Rule 24 National Meetings of Retired Members听听 Yorkshire and Humberside retired members |
|
Higher education sector conference |
||
|
HE1 (-) |
- |
HE pay听 Higher education committee |
|
HE2 (HE1) |
52 |
Pay 鈥� 4 Fights听听 Higher education committee |
|
HE3 (-) |
- |
Response to the New JNCHES 2021-22 negotiating round听听 Higher education committee |
|
HE4 (HE3) |
51 |
Building the successes of the Four Fights dispute听听 Anti-casualisation committee |
|
HE5 (HE2) |
63 |
Maintaining the 鈥楩our Fights鈥�听 University of Brighton, Moulsecoomb, University of Brighton, Grand Parade |
|
HE6 (HE4) |
70 |
For a national campaign on workload and casualisation听听 Bournemouth University |
|
HE7 (HE5) |
69 |
Formula for the election of HE negotiators听听 Higher education committee |
|
HE8 (HE7) |
39 |
Composite: Support for branches pursuing the model claim for ARPS听听 Academic related, professional staff committee, University of Liverpool |
|
HE9 (HE27) |
29 |
Risk assessment, health and safety and black workers听听 Black members standing committee |
|
HE10 (-) |
- |
USS听听 Higher education committee |
|
HE11 (HE10) |
48 |
Composite: Condemn the USS valuation, defend USS听听 Newcastle University, Northern regional HE sector committee |
|
HE12 (HE11) |
67 |
USS 鈥� Build the resistance听听 University College London |
|
HE13 (-) |
- |
USS 鈥楽WG Principles鈥�听听 University College London |
|
HE14 (HE13) |
65 |
Composite: Initiating legal action on USS听听 Lancaster University, University of Glasgow |
|
HE15 (HE12) |
44 |
Replacing USS ltd. as the trustee company of the USS听听 Lancaster University |
|
HE16 (-) |
- |
Pension policy: reverse the governance deficit, divest from fossil fuels听听 King鈥檚 College London |
|
HE17 (HE14) |
47 |
Women and pensions听听 Women members standing committee |
|
HE18 (HE19) |
82 |
Resisting cuts to research funding, defending academic freedom听听 Anti-casualisation committee |
|
HE19 (-) |
- |
Stop the government cuts to UKRI ODA projects听听 University of Leeds |
|
HE20 (HE9) |
68 |
Discrimination in promotion听听 Higher education committee |
|
HE21 (HE6) |
65 |
Disputes of national significance听听 University of Liverpool |
|
HE22 (HE29) |
64 |
Defending International Students听听 Migrant members standing committee |
|
HE23 (HE15) |
58 |
IHRA Definition of Antisemitism听听 Higher education committee |
|
HE24 (HE30) |
57 |
Rebate of accommodation costs for students听听 West Midlands HE sector regional committee |
|
HE25 (HE31) |
46 |
Challenging the impact of online working for HE neurodivergent staff听听 Disabled members standing committee |
|
HE26 (HE34) |
46 |
LGBT+ Liberation in Higher Education听听 LGBT+ members standing committee |
|
HE27 (HE17) |
45 |
Academic freedom and freedom of expression听听 SOAS |
|
HE28 (HE33) |
44 |
Peaceful protest and assembly听听 West Midlands HE sector regional committee |
|
HE29 (HE21) |
43 |
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automated听 Decision Making听 (AD)听听 Higher education committee |
|
HE30 (HE20) |
42 |
Governance standards听听 University of Sussex |
|
HE31 (HE23) |
41 |
LGBT+ International working听听 LGBT+ members standing committee |
|
HE32 (HE8) |
40 |
Exploring open negotiation听听 University of Sheffield |
|
HE33 (HE22) |
38 |
Building 51福利 in private HE 鈥楶athway鈥� Colleges听 University of Sheffield International College |
|
HE34 (HE16) |
35 |
Academic freedom, black workers/students and IHRA听听 Black members standing committee |
|
HE35 (HE24) |
33 |
Build Back Better听听 Higher education committee |
|
HE36 (HE28) |
32 |
Digital Learning Technologies study听听 SOAS |
|
HE37 (HE32) |
32 |
Re-dressing the leaky pipeline for disabled graduates听听 Disabled members standing committee |
|
HE38 (HE26) |
31 |
Teaching only institutions do not benefit staff, students and stakeholders听听 Southern regional HE sector committee |
|
HE39 (HE25) |
30 |
University libraries opening during the pandemic听听 Academic related, professional staff committee |
|
HE40 (HE18) |
25 |
Defending academic freedom and defending equality听听 University of Glasgow |
Appendix 2: Principles for the conduct of
the on-line interim Congress
The agenda
1.听听听听听 Motions
and amendments for this Congress meeting are those submitted by the published
deadlines.
