Hope you have had as nice a summer break as you could. The branch meeting tomorrow will be our first 24/25 meeting of the year. Please find below the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting and the Zoom link again. The meeting will start promptly at 12:30 pm.
We will update you about the beautiful ceremony held last week, which so many of you attended in person or by live stream. The Eulogies were given by Manuel, Olympia (Head of Law) and myself (on behalf of UoNUCU), there were readings by two other friends. The celebrant Louise Savage, was brilliant. The huge role that Agnes played for us was beautifully elucidated by her, Manuel and us. Manuel put together a slideshow of Agnes, which of course had so many images of her at our rallies, picket lines etc. The Regional committee also had a dedicated session this Saturday where Andreas Bieler spoke for our branch.
We have been updated verbally on latest MARS by HR. There were 515 applications, 293 approved, 222 declined and 2 withdrawals. We were told that 69 will leave in August, 13 in September, 8 in October, 1 in November, 183 in December. We have yet to receive numerical data at school level from HR. Thanks to our Reps for letting us have, where available, individual school data. They report inconsistencies and the picture is still incomplete. This makes the Workload as a Health & Safety issue even more important. Please see attached an important document written by Jenny Elliot et al (UCU Workload Group). We have sent this document to HR as well.
Regarding MARS, many of our UCU colleagues have availed themselves of this. We thank them for their amazing loyalty to us and the ways they have always supported workers rights.
And finally, and importantly, we need your thoughts about the UCEA pay offer/pay elements and future UCU strategies which Gertjan Lucas and I can take to the Branch Delegate Meeting and voice your decisions there after our Branch meeting.
See you tomorrow,
Lopa.
General Meeting 24 September, 2024, 12:30 -1:30 pm. Agenda:
The whole of our branch has been shocked and saddened by the untimely death of Agnes Flues – a hugely valued and much loved member of UoN UCU. The branch committee send our condolences to Agnes’ partner and family.
Agnes became involved in UCU during the 2018 USS strikes, when members took 14 days of industrial action in a powerful defence of our pensions. Agnes had a long prior history of championing human rights and social justice but by her own admission, her knowledge and experience of trade unions was limited.
Agnes was not one to assume others would do the organising. She quickly became much more involved in the union – helping to organise picket lines, becoming UCU rep in the School of Law and joining the branch committee. It was soon apparent that Agnes brought something very special – not just a willingness to ‘get stuck in’ and work tirelessly to make things happen (Agnes never stopped being a caseworker, supporting individual members), but a commitment always to seek to bring people together, even across deep divides. This is a very rare skill. It requires a sharp intellect, to be able to analyse context and chart ways forward, and a generosity of spirit that focuses on constructing consensus rather than imposing pre-determined agendas. Agnes combined both qualities in a unique way. For many of us it was entirely natural that Agnes should become branch President when the position became vacant in October 2020.
Agnes probably did not see herself as President of one of UCU’s largest branches. She always seemed rather reluctant to take on such roles (as those who sought to convince her to stand for the National Executive can attest!) – but, in a typically Agnes kind of way, once she decided to do something, she gave it all of her commitment.
Agnes shone as the brightest of lights during her time as branch President – the public face of the union through some of the most difficult of times. Always leading strike action through the USS and ‘Four Fights’ disputes, but also representing UCU in countless meetings with management during the pandemic, and helping develop the branch’s ‘Alternative Financial Strategy’. That provided a forensic critique of how national and local financial strategies were progressively dismantling any concept of the public university. In all of this work she displayed tremendous courage. She was never afraid to stand up and speak out on any issue impacting members of the university community – staff and students.
For branch committee veterans of these difficult years, Agnes’ leadership was, literally, an inspiration. She had a very gentle way of managing difficult meetings, making everyone feel included and valued, and winning broad support for the collective decision. Nobody felt ignored, marginalised or disrespected. Those of us involved genuinely felt we were part of something special.Whatever the outcome of our disputes (a tremendous victory on pensions, but sadly a very different story on ‘Four Fights’), many of us look back at that time as a moment when we experienced real meaning in what we were doing – not just fighting for pensions and pay but struggling for a much more hopeful and optimistic vision of what the public university could be.Agnes’ contribution to that collective effort can never be underestimated. She was always at the centre.
This contribution was also recognised by the branch members who offered unstinting support to the union throughout the disputes. That support was not an accident – it was built on trust between branch leadership and members that had been actively constructed. Members knew Agnes, knew they could approach her and knew they would be listened to.
Inevitably, Agnes’ qualities and skills were recognised more widely in the trade union movement and were in high demand. Agnes took on key roles in the UCU Regional Council, the Nottinghamshire Trades Council and on UCU’s National Executive – but she never sought these positions.Her activism never involved chasing this position or that, or making sure she was on the platform for some high profile event. Agnes’ activism was much more about drawing others in and building the movement for change.Agnes’ light shone very brightly, but it did so through an approach to ‘leadership’ that was quite different to how leadership is often enacted and experienced (whether in trade unions or elsewhere). That is why Agnes was special.
Agnes’ commitment to human rights and social justice was evident in so many aspects of her life. Most recently her dedication to end the genocide in Gaza and support justice for the Palestinian people. Only this last weekend, Agnes stood on the streets in Nottingham city centre to protest against Far Right and Fascist violence. All of this was consummate Agnes.
But for members of UoN UCU, and in particular those who worked closely with her, we have lost a colleague, a comrade and a companion. It is an enormous loss – and feels so unjust. Agnes was, quite simply, special. We all knew it – but we have been robbed of the chance to tell her.
