Brighton university workers and students march against job cuts

UCU union members and students from Brighton university on the march (Picture: Brighton and Hove SWP)

Over 500 workers and students marched in Brighton on Saturday against plans for mass redundancies at Brighton university.

Mark Abel, chair of the UCU union branch, told Socialist Worker, “It was really positive and a big boost to our fightback that will soon see strikes. Delegations came from other UCU branches, especially from London but also from Liverpool.

“People chanted against our vice-chancellor and the job cuts. It was great to have several students speak at the rally who made clear they back our fight and pledged their full support for the struggle against cuts.

“And other unions showed support for us, We had speeches from NEU executive member Phil Clarke, and from Unite at Sussex university.

“Local Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle was on the demo, as was the newly-elected UCU vice president Maria Chondrogianni. Green MP Caroline Lucas sent a message of support. We will keep  protesting and striking until we have beaten all the compulsory job cuts.”

Brighton UCU members are also set to strike from 19-23 June and the next week over pay deductions for taking part in a marking and assessment boycott. They have also recently voted 90 percent for strikes over redundancies on a 61 percent turnout. 

Brighton’s strikes are part of a big wave of action involving up to 15,000 UCU members across Britain. Over 1,800 workers at the University of Leeds plan an indefinite strike from Thursday next week.

“It’s not about money, it’s because they want to break our union and discipline us for the future,” a Leeds UCU member told Socialist Worker.

Leicester university UCU last week announced strikes for 21 June, 26-29 June and 18-21 July. The UCU branch says, “Management’s plan is to stop paying staff from the first day marking becomes available until the Mab ends, instead making an ‘ex gratia’ payment to staff of 50 percent of their regular income. Staff are expected to continue to carry out their other regular duties ‘voluntarily’.

“This means that a staff member with a single unmarked essay from 20 April, which could be marked in 30 minutes, might lose over two months of wages. 

“It also means some staff members will likely be pushed below the legal minimum wage—with our university joining the ranks of the illegal textile sweatshops blighting our city.”

Other strikes include:

• Liverpool John Moores University workers are scheduled to strike on Friday next week—an open day for students. They have given notice of eight strike days including induction week in September.
• Bristol university UCU members are set to strike on Open Day next Friday.
• Workers at Queen Mary university in London planned six days of strikes from Friday.
• Edinburgh university UCU is also scheduled to start strikes next Friday and then 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 September.
• Keele university plans strikes on Friday and Saturday next week.
• Heriot-Watt university UCU members in Edinburgh were set for action on Thursday and Friday next week.
• Durham UCU has announced strikes for 16, 17, 29 June and 15, 16 September.

Battles continue at Winchester university, Dundee university, Sheffield Hallam university and Soas university in central London. Workers have struck at all of these recently.

The scale of the fightback is a tribute to workers’ local organisation. But the UCU union leaders are not coordinating a fightback.

There is a real danger that those on the frontline of not doing the marking feel isolated and intimidated by bosses’ threats. And individual institutions must not be left to fight alone.

In March UCU successfully renewed its mandate under the anti-union laws to allow strikes and other action for a further six months at 145 universities.

That should be the basis for a massive solidarity movement with all those fighting back. And the Mab and strikes need to be not only about deductions but also to win over the issues that began the action.