UCU Left Mag

8/3/2019 UCU Left Mag

1/20


2/20

Professor Murdoe McMurdoson (University of Midwickdon)

I am writing to update you on some new initiatives we are taking in line with our Face Businesscampaign.

With regards to the new Demand and Supply Seminar Model, students have enthusiastically paid

the 5 weekly supplement to attend seminars scheduled either before or after the lecture. The

sliding scalewhich falls to 50p for those held at 9am and 7pm and any time on a Fridayhas

been keenly embraced by students from families on a lower income.

We feel this is a key step in widening participation and ensuring fair access for all, regardless

of parental income and ability to pay. In order to ensure fairness we have complied with Equal

Opportunities and are in the process of making an arrangement for loans for those unable to makecash payments with our partner, Ameribank. This will be part of an extremely appealing package

of fee repayment with market based APR.

Unfortunately, another initiative has been less well embraced by teaching staff. The Marketing

Team has worked hard to secure local business participation in our Sponsor a lecture drive,

but we have had few takers. However, we are very pleased that Dr Maingrader from the English

department has pioneered this venture in her Social Justice and Democratic Socialism in the work

of George Orwell Lecture: Brought to you by McTucky Chicken.

The jingle in the middle of the lecture apparently went down well with students, who said that it

enhanced their learning experience in their end of lecture, weekly, monthly and semester feedback

forms. We hope to see this result reected in the NSS. I will be discussing our revitalised and more

exclusive approach to NSS and job tenure in my next blog post. Keep your eye out! We hope that

going forward more staff will be prepared to embrace this entrepreneurial revenue raising initiative.

We are concerned by student feedback that many of the teaching staff are grumpy, looking

jaded, glassy eyed and in some cases walking around muttering to themselves. The Senior

Management Team are concerned that this is not conducive to the marketability of the university.

As such, we are initiating a new mandatory course Service with a Smile: Moving Forward withStudent Satisfaction. Modules will include resilience workshops, the Just say yes! Participatory

Session and Making Bureaucracy Fun. As this is compulsory for all staff, we will not be including

these hours in workload models, out of fairness to all. The courses will be held each month between

January and August, with the exception of Open Days. Car parking and childcare will be available

at the normal rates.

The nal thought of the day that I want to share with you is this: The Face Business train is pulling

out of the station at speed, and if you are not on that train, maybe youre on the wrong line!

VC Blog


3/20Another Education Is Possible YWinter 2011 Y3

Editorial 4JaneHardy

Pensions 5

TomHickey

AGuidetotheWhitePaper 7JimWolfreys

TheUSExperienceofMarketisation 9RonMendel

SocialclassandtheWhitePaper 10RachelCohen

YoungPeopleandtheRiots 11SeanVernell

ProfessionalismandFE 13DougRouxel

TheImportanceofEqualities 14AngieMcConnell

InternationalNews 15

Whyelectionsmatter 16LizLawrence

UCULeftsCandidateforGeneralSecretary 17MarkCampbell

WhatistheUCULeft 18

EditorJane Hardy

DeputyEditorandreaGibbons

ProductionMike barton

PhotosGuysMallMan / siMon basketeer

CartoonstiM sanders

[email protected]

Contents


4/20

4 YAnother Education Is PossibleYWinter 2011

Wearefacinganunprecedentedas-

sault on the public sector. Huge

reductionsinfundingandthemar-

ketisationofeducationrepresentathreat

toourjobs,workingconditionsandaca-

demicfreedom.Forfuturestudentsitrep-

resentsadramaticreductioninchoiceand

accesstoFurtherandHigherEducation.

Thisisthecontextinwhichweneedto

understandthechallengesfortheUCU.

Pensions: The Front Line

Theattackonourpensionsisatthecutting

edgeoftheassaultonthelivingstandards

of working people. Understanding the

detailsofpensions canbebamboozling,butinshorttheimposedchangesonUSS

members and the proposed changes in

theTeachersPensionScheme(TPS)mean

thatwewillhavetoworklongerandpay

moreforreducedbenets.Inthelonger

termtheveryexistenceofpublicallyfund-

edpensionschemesarethreatened.This

leaves future generations depending on

thevagariesofstockmarketstoprovide

fortheiroldage.Thebigdebateishow

canwewinthisghtafterthestrikeon

the30November.

Neoliberalism: At Home andAbroadThe White Paper on Higher Education,

Studentsattheheartofthesystem,was

unveiled byVinceCable andDavidWil-

letts inJune2011.Thesedraconianpro-

posalslaythebasisfortheprivatisationof

HigherEducation.Salivatingatthepros-

pectsofprots,privateprovidersarewait-

inginthewingsandhavelobbiedhardto

priseopenthesectorforcompetition.