Unfathomably, the bright light that was Agnes Flues has been extinguished. At a time when Agnes’ sharp intellect, generosity of spirit and uncompromising sense of social justice are needed more than ever, we must continue the struggles she embraced without her. At this moment, when grief feels raw, that feels like a more difficult task, but is a task we cannot evade. It is a task made easier by the example and inspiration that is Agnes’ legacy for all of us.
The best way to remember Agnes Flues is to continue to be inspired by her. Let us honour her by renewing our commitment to these struggles.
In addition to all the horrible events happening in the world, from brutal suppression of student protests in Bangladesh and continued genocide in Gaza, we have now been witnessing ongoing far-right riots, shocking scenes of racist, anti-migrant and Islamophobic rallies in the UK, including Nottingham. There is further notice of such events being planned here for this week. These events affect us all. It impacts directly members, the wider university community and especially staff and students from Muslim, migrant and racialised backgrounds who have to travel to work by public transport. Those with children are concerned about the risks and exposure of their loved ones to racial abuse.
We have written to the university about our concerns. We have asked them to communicate their support for staff and students, including access to wellbeing services, adjustments to working patterns and authorisation of approval of work from home requests (given these are health and safety issues) until the situation has calmed down. We will keep you informed about their response. We can send you the links to various university support resources if they don’t. In the meantime, do reach out to your colleagues, write to your teams and overseas PGR expressing your concern and support.
As you know, the branch has participated in the Unity Rally co-sponsored by the local TUC in which we stood firm against racism and fascism this Saturday. This was very well attended with inspiring talks and amazing posters! Here is a link to pics . We will let you know about further rallies if and when they are organised. It is important for us as a trade union to show our support for and solidarity with migrant and minority workers. We must not abandon public spaces to the far right.
Please feel free to contact us, or your reps on any of the issues above and how we can help. We will be writing to you mid-September (HR promises to provide the data to us then) with our overview on MARS, final numbers, hopefully broken down according to Faculties/Schools, how much UoN has managed to reduce debt by, and how we challenge any increase in workloads.
In solidarity.
Lopa, UoN UCU President (on behalf of the Branch Committee)
On Friday 10 May, students at the University of Nottingham began an encampment on Jubilee Campus outside the Advanced Manufacturing Building. On Friday 12 July, after two months of peaceful protest, the students agreed to dismantle the camp by midday in the face of University management’s threat to seek very high legal costs from an individual member of the encampment.
UCU at the University of Nottingham has strongly supported this entirely peaceful protest. We welcome students’ actions condemning Israel’s ‘plausibly genocidal acts’ in solidarity with the Palestinian people. We admire their resolve to speak up when so many people in the West stay silent.
The students have correctly highlighted the University’s close partnerships with several companies supplying arms to Israel; notably BAE Systems, Europe’s largest arms manufacturer (£19 million received in funding) and Rolls-Royce (£31 million in funding), both of which are at risk of corporate complicity in war crimes, according to the UN. The students also correctly pointed out that a University of Nottingham alumnus, Dr Said Al Zebda, was killed by Israeli airstrikes along with his entire family last December. The University’s collaboration with companies whose weapons killed their own alumnus is concerning to all.
As the UN expert on the right to education, Farida Shaheed, who spoke at a University of Nottingham Human Rights Law Centre event in April said:
‘I am completely, utterly shocked by how many universities have close links to the armaments industry and I don’t think this is something we would expect our academic universities to have and it just then shows the control over academic spaces which needs to be countered.’
Despite two meetings between students and management, facilitated by the Students Union, and the encampment students’ attempt to settle outside court, management continued to rely on intimidatory tactics in their dealing with the students, silencing their visible asks.
Andreas Bieler, President of the local UCU branch, states:
‘Our management shows itself from its worst side. The fact that management pursued legal action after only four days without prior engagement with the encampment and that they threatened our students with legal costs is appalling. It demonstrates that management was never interested in constructive engagement but focused on suppressing students’ voices.’
UCU at the University of Nottingham will continue working with the students to explore ways in which the University can be moved to a position of divestment from all companies linked to Israel’s war on the Palestinian people.
At its annual general meeting on 26 June, the UCU branch at the University of Nottingham registered its dismay about how UCU management has handled the industrial dispute with its staff organised within Unite. In full solidarity with Unite members, the following motion was passed by an overwhelming majority with no votes against and only a few abstentions.
Motion on Unite UCU Industrial Dispute and the BMSC
This branch notes:
Strong allegations about institutional racism within UCU expressed by Unite UCU and the Black Member Standing Committee (BMSC);
Concerns that workload for UCU staff exceeds safe levels and sickness absence rates are as high as 40%;
UCU’s breach of its recognition agreement with Unite by recognising an additional trade union;
Further equality related concerns affecting staff and members.
This branch believes:
That as a trade union UCU must be a model employer;
That UCU employees deserve a safe and healthy workplace, free from racism and other forms of discrimination;
That an ongoing industrial dispute is unacceptable for any trade union employer;
That the ongoing industrial dispute is highly disruptive to our union’s day-to-day functioning;
That the ongoing industrial dispute is damaging to our legitimacy when making claims to our own employers.
This branch resolves:
To express solidarity with Unite UCU and the BMSC;
To donate £500 to the Unite UCU solidarity fund;
To instruct branch committee to write to the General Secretary and President demanding in the strongest terms possible a swift resolution to the dispute in the interest of UCU staff as well as to the concerns expressed by the BMSC.