Dispute 2017

Why we are taking industrial action

Members of the lecturers’ trade union, the UCU, are taking action to defend the jobs, pay and conditions of employment of academic staff at the University of Brighton, and to protect the quality of education we offer.

This action has become necessary because the management of the University has refused to negotiate with us.

The dispute is about three concrete things:

• Demotions of lecturers to ‘demonstrators’, cutting their pay by 70%
• Redundancies of lecturers while their colleagues have too much work
• Cancellation of promotions to principal lecturer grade.

The Vice Chancellor claims the University doesn’t need the agreement of the UCU on these matters. This is not right. Past agreements with the recognised trade unions must be adhered to, and staff pay and conditions must continue to be subject to negotiations.

The quality of the education that students receive is at stake. Students have a right to expect that the staff taking their classes are being paid at least the minimum agreed rate for lecturers. They have the right to be taught by lecturers who are not overworked and who have sufficient time to prepare their classes and assess work.

Our last wish is to disrupt the education our students receive. But University management’s actions are threatening the quality of the education we can provide.

 What you can do

We are appealing to students and staff who are not in the UCU to support us in our action.

• Sign the petition at https://goo.gl/forms/63iRl18fr1wU7EYp1
• Join us on the lobby of the University Management Board, 8-9am, this Friday 17th March at Mithras House
• Join the walk out on the 31st March and join our picket lines on 26th and 27th April on all campuses

Let’s keep Brighton a place where staff and students are respected, and where the quality of education comes first.

For more background to the dispute, see the Brighton UCU video below

Solidarity Messages

Brighton Students’ Union  Brighton Students’ Union are greatly concerned for the PhD students in the school of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics and are in full support of UCU’s action to defend our members. In addition to these PhD students receiving a drastic and sudden cut in their pay; 3rd year undergraduate students have been given teaching responsibilities and this raises many questions around the quality of teaching students are receiving. The PhD students these decisions affect feel that they were not consulted on the changes and that by being demoted from lecturers to demonstrators; this is a clear indication of how little value their school have in them. We do not take this decision lightly and understand that strike action comes as a last resort, which demonstrates the anger and desperate nature of the situation faced by staff and students. The Students’ Union recognises strike action as an effective, appropriate, and legitimate method of challenging working conditions or practices that are unfair and fully supports UCU’s right to strike. We believe quality of education is affected when those staff who support us do not receive fair treatment or feel valued. Ultimately, we believe the benefit of staff who are rewarded properly for the fantastic work they do far outweighs two day’s disruption to studies.  Our own research shows that students who get the most out of university both in terms of enjoyment and success do so when they are supported by enthusiastic and engaging staff.

The University of Brighton UNISON branch fully supports UCU in taking whatever action it feels is necessary to defend the terms and conditions of its members. What is at stake here is not just the three issues identified – jobs in Arts and Humanities, academic promotions and fundamental changes to contracts, but also the rights of all staff to work at an institution which maintains an effective working relationship between senior managers and the trade unions. Working people do not take strike action lightly, but the overwhelming result of UCU’s ballot for action demonstrates the depth of feeling of UCU members. As many UNISON members are telling us, the current leadership of the University are drifting to a position where confrontation and non-negotiable announcements are the norm rather than the spirit of constructive discussion, which had been the tradition at Brighton for many years. Senior managers will say that this is necessary to deal with the challenges faced by the University as a result of government policies, student numbers and funding changes. We argue that turning this institution into an education factory with more casualisation and fewer employment rights is precisely what students are not in favour of. There is an opportunity to demonstrate that Brighton can be different and can show current and potential students that its workforce is less stressed, properly rewarded and highly motivated. The anti-trade union laws, specifically designed to prevent trade-unionists from effective campaigning to support the rights of their members may have postponed the planned action, but we will do whatever we legally can to support UCU members later in the month. If UNISON members have any questions, any of our officers, stewards and reps will be happy to answer them. As always, we would encourage all members of staff who have not yet joined a union to seriously consider doing so. It is only by sticking together, and organising on a democratic basis that we can make sure that our rights at work are protected. Ivan Bonsell, on behalf of the UNISON Branch Committee 