TheexperienceofthesermsinAmer-

icahasbeenlittlelessthandisastrous.In

theUK, these proposals, combined with

some of the highest student fees in the

world, will bring about the closure of

coursesparticularlyinarts,humanities

andthesocialsciences.Thelimitedgains

in opening up educational opportunity

overthelasttenyearswillberolledback

sothatadegreebecomesthepreserveoftherichandprivileged.

Wearealreadyfacedwiththepseudo-

marketisationofthesectorandunderthe

guiseofprofessionalismsubjecttoabar-

rageofmeasurement,metricsandtargets.

The forthcoming Research Excellence

Frameworkhasraisedthethreshold,and

will exclude large numbers of lecturers

fromhavingtheirresearchrecognised.It

isweightedheavilyonimpactinathinly

veiledattempttomaketheproductionof

knowledgeservethecompetitiveinterests

ofindustryandharnessresearchtogov-

ernmentagendas.

Theneoliberalonslaughtoneducation

isnotconnedtotheUK.Inthisedition

wereportontwoinspirationalstruggles.

InChilemassiveprotestsandoccupationshavebeenongoingforvemonthsinvolv-

ingteachers,studentsandlecturers.The

demandisforfreeandequaleducation.

InEgyptstudentprotestsovertuitionfees,

thecostoflivingandstudying,freedomof

speechanddemocracyoncampuscontin-

uedthroughoutOctober.

The Demonisation o YoungPeopleYoungpeoplehavebeenatthesharpendoftherecessionandgovernmentattacks.

ThewithdrawalofthemodestEducation-

alMaintenanceAllowance(EMA)means

thatmanyyoungpeoplewillbediscour-

aged from staying on in education and

unabletogetthequalicationsnecessary

togettouniversity.Thereistalkofintro-

ducing fees inFurther Education,which

wouldbeanalstepinpullingawaythe

ladder of opportunity for many young

working class people. The riots in thesummerof2011demonisedyoungpeople

as being greedy and/orwere attributed

to gang culture. Now that the hysteria

hasabatedithasbecomeclearthatthese

youngpeople,nowfacingdraconianpris-

onsentences,wereunderprivilegedwith

pooreducation.Anargumentforincreas-

ingresourcesforFEnotreducingthem!

A Vision or the UCU

TheUCULeftisacoalitionofactivistswhocomefromabroadspectrumofpolitical

traditions.Wearemembers ofourlocal

committees, we are branch secretaries

andofcers,sndsomeofusaremembers

oftheNationalExecutiveCommittee.

Intheworkplacewebelieveinght-

ing for every job and against every at-

tempt to roll back hard-fought gains in

working conditionsandpractices.These

breadandbutterissuesarecritical,but

they are linked toawiderdefence and

visionof education. Vibrant, democratic

and inclusive branches arenecessary to

defendourcollegesanduniversitiesfrom

the forthcoming onslaught. Elections at

thetopareimportanttoo.Therearereal

choicesbeforeus.ThatiswhyUCULeft

isstandingcandidatesintheforthcomingGeneralSecretaryandNECelections.

Our candidate forGeneralSecretary

is Mark Campbell a lecturer at Lon-

donMetropolitanUniversityandanNEC

member. Mark knowswhat it is to be

onthefrontline.OurcandidateforVice

PresidentisAngieMcConnellalecturer

atWiganandLeighCollegeandatireless

campaignerforequality.Votingdoesmat-

terandcanmakeadifference.Notonly

because we should exercise our demo-craticrightstovoteinunionelections,but

also becausedecisions taken atnational

levelimpactontheworkofourbranches.

Another Education is Possible

The challenges thatwe face inour col-

legesanduniversitiesareimmense.These

arelikelytointensifyastherecoveryof

theglobaleconomyfaltersandaplunge

intoasecondrecessionishighlylikely.

Theattacksthatwefacearepartandparcel of a supposed solution whereby

austerity has been foisted on working

classpeopleratherthanthosewhocaused

thecrisisintherstplace.Wearelook-

ingtobuildthestrongestandmostunited

ghttodefendjobsandeducation.Butwe

alsobelievethatanothereducationispos-

sibleonewhichisfree,opentoalland

determinedbyathirstforknowledgeand

learningandnotthediktatsofthemarket.

Jane HardyUniversityofHertfordsHire

Another Education is Possible

Jane HardyEditorial



The pensions fght: unity as the seed o victory

The German

Romantic and

utopian poet,

Hlderlin, once wrote:

Where danger is,

grows also that which

saves. The world, in

other words, never

poses a problem

without also seeding

its solution. This may

have been desperate

hope overwhelming

philosophical realism

but it is an intriguing

idea.

Forstaffinpost-16education,thatquestion

resonatestoday.Inits

attackonpublicsector

pensionshastheCoalition

Governmentbittenoff

morethanitcanchew?

Resistance and NoCompromiseThepublicsectorunions

arenallytomountacollectivedefenceof

pensions.TheTUCis

beingforcedtofrontthat

resistance.Desperateto

discoversomenegotiated

compromise,theTUCis

relentlesslypursuingthe

PrimeMinister,orother

Governmentministers,or

anyonewhowilltalkto

itsrepresentativesaboutacompromise.

