It is committed to ensuring that the new union has a democratic structure through which members can determine policy, and elected officers and professional officials can be held accountable. It seeks to defend educational equality, and to oppose the consequences of neo-liberal marketisation. It is opposed to all forms of racism, sexism, oppression and imperialism.
Elizabeth Lawrence (Sheffield Hallam University)
National bargaining
I am one of four UCU negotiators in the JNCHES review of national bargaining structures. We need to maintain national bargaining, but not at any price. We need to organise effective industrial action if employers break away from national bargaining.
I chair the Post-92 National Ratification Committee for framework agreements.
Workloads
In post-92 universities we have a national contract, covering teaching hours, holidays and other conditions of service. We need to maintain this contract as protection against over-loading. Within pre-92 universities we need to explore greater contractual protection on workloads. I chair an NEC working party on workload protection.
Academic freedom and marketisation of education
We must defend academic freedom and reclaim universities as institutions of learning, where the pursuit of education not profitability is the driver. UCU should defend collegiality and democracy in university governance.
Regions
As Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Secretary I work actively to build a Regional Committee, which supports Branches and fosters democratic debate within UCU. We now have a Regional Committee, Executive Committee and FE and HE Sector Committees. These structures bring together activists across FE/HE, pre- and post-92, ex-AUT and ex-NATFHE.
Equality
UCU must address the whole equality agenda: age, disability, ethnicity, gender, religion and sexuality, and do more to recruit and represent part-time lecturers. I serve on UCU’s National Equality Committee. We need to build the equality structures in UCU, including regional equality networks.
International
International solidarity should be part of UCU’s work. We should defend trade union rights in Colombia and the right of the Palestinians to an independent state. We have to find forms of solidarity action, such as twinning, which command broad support within UCU and deliver effective help to people suffering oppression and injustice.
Building a democratic and effective union
UCU needs to recruit more members and to turn members into activists. We need to build strong Branches and Regions. We need more union facility time. None of this will deliver, however, unless we build UCU as a democratic union. This means an NEC which implements Congress decisions and national negotiators who are accountable to the membership.
I joined NATFHE in 1975 and have served as Branch Secretary, National Negotiator, NEC member and delegate to Annual Conference and HE Sector Conference. I am UCU Regional Secretary for Yorkshire and Humberside, a member of the NEC and a local union officer at Sheffield Hallam University.
I am employed as a Principal Lecturer in Sociology. I am Equal Opportunities and Diversity Co-ordinator for the Faculty of Development and Society at SHU.
UCU involvement at national and branch level:
- UCU Left member
- NEC Member 1994-97 and 1998-present, member of HE Committee and Equality Committee
- National Negotiator for HE Sector 1994-96, 1997 - present
- Member of Academic Staff Sub-Committee of JNCHES
- Delegate to Women’s TUC 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005
- Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Secretary 1993 - present
- Negotiating Secretary/ Co-ordinating Committee Secretary Sheffield City Polytechnic 1987-92
- Vice-Chair NATFHE Higher Education Committee 1998-2006
- NATFHE National Women’s Rights Panel 1985-88
- NATFHE National Research Staff Panel 1977-79
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