See below for our latest update. As you will have seen, the most recent national UCU ballot did not make it over the 50% turnout threshold. This doesn’t mean we will stop our local campaigning – on equalities, workload, and casualisation. Our local struggles continue.

• UCU national ballot result
• UNISON dispute – 2 strike days next week
• Members’ meeting for November – change of date
• Boycott Dubai – updated guidance for members
• City-wide campaigning in Birmingham TUC

UCU national ballot result

The most recent UCU ballot results are now in. On the question of taking further strike action as part of the pay negotiations, the results were:

Yes: 68.32%
No: 31.68%
Turnout: 42.59%

As the turnout failed to get over the 50% threshold, UCU will not now be taking strike action as part of the ongoing pay and working conditions (“4 fights”/UCU Rising) campaign. This is obviously a disappointing end to the national campaign. This time last year we easily got over the 50% threshold, and earlier this year the mandate was again renewed. We know that many members became increasingly unhappy about how the national campaign was being run by UCU nationally. Many members wanted more financial support from the hardship fund for striking and boycotting members. Many were disappointed that the MAB was called off early. Perhaps the strongest criticism came over the decision of UCU HQ to delay the start of the most recent ballot, meaning that the mandate for action expired in early October. This was despite UCU Congress 2023 voting for an early summer ballot. We know that many feel the national leadership lost direction and lacked a clear strategy for advancing our dispute.

All of that said, we remain committed within our local BUCU committee to working hard to improve the working conditions of staff here at the University of Birmingham. On workload, we have a negotiation meeting with Provost Stephen Jarvis lined up for next week. On casualisation, we recently negotiated 3-month ‘bridge funding’ for research staff who are funded through external grants. On equalities, we continue to push for an improvement in the treatment of staff with protected characteristics.

On this last point, many members responded to our survey on the proposed permanent removal of the University’s Disabled Employees Advisor, and  the suggestion to replace her work with a web portal. Below are the result of our recent member consultation on this matter – as you can see, members remain unhappy and we will continue to push for better treatment for disabled staff:




We also need to reflect on how we organise as a branch to help push the turnout up in forthcoming ballots. We are working to rejuvenate our department reps network. UCU department reps are the key points of contact and the lead organisers within each department. They can help to make sure that we are as closely in touch with UCU members as possible – and help to maximise the turnout in any future strike ballots. We will be working over the coming months to make sure that each department has an active and visible department rep.

The local struggle continues.

UNISON dispute – 2 strike days next week

UCU strike action may have been called off for now, but our sister union, UNISON, continues to take strike action in opposition to the union-busting contract changes that the university managers have sought to force support staff at the University of Birmingham into accepting.

The next two days of strike action are next week – Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 November.

It is essential that UCU members support this UNISON dispute. The attempt to undermine and bypass UNISON is an attack on all unions by the University of Birmingham management. We must protect the principle that the unions represent the workforce – not managers and their heavy-handed bullying tactics. As UNISON make clear: “To ask members to accept terms and conditions cuts for a rate of pay that doesn’t even pay the bills is an insult.” We should not accept this insulting treatment for any staff at the University of Birmingham.

Support the UNISON support staff strike at the UoB:

• Join the UNISON strike lunchtime rally: Tuesday 14 November, 11.30 outside the University station
• If you can avoid it, don’t cross the picket line – work from home if possible
• Donate to the UNISON solidarity fund: (sort 60-83-01, ac no. 36003055, ref Strike Fund donation (UCU))

November Members’ Meeting – change of date

Due to the UNISON strike action next week we are moving our November Members’ Meeting (which was scheduled for Monday 13 Nov). 

NEW DATE:

Wednesday 15 November, 12.00 – 1.00
BUCU Members’ Meeting
on Zoom

Please send any suggested motions for the meeting to the branch secretary, by this Friday 5pm.

Provisional agenda items:

• Negotiations update
• Donation to UNISON to support their strike action
• Action to oppose the ongoing killings in Gaza

Boycott Dubai – updated guidance for members

In November 2018, Birmingham UCU members voted unanimously to support an academic boycott of the University of Birmingham’s Dubai campus.

Our members voted for the academic boycott after the University repeatedly refused to engage with us over serious concerns about staff and student safety, academic freedom and the welfare of the migrant construction workforce that is expected to build the new campus.

The Boycott remains in place, and we continue to regularly receive requests for advice on support relating to the treatment of staff doing work relating to the Dubai campus.

In order to advise members of their rights and how to respond to requests to work with regard to the Dubai campus, we have updated the branch guidance. Available here: https://birminghamucu.org/boycott-birmingham-dubai/

We continue to boycott work relating to the Dubai campus. This will remain until the University managers deal properly with our concerns. We know staff are increasingly pressured into accepting this work – but it can be resisted and the boycott can be upheld. Get in touch if you experience any problems in this regard.

City-wide campaigning in Birmingham TUC

University of Birmingham UCU have increasingly taken a lead in city-wide trade union campaigning, largely through our close involvement in the Birmingham Trade Union Council (BTUC). 

The BTUC is an umbrella body that brings together trade union branches engaged in workers’ struggles throughout Birmingham and Solihull. We are one of the largest delegations, with 9 delegates and several members of the BTUC executive committee. This allows our branch to actively support a number of city-wide campaigns, including the recent weekly demonstrations calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, the work of ACORN tenants union, and the response to the Birmingham City Council bankruptcy. 

Most recently, BTUC held an annual awards ceremony, Striking on a Knife’s Edge, celebrating ongoing union organising across the city and highlighting successful attempts to organise against the government’s anti-union, anti-strike, agenda. Our branch won an award recognising our impressive fundraising efforts to support our MAB boycotters (see photo above!). But perhaps more importantly it gave all the attending union branch activists a chance to meet and share best practice, which is much needed in the present context.



Sign up here to receive the monthly BTUC newsletters, for further information on a range of campaign activities across the city.

Upcoming Events

• National March for Palestine – Ceasefire Now! Saturday 11 November 2023 London – coach details here
   
• We Make Tomorrow: Birmingham’s Climate Justice Conference, Sunday 12 November 2023, Birmingham – tickets here