Bycontrast,our

needasteachersand

researchersandacademic-

relatedstaff(members

andpotentialmembers

ofthefunds)istowin

thisbattle;itisnotto

compromise.Wecannot

affordacompromiseon

thisquestion.Weneedtoensurethatthediscussion

aboutwhatisnecessary

towintakesplacenow.

Weneedtoreectonthe

escalationofactionafter

30thNovember.

Pensions and PublicEducationTheGovernmentsintent

isnotonlytodrivedown

thecostofeducation

butalsotoundermine

publicserviceandpublic

provision,toout-source

asmuchofpublic

provisionaspossible,and/ortodisposeofparts

oftheeducationsector.

Cheapeningtheemployers

pensioncontributionsis

partofthatstrategy.

TheGovernment,and

ouremployersincolleges

anduniversities,havea

strategicvision,anddo

nothesitatetogeneralise

outfromspecicstruggles

tothewiderpicture.Unlesswewanttoght

forheroicdefeats,we

mustunderstandwhatis

atstakestrategically,and

bewillingtoghtwithan

equallygeneralisedvision.

The TPS AND USSSchemesThereisnonancial

requirementforthese

changes.TheTeachers

PensionSchemeandthe

UniversitySuperannuation

Schemearenot

underfundedschemes.

Theseproposedchanges

arenotaboutnancial

viabilitybutonlyabout

shiftingtheburdenof

pensionsfromemployers

toemployeesIntheUSSscheme,in

thepre-92universities,

theemployerswantto

calculatepensionsby

averagingoutsalaries

overawholecareer,rather

thanthecurrentnal

yearsalaryscheme.Staff

joiningthenewscheme,

andretiringatthetopof

thelecturersscale,could

lose100,000compared

tocurrentarrangements.

Theemployershave

shiftedtheinationlink

fromtheRetailPriceIndex

(RPI)totheConsumer

PriceIndex(CPI),wiping2bnoffthepensionfund.

InthecaseofUSS,they

havealreadycappedthe

ratethatpensionsincrease

tomatchinationat5%

-giventhatinationis

alreadyabove5%,this

movewillsignicantly

reducethevalueof

pensions.

Theyaretryingtobuyoffexistingstaff

byapplyingthenew

arrangementstonew

entrantsintherst

instance.Atonepoint

duringnegotiations,

however,theemployers

revealedthatoncethe

newschemeisintroduced,

theywouldliketomove

everyoneontotheinferior

pensionscheme.

Unaordable

IntheTPS,theswitch

fromRPItoCPIinApril

2011wasthetriggerfor

thedecisiontoballotfor

industrialaction.The

consequenceofthisswitch

isadramaticreductionin

pensions.Extrapolatingandaveragingfrompast

differencesbetweenthe

twoindexesgivesthe

followingovertheaverage

lengthofretirement:

YforanFElecturerwith

a10kpapension,a

36,000lossover25

years;

YforanHElecturerwith

an18kpapension,

65,000lossover25

years.

Tocompoundmatters,the

Governmentannounced

initsComprehensive

SpendingReviewin

Octoberlastyearthattherewouldbeincreased

employeecontributionsto

publicsectorpensionof50

percent-from6percent

to9percentofsalaries.

Theeffectofthiswould

bedramaticontake-home

payasaresultofincreased

pensionscontributions:

Yatop-of-the-scaleFE

lecturerwillpayanadditional84per

month;

Yatop-of-the-scaleHE

lecturerwillpayan

additional104per

month.

Thechangesalsoinvolve

anincreaseintheage

ofretirementto68for

youngermembersofthe

schemes.

Pay, Pensions andContractsForthenotionalHE

lecturer,describedabove,

thejointeffectofthese

proposalsconstitutes

theactuarialequivalent

ofa3,848reduction

inannualsalary,i.e.a

reductionof320permonth.Thisisontopof

Tom HickeyPensions


6/20


thecutinrealtake-home

payfromthesub-ination

settlementsofthelast

fewyears(itselfacutin

realpayofinexcessof10

percent).

Thisisnotonlya

retrospectiveimposition

ofaunilateraldecisiontoworsenourcontractual

terms.Itwillcausereal

hardshiptomany,and

willraisethespectre

offoreclosurebytheir

mortgagecompanies.

Alongwiththatnancial

stresswillcomethereal

worrythatlecturerand

otherworkersintheHE

andFEsectorswillnotbeabletosendtheirown

childrentouniversity.

Government Strategy

Isthissimplyaboutthe

short-termexpediencyof

reducingthedecit?

Theansweris,not

atall.Referencestothe

Governmentdecitare

asmokescreen.Raisingthestatepensionage

graduallyto70(the

unstatedintention)will

reduceGovernment

spendinginthelongrun.

