Across the country, university jobs and courses are facing the chop, as education bosses look to balance their books at the expense of workers and students. Here, readers of The Communist explain why we need to kick capitalism out of education.
In the new issue of The Communist, our comrades report on the latest developments taking place on the industrial front: from events in Port Talbot, to upcoming strikes by BMA members, to the debates at the UCU’s recent annual conference.
The student movement in support of Palestine has swept campuses across Britain. To take things to the next level, workers at universities and beyond need to join the fight to kick imperialism off campus, and bring down the warmongers.
The struggles of steelworkers in Port Talbot and of council staff in Birmingham are at a crossroads. Civil servants in PCS are balloting for action. And UCU leader Jo Grady has been reelected. Read all our latest reports from the industrial front.
Staff in higher and further education have repeatedly taken action in recent years, as crises mount in universities and colleges. But union members have been consistently let down by their leaders. This is the backdrop to the latest UCU elections.
Further education staff at multiple colleges have been out on the picket lines this month, fighting over pay, workload, and conditions. As our comrade reports, new layers of workers are being drawn into activity through this struggle.
Following wave after wave of determined struggle by rank-and-file UCU members, union leaders have led the disputes in higher education into a dead end. These events show the crucial importance of militant leadership – which we must build.
After years of attacks on jobs, pay, and conditions, further education staff in the UCU are balloting over whether to strike. With pressure building, industrial action looks likely. Union activists in colleges must prepare for struggle.
The recent UCU congress saw a radical mood amongst delegates, with motions to ‘kick capitalism out of higher education’ and to censure general secretary Jo Grady both passing. Members need fighting leadership and clear socialist policies.
Delegates are meeting in Glasgow this weekend for the UCU annual conference. This year’s event takes place amidst a bitter struggle between university bosses and academic staff. Workers and students must unite and fight to defend education.
UCU members at Queen Margaret University in Scotland have won an important victory, resisting the bosses’ attempts to punish lecturers with pay deductions. This provides valuable lessons for the whole of the union in its ongoing struggle.
The struggle by UCU members in higher education is at an impasse. While the leadership is prettifying the employers’ ‘offers’, members show a determination to keep fighting. To break the deadlock, the rank and file must be put in control