2.听听听听听 The
Congress business committee will order motions and amendments for debate. The
Congress business committee has decided it should be informed by a consultative
priority voting process in respect of all motions submitted by the deadline for
motions.
3.听听听听听 Rule
change motions will be taken by this meeting of Congress.
4.听听听听听 No
emergency motions will be accepted during the course of the Congress and sector
conference meetings.
6.听听听听听 The
conference will be asked to adopt the agenda as circulated in CBC鈥檚 second
report. This vote will be conducted by on-line ballot prior to the opening of
the first session of Congress.
7.听听听听听 No
business that does not appear on the agenda will be brought before the
conference.
8.听听听听听 The
agenda will include addresses from the President and General Secretary and an
update report from the Honorary Treasurer on the union鈥檚 finances.
Conduct of business
9.听听听听听 The
chair of Congress and the sector conferences shall be as set out in the
Congress standing orders. The quorum for these conferences shall be as set out
in the Congress standing orders.
10.听听听 All
delegates who wish to speak in the debate of motions, including movers and
seconders of motions, shall give advance notice of their wish to speak,
including an indication of whether they will speak for or against a motion, in
accordance with instructions issued by 51福利 head office, which will include a
deadline for such notification. The submission of a request to speak in a
debate does not guarantee that a delegate will be called to speak. The chair
will order and call speakers with due regard to a balanced debate, the
participation of different delegates across the conference, and the time
available.
11. 听听 Movers
of motions shall be allowed three minutes, and all other speakers two minutes.
At the discretion of the chair these times may be reduced. Speakers shall introduce
themselves by their name and the branch or other body that they represent.
12.听听听 The
movers of motions shall have a right of reply which will be exercised at the
close of the debate on that motion or group of motions.
13.听听听 No
points of order, points of information, or procedural motions (that the
question be now put; that the meeting proceeds to next business) or challenges
to the chair shall be taken at the conference.
14.听听听 A
motion to remit any motion on the agenda to the NEC (or HEC or FEC as appropriate)
shall be taken only if advance notice of the motion to remit has been received
in accordance with point 6 above.
15.听听听 The
chapters of the NEC鈥檚 report to Congress shall be moved formally.
16.听听听 Any
questions on the annual report shall be submitted in writing not less than five
working days ahead of the opening of the meeting and shall be answered in
writing, ahead of the conference if practical.
17.听听听 It shall not be in order for any participant
on the floor of, or addressing, Conference, to utter or display offensive
language (including discriminatory language) or criticisms of individual Union
employees or individual members who have no right to address Conference and
complaints against whom should be pursued through properly established
procedures. In the event that any of these occur, the Chair shall immediately
ask the participant to withdraw the remarks and apologise to the Conference and
the individual(s) concerned. If the participant refuses to do this, or persists
thereafter, the Chair shall exclude that individual (or individuals) from the
rest of the Conference proceedings. (Congress standing order 36).
Voting on motions
18.听听听 Voting
on motions shall take place after the close of the Congress meeting, by means
of a secure on-line ballot.
Technical issues
19.听听听 The
decisions of the meeting shall not be invalidated by reason of any individual
member鈥檚 difficulty in participating for reasons of broadband, software or
hardware failure.
Suspension of the on-line event
20.听听听 The
chair shall have the discretion to suspend the on-line conference in the event
of disorder or serious technical failure.
Election of the Congress business
committee and other elections
21.听听听 A
call for nominations to the Congress business committee shall be made and
nominations dealt with in accordance with the standing orders of Congress,
except that any ballot required will be conducted electronically shortly after
the event among the relevant delegates who participated in the conference.
22. 听听 Calls
for nominations for HE negotiators, FE negotiators for England, USS
negotiators, the FE ratification panel and the appeal panel, shall be made and
nominations dealt with in accordance with each relevant process except that any
ballot required will be conducted electronically shortly after the event among
the relevant delegates who participated in the Congress or the relevant sector
conference.