Thatis,however,notwhat

itismostcentrallyabout.

Theaimisrather

tobreakasystemin

whichthepensionsof

thegenerationofretired

peoplearepaidforby

thecontributionsofthose

currentlyworking.Theaim

istodestroyatraditionof

intergenerationalsolidarity

andsocialresponsibility.

Itistotryto

individualiseresponsibility

forretirement.Theaim

istodrivemillionsout

ofdenedbenet(e.g.

nalsalary)intodenedcontributionschemes

whereemployeespay

intoascheme,thebanks

thengamblewiththe

fundsonthestockmarket,

andthepensionersthen

nallysharebetween

themwhateverisleftonce

thebankersandbrokers

havetakentheircutforprofessionalservices.

Commercialisationand ProftabilityThedrive,inotherwords,

istocommercialisethe

provisionofpensions.

Bythismechanism,the

Governmentcreates

substantialprotsfor

thenancialsector;itunderminessocial

solidarity;anditreducesemployerscontributions

from12-15percentof

salaryto3-6percent.

Inthetermsofpolitical

economy,thiswouldbea

sharpshiftofwealthand

incomefromemployeesto

theownersofcapital.

From Resistance to

VictoryIn1998,whentheSpanish

Governmenttriedto

cutpensionsthemove

provokedaGeneralStrike,

andtheGovernment

backeddown.Whenthe

SocialistPartyGovernment

inFranceattackedpublic

sectorpensionsin1995,

andtriedtoremovetrade

unionoversightoftheschemes,itprovokeda

waveofpublicsector

strikesthatparalysed

thecountry,andledto

theabandonmentofthe

Governmentsreforms.

WhenBerlusconis

GovernmentinItalytried

toseverthelinkbetween

pensionsandaverageearnings,itwasdefeated

byastrikewaveandthe

biggestdemonstrations

forgenerations.Inthe

faceofthisresistance,and

learningthelessonofit,

theGermanGovernment

abandoneditsplansfor

pensionreform.Thelesson

wasclear.

Thecentralquestion,therefore,isnothowdo

wegetthebiggestturn-out

on30November?

Thequestionthat

mustbeasked,and

askednow,is,What

happensafter30

November?

Giventhe

Governmentslong-

termproject,itwill

notbedeterredfromitsstrategybyasingleone-

daystrike.Itwillwatch

theturnoutcarefully,and

itwillattempttojudgethe

mood.Itshopewillbethat

thepublicsectorunions

willseethe30thasthe

culminationofthestruggle

notitsstart.Itwillsitout

the30th,andwaittosee

whathappensthereafter.

Escalation ater 30NovemberForourside,thequestion

isequallystark.What

arewepreparedtodoto

defendoutpensions?For

howlongwouldwehave

tostriketomakethecost

oflostpayoutweighthe

benetsofdefeatingtheGovernmentsproposals?

Atanestimatedcosttous

ofover3,500forevery

workingyear,howmany

strikedaysdoesthat

represent?

Willwereturntowork

feelingthatourprotest

hasbeenregistered,

andallownormalitytoreimposeitself?Orwill

weimmediatelybeginto

organisetheescalation

ofstrikeactionthatwill

benecessarytosecure

victory?Willwestartto

raisetheslogan,AllOut

andStayOut!inevery

schoolandcollegeand

university,andbuild

towardsatwo-daypublicsectorstrikeinthespring?

Education andPensionsMostcrucially,in

education,willwelink

thisstruggletotheght

todefendeducationand

toghtagainststudent

debt?Orwillwepresent

ourselvesasifweareonlyconcernedwithour

sectionalinterestsas

employees?

Weneedaunited

ghtwiththeother

publicsectorunions

overpensions.As

educationalists,however,

wealsoneedaunitedght

withourstudents,withthe

NUS,withfuturestudents,

andwiththecommunityto

defendaccesstopublicly

fundedpost-16education.

Paradoxically,the

Governmenthasitself

createdthefoundations

forthatunityinopposition

toitspolicies.Perhaps

Hlderlinwasnotso

unreasonableinhishope.

toM Hickey

neCandUniversityofBrigHton


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higherinA-levelsorAVCEs(Advancedvo-

cationalcerticateofeducation)inEng-

land were fromprivate schools. Private

schoolpupilsrepresentonly6percentof

allschoolstudents.Afurther10percent

ofthoseachievingAABwenttoselective

stateschools.

Ten elite institutions already recruit

around 40 percent of AAB+ students,

theirshareislikelytoincreaseunderthe

new system. These universities mostly

belong to the Russell group of institu-

tions,only20percentofwhosestudents

received fullmeans-tested bursaries(for

students from households earning less

than25k) in2010-11.This ishalf the

rateforpost-92universities.AtOxbridge

thegurewasbelow15percent.Meanwhile,20,000 students without

AAB+gradesaretoberemovedfromthe

quota.Manyoftheinstitutionsthatcur-

rentlycaterforpoorerstudentsstandto

loseoutunderthenewregime,meaning

thattheywillhavefewerresourcestopro-

videfortheireducation.

