Motions passed at Emergency General Meeting 8th August 2023
8 August 2023
Two motions were passed at our EGM today
Motion 1: Next steps for the MAB?
Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê UCU notes:
- The intransigence of UCEA, who have not improved their 15 March final offer for the 2023-2024 pay dispute.
- The serious disruption caused by the MAB to management, students, and workers throughout the sector.
- The punitive pay deductions that have been applied to members participating in MAB, nationally and at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê.
- That employers have disregarded academic standards in order to bypass the MAB, and progress or graduate students, thereby damaging the reputation of UK HE.
- That the delay by the General Secretary and officers of the union in authorising a new ballot for industrial action means there will be a break in the current legal mandate for industrial action, which expires at the end of September.
- That management can instruct members participating in MAB to carry out marking and assessment from 1 Oct when the mandate expires.
- Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê management’s threat of further punitive deductions for 14 days for MAB mid-September for Late Summer Assessments.
- The statements from the General Secretary on 1 August and UCEA indicating that the 2023-2024 pay dispute is deadlocked.
Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê UCU resolves:
- To advise Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê UCU members not to boycott the marking of new assessments such as the Late Summer Assessments, Postgraduate Taught marking, and other incoming work.
- That existing marking and assessment which has not been carried out due to MAB will not be marked unless and until Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê management withdraw their threat of punitive pay deductions.
- That (if Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê management continues to demand completion of previously-boycotted marking) without removing the threat of punitive pay deductions, we will use our existing legal mandate to call for strike action during Induction Week (25-30 September).
- To continue to challenge the legality of punitive pay deductions at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê.
- If the threat of punitive deductions is not withdrawn, to ask members who have not yet made a pledge to contribute to the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê Fighting Fund, to help cover all members participating in MAB so that none suffer the loss of more than 7 days’ pay.
- To call a further all-members general meeting next week to review the situation.
Result: Carried (84% for; 3% against; 13% abstentions)
Motion 2: Call the reballot now!
Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê UCU notes
- that a Branch Delegate Meeting has been called for Friday 11 August which will advise HEC on the next steps in the dispute;
- that our motion at HESC calling a long summer reballot has not yet been actionedÌý
Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê UCU believes that UCEA's decision to wait out our action until 30 September is due to the factÌýthat UCU will have no industrial action mandate after that date.
Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê UCU resolves to write to the General Secretary and HE officers to call an immediate reballot of members in both disputes with the minimum of break between mandates; if this does not occur, to call on HEC to do likewise.