51¸£Àû

51¸£Àû/957B   25 May 2019

University and College Union

Carlow Street, London NW1 7LH, Tel. 020 7756 2500, www.ucu.org.uk

To                 Congress delegates

Topic             Congress 2019: Third Report of the Congress Business Committee (tabled 25 May 2019)

Action           For adoption by Congress 2019

 

51¸£Àû CONGRESS AND SECTOR CONFERENCES 25-27 MAY 2019

THIRD REPORT OF THE CONGRESS BUSINESS COMMITTEE

At its pre-Congress meeting on 24 May, the Congress business committee (CBC) received 11 late motions submitted to Congress and the sector conferences.

Four late motions have been ordered into the Congress agenda (L1-L4). Two HE sector conference motions were composited to form a composite motion and a composting amendment (L5 and L5.1) and one other late motion was ordered into the higher education sector conference agenda (L6). One late motion was ordered into the further education sector conference agenda (L7).

Three motions have not been ordered into the agenda. CBC considered that one of these did not meet the criteria for late motions, and two were not properly approved in accordance with Congress standing order.  These appear as motions B15-B17 at the end of this report.

 

Late motions and amendments ordered into the Congress agenda

Section 1, Business of the equality committee

To be taken after motion 6:

L1     Membership of Alternative for Germany (AfD)                SOAS

Congress notes:

1.      a member of academic staff at SOAS is a candidate to be MEP for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the European elections.

2.      the disturbing growth of the far-right in the UK and in recent European elections.

3.      the AfD is widely recognised as a far-right, anti-immigrant, Islamophobic, and reactionary party

4.      the AfD promote policies that are at their core, homophobic, sexist including termination of gender studies and research.

Congress believes:

a.      the AfD's views are utterly incompatible with basic values of equality, acceptance, and non-discrimination, and with universitiesÕ duty to ensure dignity and respect for all students and staff.

b.      membership of extreme far-right parties such as the AfD are similarly incompatible with 51¸£ÀûÕs values.

Congress resolves:

                  i.       to campaign against extreme right-wing parties and their members within universities.

                 ii.       to strengthen 51¸£Àû rules on membership (e.g. rule 6.1.1) so that far-right parties such as the AfD are proscribed.

 

To be taken after motion 12:

L2     Support Feyzi IsmailÕs claim for permanency                 SOAS

Congress expresses support for Feyzi Ismail, a Senior Teaching Fellow at SOAS, who has been employed on ten separate fixed-term contracts since 2011, including four successive 12-month contracts between 2014 and 2018.

Congress notes that her request for permanency has twice been turned down on the basis of Òobjective justificationsÓ despite her engaging in the same work as permanent colleagues. On 20 May, her grievance hearing scheduled for 21 May was postponed because students were planning to organise a silent demonstration outside the hearing in her support.

Congress believes that this case:

1.      reflects a pattern whereby fixed-term contracts are used at the expense of the security and career development of fixed-term employees;

2.      raises questions about the use of Òobjective justificationsÓ to deny permanency;

3.      is an issue of national significance for precarious and permanent staff. 

Congress resolves to demand that SOAS urgently hear her grievance and issue a full-time permanent contract.

 

 

Section 3, Business of the recruitment, organising and campaigning committee

To be taken after motion 52:

L3     Trade Union Call it Out campaign against bigotry, sectarianism and anti-Irish racism                National executive committee

Congress deplores the decision by Glasgow City Council to allow orange marches in May, June and July to go past St Alphonsus and other Catholic churches and the orange march organised by British Together which took place last Saturday.

Congress affirms its commitment to campaign against bigotry, sectarianism and anti-Irish and other forms of racism. 

Congress agrees to

1.   support the Trade Union Call it out campaign and encourage members to sign the letter of support.

2.   write to Glasgow City Council to reroute the marches to avoid Catholic churches and areas.

3.   encourage members to stand in solidarity outside St Alphonsus and other Catholic churches if and when orange marches are routed past them.

 

Business of the strategy and finance committee

To be taken after motion 74:

L4     General election now           National executive committee

Theresa MayÕs announcement that she will resign on 7 June brings her disastrous premiership to an end.

But with the Brexit crisis still raging no new Tory leader has a mandate to govern.

51¸£Àû calls on the government to resign and call a general election.

We call on the TUC to initiate an emergency ÔGeneral election nowÕ campaign and demonstration - to elect a government with a genuine mandate.

 

Late motions ordered into the HE sector conference agenda

To be taken after motion HE10

L5     No confidence in the USS Board of Trustees           University of Exeter, Newcastle University

Conference notes that on 7th May 2019 the USS Board of Trustees definitively and unilaterally rejected the report of the Joint Expert Panel (JEP), by offering three contributions options none of which accepted the full set of JEP recommendations.

Conference resolves that it has no confidence in the Corporate Trustee of USS and its board.

Conference instructs the General Secretary to withdraw the 51¸£Àû nominated trustees.

Conference invites UUK to also withdraw their nominated trustees.

L5A.1         Compositing amendment     Newcastle University

Add new paragraph at end:

If UUK refuse to confirm by 1st June 2019 that they will not impose any contribution increases in October 2019, HESC instructs the Higher Education Committee to initiate an immediate campaign for industrial action, highlighting USS's destructive role, with a ballot commencing 1st September 2019 which will give 51¸£Àû negotiators the necessary leverage to save the USS defined benefit pension with no detriment to members. 

To be taken after motion L5 (above)

L6     51¸£Àû directors of USS

Conference notes:

1.   that 51¸£Àû-appointed director Prof. Jane Hutton has recused herself from the Trustee Board after pressure following her whistleblowing with regard to the 2017 valuation

2.   Prof. Hutton has been a consistent critic of the valuation methodology and forced USS to adjust their mortality assumptions.