For-proft

Howdoesthegovernmentintendtofacili-

tate theentry ofprivate companies intohighereducation?

YHigherEducationFundingCouncil for

England(HEFCE)toberemodelledasa

consumerchampionandleadregula-

torforsectorwithadutytotakecom-

petitionimplicationsintoaccountwhen

makingdecisionsonfunding

YHEFCE to monitor providers, address

signsoffailureandagreerecoveryar-

rangements

Y Highperforming institutions toben-etfromlight-touchregulation

YNumber controls on admissions to be

freedup

YQualityassurancetobedowngradedto

risk-basedregulation

YProcessandcriteriaforgrantingdegree-

awarding powers, university and uni-

versitycollegetitletobereviewedfor

newproviders

The inspiration from this model comes

fromtheUSasweshallseeinRonMen-dels article. In order to offer for-prot

providersaccesstothestudentloanmar-

ket, the government will dispense with

theneedforprovidersseekinguniversity

statustoprovethequalityofitsprovision

overtime.

Degree-awardingpowersarecurrent-

ly renewableevery sixyears.Risk-based

quality assurance will ensure that qual-

itycontrolisonlylikelytocomeintoplay

oncesomethinggoeswrong.

Management attacks

The White Paper will reinforce and in-

tensify university managements attacks

on staff and students. According to one

vice-chancellor, survivalwith fees below

7,500would involveredundancies andworsening student-to-staff ratios: The

onlywayyoucancut[feesto]thatlevel

isbydramaticallyreducingstafng(Mar-

tinHall,TimesHigherEducation,7July

2011).

Conditionswill bemade evenworse

bytheentryintothesectorofprivatepro-

viderswithanevenmorebullishattitude

to driving down costs. The government

wantstobreakuptheexistinguniversity

system, driving some universities to the

wall,makinganelitefewthepreserveofthemostprivilegedandallowingprivate

providerstoscavengethesectorinorder

toturnpublicmoneyintoprivateprot.

Deending our universities

The White Paper has already brought

together a remarkable variety of voices

preparedtodefendouruniversities,from

theCampaignfor thePublicUniversitys

co-ordinationoftheAlternativeWhitePa-

perindefenceofpublichighereducation

totheOxfordacademicswhoinitiateda

motionofNoCondenceinWilletts,lat-

ertakenupbyUCUandnowsignedby

around20,000people.

UCUhasamajorroletoplayinthis

situation. Its organising capacities can

helpcreateabroadandpowerfulnational

campaignagainst theWhitePaperwhen

it goes before parliament in 2012. The

governments political objectives for the

universitysector,aswehaveseen,repre-sentageneralassaultonthequalityofour

educationwhichwillmakelifeworsefor

studentsandforstaffandrobsocietyofa

preciousresource.

Thisassaulthasalreadybeguninthe

formofanindustrialoffensivebyuniver-

sitymanagers,astheyimplementthecost

cuttingmeasureswhichthisWhitePaper

explicitly urges them to adopt, driving

downpensionsandpayandmakingstaff

redundant.

Thesearethespecicmeansbywhich

thefutureofhighereducationisbeingput

at risk. UCUmustndaway tomount

signicant, sustained resistance to this

generalisedonslaughtonouruniversities,

unitingstaffwithstudentsandthewider

community.Ifresoluteindustrialactionin

defenceofouruniversitiesisnotorgan-isedinthefaceofthesethreats,manywill

askwhatisthepurposeoftradeunions?

Thisassaultonhighereducationcan

be defeated. It will require careful and

detailedargument andthedevelopment

ofanationalcampaignofaction.Thisis

likelytorequirethesystematic,campus-

by-campusorganisationofmassdeance,

ledbyUCUandtheNUS,unitingstaffand

students alike in teach-ins, occupations,

demonstrations,strikeactionand,ifnec-essary,anindeniteshutdownoftheen-

tireuniversitysystem.

JiM Wolfreys

Kings Collegelondon

references

ThisisanabridgedversionofUniversitiesfor

Hire:thehighereducationWhitePaperandthe

marketisationofacademia,anEducationActiv-

istNetworkbriengbyJimWolfreys,available

[email protected]

BIS,HigherEducation,Studentsatthe

HeartoftheSystem,June2011,http://

discuss.bis.gov.uk/hereform/white-paper/

CampaignforthePublicUniversity,InDefenceof

PublicHigherEducation,http://publicuniver-

sity.org.uk/2011/09/27/higher-education-white-

paper-is-provoking-a-winter-of-discontent/

Hotson,Howard,ShortCuts,London

ReviewofBooks,2June2011

million+group,UniversitiesDrivingSocial

Mobility:BeyondtheOxbridgeObsession,

September2011,http://www.millionplus.

