At yesterday’s Annual General Meeting, members of the Bournemouth University branch of UCU voted unanimously, subject to one abstention, to greylist the New College of the Humanities with immediate effect.

The resolution is as follows:

This branch recognises the grave threat that new, private HE providers such as the New College of the Humanities present to the interests of students and staff, and to the fabric of Higher Education. 

In particular, we are opposed to:

- The expansion of for-profit provision of HE and the reduction of higher education to a commodity, traded for the benefit of shareholders

- The parasitic relationship between NCH, other institutions and the sector as a whole

- The dire implications of the NCH model for quality and social mobility

Branch resolves to greylist NCH with immediate effect. Branch members will refuse to associate themselves with NCH, to provide services to NCH as external examiners, researchers or teaching staff, or to allow their intellectual property to be used by NCH.

Branch calls upon the Vice Chancellor publicly to dissociate BU from NCH, and to oppose the establishment of private colleges along the NCH model. 

The resolution means:

• Non-attendance, speaking at or organising academic or other conferences at NCH
• Not applying for any advertised jobs at NCH
• Not giving lectures at NCH
• Not accepting positions as visiting professors or researchers at NCH
• Not writing for any academic journal which is edited at or produced by NCH
• Not taking up new contracts as external examiners for taught courses at NCH

The president of the National Union of Students, Aaron Porter, yesterday told Bournemouth University students and staff that he supported the one-day strike called by the University and College Union today (24 March) over threats to jobs, pensions and pay across the Higher and Further Education sectors.

Lecturers, researchers, instructors and other academic staff at Bournemouth University will join colleagues at around 500 colleges and universities across the UK on strike in a row over changes to their pension and pay cuts: the first UK-wide strike action in universities for five years and in colleges since 2008.

UCU members will walk out over plans for greater pension contributions from staff and an increase in the pension age, against a backdrop of a second consecutive real-terms annual pay cut. Staff will be on picket lines at institutions throughout the country with many branches joining together to hold regional rallies in cities such as Leeds, Liverpool, Cardiff, Manchester, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Birmingham and Newcastle. 

Speaking during a visit to the University, Mr Porter said: “I support the UCU action because it is an appropriate tactic in a difficult situation. Strike action is a contentious issue for lots of students, but these are shared difficulties and there is a greater chance of change when all of us are working together.” 

David Heathcote, Branch Chair of Bournemouth University UCU, said: ‘Every cut damages and degrades the quality of education in the UK. The consequences of these attacks on job security and pay will be felt, not just by every UCU member, but by every person who seeks to benefit from higher education in the UK.’

‘UCU believes that the university sector needs to unite against these cuts,’ he added. ‘We want to work with the employers to protect jobs and ensure that British universities are able to offer high quality education to their students. That’s why we want to negotiate a nationally agreed approach to improving job security and defending provision.’

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: ‘University and college staff really value their pension rights and have made their views of the detrimental changes crystal clear. Strike action is always a last resort but the attacks on pensions and pay have created real anger and, instead of burying their heads in the sand, the employers need to respond urgently to our concerns.

‘Staff are sick to the back teeth of being told that their pay and pensions need to be cut to pay for an economic crisis created by others.’

ENDS

For further information:

John Brissenden, Branch Secretary, Bournemouth University UCU

www.twitter.com/UCUBU

jbrissenden@bournemouth.ac.uk

Members of Bournemouth University UCU today passed the following motion, in solidarity with students and others fighting the Coalition Government’s programme of public spending cuts:

Branch congratulates and celebrates the magnificent occupations, rallies, marches and other protests by students, school students and staff since 10 November. They are an inspiration not just to us in the UCU but to the whole of the trade union movement. 

Branch demands the scrapping of any planned increase in tuition fees and demand a reversal of the decision to end EMA payments.

Branch supports any subsequent protests against the Coalition government proposals for cuts in teaching and research funding and increases in tuition fees.

Branch commits to work in solidarity with the rest of the movement against the unnecessary and destructive cuts to public spending.

Branch demands that the TUC organise regional demonstrations between now and the TUC national demonstration in March. 

In accordance with the motion carried at the Higher Education Sector Conference last May, Branch resolves to:

• Work with local student representatives to plan joint campaigning in order to better resist education cuts and job losses;

• Organise joint campaigning and co-ordinated actions with national NUS, and local student anti-cuts campaigns, as and when possible;

• Support the right of student self-activity (including occupations and other non-violent direct actions) in defending staff jobs and education provision;

• Support any student faced with victimisation for taking part in non-violent direct action in support of staff unions and in defence of staff jobs and education provision.

Branch agrees to affiliate to the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC).

Bournemouth UCU today responded to the appointment of Professor John Vinney as the new Vice-Chancellor of Bournemouth University.  

Branch Secretary John Brissenden said: “Bournemouth UCU congratulates Professor John Vinney on his appointment as Vice Chancellor, and looks forward to working with him and his team over the coming years. We shall be seeking an early meeting with Professor Vinney to gauge his views on the future direction of Bournemouth University, and on the serious challenges facing the institution and the higher education sector. In particular, we shall be seeking reassurance from the new Vice Chancellor that he intends to work towards a new and more engaged relationship with academic staff, following the severe damage to industrial relations which took place under his predecessor.”