Coventry UCU We are extremely disappointed to hear about the behavior of your management in scrapping Principal Lecturers, demoting HPLs and moving towards recognizing UCU in practice. This is a very worrying development for not just Brighton UCU but the whole of UCU, as if Brighton management get away with this, then we can predict other universities following suit. At Coventry University, management have been engaging in symbolic ‘discussions’ with our UCU branch while doing what they wish in imposing new job roles and academic policies.  Please let us know what we can do to help,

University of Leeds UCU sends full solidarity and support to our colleagues in University of Brighton UCU for their dispute over management breaches of trade union agreements and in defence of their negotiating rights, including the upcoming strikes on 20&21 March. We are deeply concerned to hear of the planned closure of the Hastings campus, and dismayed to learn of the assault by University of Brighton management on the working conditions of academic staff which is accompanied by the refusal to comply with the agreed disputes procedure after Brighton UCU invoked it in a bid to work towards a resolution. For a Vice Chancellor to announce that the University’s position is “that it does not require the agreement of the UCU in respect of these issues” is a flagrant bid to derecognise the UCU, to sideline members, and to impose deleterious conditions upon staff at the University of Brighton. We sincerely hope that the Vice Chancellor and University management reconsider their position swiftly and send full support to all University of Brighton UCU members for their strikes, noting the strength of feeling among them indicated by their very strong ballot result. Vicky Blake (@leedsucu Vice President)

London College of Fashion UCU  Solidarity greetings sisters and brothers at University of Brighton. Your fight is ours too. Good luck with your strikes – unity is indeed strength! (Dr Tony Sullivan London College of Fashion UCU and UAL Co-ordinating Committee Vice-Chair)

UCU LGBT members standing committee Dear sisters and brothers at Brighton University Branch,
At a meeting of the UCU LGBT members standing committee today, Friday 31 st March 2017, it was agreed, to write to all those taking action at Brighton University to offer you our support and solidarity. As a minority group we understand your struggle and know that it is part of a bigger fight for ALL workers rights, whoever and wherever they are. Therefore please accept our support and know that we shall be watching very closely how this dispute develops, or hopefully disappears! Yours in solidarity and support, Steve Boyce, Of and for the UCU LGBT members standing committee

Chesterfield College UCU branch: On behalf of Chesterfield College UCU branch, I would like to send your members our support and solidarity for your campaign of action, starting this Friday, in your dispute with the university.  Allister Mactaggart, Branch Chair, Chesterfield College UCU

Newcastle University UCU: We wish you all the best for your programme of industrial action to defend education at Brighton University. If there is anything we can do to help please do not hesitate to ask.  Geoff on behalf of Newcastle University UCU

UCU St Mary’s University Twickenham: Solidarity with Brighton UCU in their upcoming two-day strike action to protect union rights, terms and conditions and jobs.

Kingston University UCU Branch: Solidarity with Brighton UCU for their upcoming strike action.

Sue Abbott UCU NEC Chair of Women Members Standing Committee: I wanted to send my support and solidarity to th branch.

Liverpool John Moore’s University: Comrades, Just wanted to send you our solidarity and best wishes for the strike action you are taking next week over what appear to be attempts by your management to de-recognise the UCU.  The only response to aggressive and bullying management is a collective one, and we congratulate you in deciding to meet them head on.  If your management are successful, I have no doubt that others across the sector will be encouraged to do the same.  Faced with a fight back they will be discouraged.  Please convey to your members that we believe an injury to one is an injury to all and by standing with you shoulder to shoulder (unfortunately given the 250 miles between out workplaces this won’t be literal!) we can win.  Please let me know if there’s anything we can do to support you.  In solidarity, Saira Weiner, Branch Secretary LJMU UCU

Keith Simpson UCU City, University of London Vice President: Full support comrades.

Dr Ronald Mendel,  University of Northampton UCU Branch Chair On behalf  of the UCU Branch here at the University of Northampton I want to express our solidarity with our brothers and sisters at  Brighton University in beating back management’s attempts to erode lecturers’ terms and conditions of employment  and  contravene the union recognition agreement with UCU.

Dave Russell GMB B&H City Council All the best wish I could be there for support unfortunately I am tied up saving jobs or trying to hope we can help in the future solidarity to you all

Jerry Rulf Momentum and Labour membership Secretary Portslade A message of solidarity and support from me, good luck!