ac.uk/research/universities-driving-social-

mobility-beyond-the-oxbridge-obsession



For-proft universities in the United States Coming to a town near you

Continued on page 10

ronmendelThe US Experience o Marketisation

The Coalition government has issued

aHigherEducationWhitePaperthat

willallowfortheentryofprivatefor-

prot providers of higher education in

England.1 David Willets, the University

and ScienceMinister, hasmetwith rep-

resentativesfromBPP,Pearsons,Warburg

Pincusandother privaterms to signal

hisintentiontoopenthepublicuniversity

systemtocompetition.Sincethegovern-

menthasbeeninspiredbythegrowthof

forprotuniversitiesintheUnitedStates,

itwouldbeinstructivetoassesswhatthe

American experience tells us about the

risks and hazards associated with for-

prothighereducation.

For-protuniversitiesaimtomaximiseincome.Thefor-protscanbeownedby

anindividual,acorporationorberunas

apubliclimitedcompanywithstockhold-

ers.(Kinser,2009:4)Since1998thefor-

protHEsectorintheUShasgrownfrom

about600,000toapproximately1.8mil-

lionstudents.Thefourteenpubliclimited

companies, among the largest for-prot

providers, claim 1.4 million students.

(U.S.Senate:2)Encouragedbytherepeal

of the restriction that universities could

offer no more than50 percent of theircurriculumon line, thebetter resourced

for-prots have expanded exponentially,

gobblinguptheirsmallercounterparts.

Public subsidies or or-proftuniversitiesUnderpinningthegrowthofthefor-prots

ispublicnancialsupporttostudents.Pell

grants and federal loans issued to stu-

dentsconstituteagrowingpercentageof

thefor-prots income.Forexample, thevelargestfor-protsderive77percentof

theirincomefromgrantsandloans.Inad-

dition, for-prots claim a disproportion-

ateshareoftheincreasedexpenditureson

grantsandloans,risingfrom13percent

in1999to25percentin2009.(U.S.Sen-

ate:3)

The importance of these public sub-

sidies cannot be underestimated as the

shareofPellgrantsandfederalloansgo-

ingtoforprotsrosetoalmost$25billion

in2008-9,doublethesharetheyhadten

years earlier. Although for-prots enrol

about10percentofhighereducationstu-

dentstheyreceive23percentofthefeder-

algrantandloanfunds.(U.S.Senate:3)

Recruit at any costNotsurprisinglysincetuitionfeesconsti-

tuteahigherproportionoftheirincome,

for-protshavetheincentivetoenrolas

manystudentsaspossible.Thishasledto

arecruitatanycostapproachwhereby

aggressive marketing practices are de-

ployed.Outreachincludestelevisionand

billboard advertisements, telephone so-

licitationandwebmarketing.Onestudy

commissionedbytheUnitedStatesSen-

ateshowedthateightpubliclytradedHEprovidersdevotedover30percentoftheir

costs tomarketing and recruitmentand

only50percenttoeducation.(U.S.Sen-

ate: 5) In theprocessstudentrecruiters

were compensatedwith bonuses if they

exceededtheirrecruitmenttargets,lead-

ing to many instances where students

havebeenrecruitedwhodidnothavethe

appropriate educational requirements to

pursueaHEdegree.

For-profts ail to deliver

Noassessmentofthefor-protuniversities

would be complete without addressing

their ownself-serving claims.Advocates

andprovidersalikeassertthatfor-prots

offerefcientlydeliveredcourse,enhance

the student experience, foster employ-

abilityand ingeneral provide value for

money.

Onallcountstheseclaimscannotbe

substantiated. Tuition fees at for protsexceedthoseatpublicuniversities(double

thatoffouryearuniversitiesandsixtimes

that of two year community colleges),

although theyonly about spendhalf of

theirincomedirectlyoneducationalser-

vices.(Kinser, 2009:13) AUnitedStates

SenateCommitteefoundthatstudentre-

tentionandprogressionwashighlyprob-

lematic,asover540,000studentsoutof

590,000inonesamplefailedtocomplete

theiryearofstudy.Althoughthedatafor

graduateemployment isnotentirely re-

liable, there is considerable evidence to

suggest that graduatesarelanding posi-

tionswhich they had not trained for. If

poorretentionratesandsuspectratesof

graduate employment are not enough,

mountinglevelsofstudentdebtaddsalttothewounds.Approximately21percent

offor-protsstudentswhoactuallygrad-

uated defaulted on their federal loans,

whichunderthelawwillnotbesimplybe

writtenoff.(U.S:8)Insteadstudentsface

nancialpenaltiesandmountinginterest

paymentswhichhoundthemfortherest

oftheirlives.

