The UCU Left is a national organisation of University and College Union activists. 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.
UCU Left - Statement on UCU and Palestine Solidarity
Since the resolution calling for a full debate within UCU over the Palestinian call for a boycott of Israeli universities was passed at the UCU Congress the union has faced a deluge of abuse from the media and threats of legal action. This culminated in the UCU’s Strategy and Finance Committee being presented with complex legal information with far reaching implications at short notice. We regret that the speaking tour of Palestinian and Israeli academics has been called off for this autumn, but welcome the decision that it will be rescheduled before the 2008 Congress. The tour has not been cancelled, as some reports have suggested. However, this was only agreed after the insistance of UCU Left supporters on the SFC that the tour still needed to take place at the earliest opportunity. We hope all UCU activists will work to make this tour a success, whatever their views on a boycott.

Branches and Local Associations should organise meetings on Palestine calling for direct solidarity with Palestinian educational unions and institutions as soon as possible.

UCU Left supports the UCU policy on international greylisting adopted by Congress 2007. We support the right of members to exercise conscience in the establishment of international academic links, with regard to teaching, research and scholarship. It is important that UCU defends these rights.

International solidarity is an important part of the work of the UCU and we should campaign vigorously to ensure that this is not limited for Palestinians, or any other group of oppressed people.

We should be very clear that the legal advice only specified that organising a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and using union finances or other resources to consult members on a boycott was not legal. It is therefore still possible to carry out motion 30, in terms of debating a boycott and as such we need to resist those that are suggesting it be used as a ‘gag’ to prevent those debates from taking place. It should also be noted that the legal advice does not affect the operation of academic boycotts as a sanction in an industrial dispute.

We appreciate that many UCU members are concerned about what has happened and the implications of the legal advice and this is something we believe needs to be pursued by the UCU leadership in liaison with the TUC. It is important that we focus on organising meaningful solidarity with the Palestinian people.

08/10/07 - Statement from NEC Left Caucus members on the SFC - (here)

13/06/07 - UCU Left - Statement on the ‘Academic Boycott’ - (here)

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