Conference believes:

a.      51¸£Àû Directors should be free to represent membersÕ interests without interference by the USS executive and offers Prof. Hutton our strong support.

b.      51¸£Àû has no confidence in the valuation methodology or the USS executive.

Conference resolves:

                      i.    to seek legal advice on behalf of its three USS directors regarding the implications of their removing themselves from the Trustee Board until Prof. HuttonÕs concerns are satisfactorily addressed.

                    ii.    to re-state our call for the resignation of Bill Galvin CEO of USS and issue a press release stating this.

                   iii.    to demand a public enquiry into the undermining of USS DB scheme.

 

 

Late motion ordered into the FE sector conference agenda

To be taken after motion FE29

L7     Save Stourbridge College!   Sandwell College

Congress notes:

1.      Stourbridge College was taken-over by BMET in 2013

2.      BMET plans to close Stourbridge College (after 170 years) this August

3.      failure to engage with unions and other stakeholders in either decision

4.      the disastrous impact closure will have for local participation in FE and subsequently HE.

Congress believes

a.      the asset strip of Stourbridge College is a catastrophic failure of incorporation

b.      the site sale will have little impact on BMETÕs debts whilst ending FE provision in Stourbridge, displacing and losing students and staff.

c.      this is part of a wider attack on working class education

d.      the market model of FE has failed.

Congress resolves to:

                      i.    build with other unions & supporters for a national demonstration and campaign to Save Stourbridge College

                    ii.    to lobby governing bodies, politicians and other relevant parties to engage in the campaign to halt the closure

                   iii.    to call upon members to write to their MP to support the EDM.

 

Motions not ordered into the agenda (not considered to meet the criteria for late motions)

Business of HE sector conference:

B15   Action to support outsourced workers across UK higher education Senate House University of London

Congress notes:

1.   Outsourcing happens at most UK universities. The role of 51¸£Àû to facilitate the Ôin-housingÕ of workers at a national level is unclear. Outsourced workers typically include cleaners, porters, receptionists, catering staff, and gardeners.

2.   Outsourcing can be financially attractive to employers and often means that workers are subject to poor terms and conditions (pensions, holiday pay, sick pay). The purported financial benefits of outsourcing are rarely realised.

3.   These low-paid workers are often BAME, female and from outside the UK. They can be vulnerable to poor treatment.

Congress resolves:

1.   To condemn the widespread use of outsourcing and confirm that it is against the best interests of higher education.

2.   To instruct 51¸£Àû to engage in lobbying activity and develop resources that empower local branches to take action on outsourcing at a local level.

 

Motions not ordered into the agenda (not having been approved in accordance with the Congress standing orders)

Business of Congress

B16   Amendment to motion 12             University of Dundee

Under Congress notes, add new points 3 and 4:

3.         its strong support of 51¸£Àû members at the University of Dundee and is very clear that staff, including 51¸£Àû members, should not be criticised for making academic decisions and doing their jobs professionally

4.         its  commitment to defend our members in the face of misinformation about student support and supervision at the University of Dundee in social media and press  

Second paragraph, after ÔCongress calls for an end to his deportationÕ, delete Ôand an agreed settlement with Dundee UniversityÕ.

Third paragraph (ÔCongress believesÉÕ), before ÔracismÕ, delete ÔinstitutionalÕ, replace with ÔstructuralÕ.

ÔCongress resolves toÉÕ – delete point i.

Point iii – delete Ôbetween Dundee and PAIHÕ; replace with Ôwith the Home OfficeÕ

Business of FE sector conference

B17   Support Bradford College             Bradford College

Congress notes:

1        51¸£Àû and our sister union were served the 188 notice on 8^th May.

2        This latest round there have 131 FTE targets. This is an unprecedented number in one go.

3        These redundancies are affecting members who teach and support FE and HE courses including disability and learning difficulty support and welfare and teacher education.

Congress believes:

a.      Bradford College have been threatened with insolvency if they donÕt make these staff savings.

b.      This is Tory attack on education, vulnerable people and on diverse and working class communities of Bradford

Congress resolves to:

                      i.       declare Bradford College dispute a local dispute of national significance

                    ii.       lobby governing bodies, politicians and other relevant parties to engage in the campaign, halt these and further redundancies

                   iii.       call upon members to write to their MP to support Bradford College and further education funding in their areas

                  iv.       continue whole union support for #FEFightsback campaign.

 

 

Original text of composited motion L5 and amendment L5A.1 (HE sector conference)

Motion L5

C29   No confidence in the USS Board of Trustees           University of Exeter

Conference notes that on 7th May 2019 the USS Board of Trustees definitively and unilaterally rejected the report of the Joint Expert Panel (JEP), by offering three contributions options none of which accepted the full set of JEP recommendations.

Conference resolves that it has no confidence in the Corporate Trustee of USS and its board.

Conference instructs the General Secretary to withdraw the 51¸£Àû nominated trustees.

Conference invites UUK to also withdraw their nominated trustees.

Motion L5 and compositing amendment L5A.1

C30   No confidence in the USS Board of Trustees Newcastle University

Text as motion C29 above, plus additional paragraph:

If UUK refuse to confirm by 1st June 2019 that they will not impose any contribution increases in October 2019, HESC instructs the Higher Education Committee to initiate an immediate campaign for industrial action, highlighting USS's destructive role, with a ballot commencing 1st September 2019 which will give 51¸£Àû negotiators the necessary leverage to save the USS defined benefit pension with no detriment to members.