Dodgy business practices

The track record of for-prots has at-tractedadditionalattentionfromtheUS

governmentinrecentyears.Someofthe

companieswho have been trying toget

a foothold inEngland havebeen found

guilty of business malpractice. Kaplan

HigherEducationwas chargedwith de-

frauding the government of millions of

dollars and unethical student admission

procedures. Career Education Corpora-

tion faced allegations of fraudulent re-

cruitmentpracticesadmittingstudentswhodidnotfullthesufcientenrolment

criteriaandencouragingstafftosignup

relativeswhoneverattended.(University

and College Union: 4-5;Marcus, 2011)

Apollo, the parent company of Phoenix

Universitysventuresandtherecentbuyer

of BPP Professional Education (already

granteddegreeawardingpowersinEng-

land),standsaccusedofenrollingunqual-

ied students and massaging students

gradestokeepthemontheirbooks.Not


10/20


The White Paper is a blueprint for a transfer of resources

from poor and middle class, state-educated students to a

minority of privately educated students.

TheWhite Paper is formallymeritocratic, funnelling resources tohigh-

achieving students on the basis of A-Level achievement. But A-Levelachievementishighlydependentonwealth.

Privately educated students do much better in A-Levels.In2011

20.9percentofComprehensive,13.3percentofSecondaryModernand

39.8percentofGrammarschoolA-LevelexamentriesweremarkedatAor

A*,whileoverhalfofprivateschoolentriesreceivedanAorA*.Whereas

Grammarschooladmissionisselective,partiallyexplainingtheirsuccess,

privateschooladmissionisnot.Andinrealitytheclass-divideiswider,

sinceprivatelyeducatedstudentsaremorelikelythanComprehensivestu-

dentstoevenbeenteredforA-Levels.

A-levels are a class-biased predictor of ability. Itcouldbethataf-

terdoingbetterinA-LevelsprivatelyeducatedstudentsgoonanddobetteratUniversity.Thisis,however,notso.TheSuttonTrustrecentlyfoundthat,

acomprehensivestudentwithgradesBBBislikelytoperformaswellat

universityasanindependentorgrammarschoolstudentwithgradesABB

orAAB(2010:28).Similarlyin2003HEFCEfoundthatstateschoolstu-

dentswithgradesABBperformedaswellasprivateschoolstudentswith

gradesAAA.ThusA-Levelsexaggerateprivatelyeducatedstudentsabili-

ties,whileunderestimatingthoseofstate-educatedstudents.Anyfunding

basedonA-Levelswilldolikewise.

ThethreenewmarketsthattheWhitePaperestablishes,representdiffer-

entmodelsofstatesupport,orlackthereof,tailoredatclass-differentiated

studentbodiesandprovidingvaryinglevelsofstudentchoiceorconstraint.

1. Potentially unlimited places at their chosen University for

students gaining AAB or better at A-Level (at present 65,000

students). Privilegedprivatelyeducated students,who already ac-

countfor30percentofAABstudents,willmonopoliseplacesprovided

bythismarket,withaccesstoafullrangeofdegreeprograms,from

ArtHistorythroughSociology,Medicine,MathematicsandBiological

Sciences.

2. 20,000 places on any course at any institution, including

private institutions, charging under 7,500. Disadvantaged

students, seeking to avoid excessive indebtedness will be clusteredinunderfundedteaching-only institutions. As graduallymore stock-

marketlistedcompaniescompeteinthismarket(togainaccesstothe

statefundedstudentloansonoffer)thesestudents,manywithlittle

knowledgeofHE,willndthemselvesfacedbyaggressivesalespeople

pushingpotentiallyunsuitableprogrammesofstudy.

3. Unlimited places for any student receiving private sponsor-

ship. Withbusinesssponsorshipemergingasanalternativerouteinto

highereducation,somestudents,missingoutonAAB+,will choose

tomakeadealwiththedevil:gainingaccesstoagoodeducation,in

returnforpursuingabusiness-friendlyprogrammeofstudy.

racHel coHen

UniversityofsUrrey

Tipping the balance away rom state-educated students

Social class and the White Paper

surprisingly, then, that in2008 thegraduation

rateat Phoenix University was only9 percent

(Marcus,2009)

The neo-liberal world oor-proftsAlthoughelevenoftheftyUSstateshavebeen

conducting investigations into the business

practices of for-prots, the private institutions

operatein anunregulatedmarket. Teamingup

withsympatheticRepublicanCongressmen,the

AssociationofPrivateSectorCollegesandUni-

versities (APSCU) successfully pressured the

federal government to dilute the requirement

thatfor-protuniversitiesdemonstratestudentshadsecuredgainfulemploymentaftergraduat-

ing(Marcus,2011).Inessence,despitetheuse

ofpublicmoneyintheformofgrantsandloans

tonancestudentenrolment, theperformance

of for-protuniversities is not subject to close

government scrutiny. Consequently, the quality

of education is compromised and the student

experiencesuffers.AsApollo,Kaplanandother

US-based for-prot enterprises eye theEnglish

highereducationmarket,letstudents,lecturers

andthegeneralpublicbeawareofthedangers

theyposetoouruniversitysystem.ron Mendel

UniversityofnortHampton

references

Kinser,Kevin,2009,AccessinUSHigherEduca-

tion:WhatDoestheFor-ProtSectorContribute?PROPHEWorkingPaper,Number14March.

Marcus,Jon,2009,HopesareHighthatthePresidentissingingtheirsong,Times

HigherEducation,26November.Marcus,JonOffenceistheBestDefence,

TimesHigherEducation16June.

Morgan,John,2011,Universitiescouldbeinprivatehandsinsixmonths,Times

HigherEducation,13October.UniversityandCollegeUnion,SubprimeEduca-

tion?:AReportontheGrowthofPrivatePro-vidersandtheCrisisofUKHigherEducation

1HigherEducationinWales,Scotlandand

NorthernIrelandaresubjecttoregulationslegislatedbyregionalassemblieswhichinmany

casesdifferfromthoseineffectandabouttocomeonstreaminEngland.However,given

budgetarysqueezesbeingexperiencedthroughout

theUK,thechangesbeingproposedforHEinEnglandmightbeadoptedelsewhere.

Continued from page 9

racHel coHen



Pulling Away the Ladder

ThegreatblackAmericanpoetLangstonHughesina

poemwritteninthe1930sunderstoodonlytoowell

whathappenswhenexpectationsarentmet:

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry upLike a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?Or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sagslike a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

IthinktheriotsofAugust2011have,onceagain,

answeredthatquestion.

Ittookariotthiswastheheadingtoabrieng

paperthatMichaelHeseltinewrotefortheTorycabinet

intheaftermathofthe1981riots.Onceagainweare

inthesamesituationasthatofover30yearsago.But

perhapswithgreaterintensityandsignicance.

Iwroteapamphletinthesummerof2009asan

attempttochallengethepervadingorthodoxiesabout

youngpeople.IdidsobecauseIwassickandtiredofthe

continualtabloidattacksonyoungpeopleasferaland

criminal.Ialsobelievedthatyoungpeoplewouldbeat

theforefrontofshapingtheirownandthereforetherest

ofsocietysdestiny.

10 November demonstration

Sincethentheyoungworkingclasshavetakentothe

streetsintheirtensofthousands.Firstwesaw50,000

studentsandlecturersdemonstrateon10November

2010,overtheraisingoftuitionfeesandthescrapping

ofEMA,whichturnedintoamassrevoltoftheyoungin

defenceoftheirfutures.BaramildreformofEMAthismovementfailedtostoptheseattacks.However,what

itrevealedwasthattheyoungwerenotapatheticor

apoliticalandthattheywerenotgoingtositbackand

allowtheToryledgovernmenttopushthemdeeperinto

poverty.

Whenanynewgenerationghtsbackfortherst

time,theydonotdosointheoldfamiliarwaysofpast

generations.Theybringwiththemnewandfreshways.

Itisalsothecasethatthewaythattheyexpresstheir

rageandtowhomtheydirectitmightnotfollowthe

sean VernellYoung People and the Riots

Picture:SimonBasketeer


12/20


usualorderedwaythattraditionaltradeunionstruggle

oftendoes.

The August riots

TheriotingthattookplaceoverfourdaysinAugust

2011,sparkedbythemurderbypoliceofMarkDuggan

inTottenham,thefourthtobekilledbythepolicesince

March,wasareectionofthesamesenseofangerand

frustration.Itshoneaverypowerfullightonthechasm

betweentheyoungworkingclassandthosewhorunour

society.Thescaleoftherevoltshooktheestablishment

fromtoptobottom.

Ofcoursethepoliticiansandmediamademuch

ofthefactthatitwastheirowncommunitiesthatthe

youngtrashed.Butmakenomistakethecausesofthese

riotssharethesamesubsoilthatgavebirthtothehalf

millionstrongtradeuniondemonstrationonthe26

March2011.

Thegovernmentresponsewaspredictable-more

repression.Thegovernmenthaveseizedontheriotsasanopportunitytointroduceevenmoredraconianpolice

powersanddivisionstopushthroughtheirausterity

programme.Theyarrestedover300studentsfollowing

thefeesandEMAprotestsandover5,000followingthe

riots.Thestudentsarrestedwereyoungandworking

class,anddisproportionatelyblack.Thisbrutalattempt

tocrushtherevoltthroughmassarrest,imprisonment

andfearwillonlyservetodeepenthehatredand

resentmentofthoseinauthoritybylargeswathesof

workingclassyouth.

Thegovernmentandtherightwingmediahavealsolaunchedanideologicaloffensive,raisingalltheold

clichsaboutthecriminalclasses,parentaldiscipline,

greedandlackofvalues(andoftenasnotthelack

ofBritishvalues).MichaelGove,educationminister,

askedthequestion,

Why has a culture of greed and instant gratication,

rootless hedonism and amoral violence taken hold in

parts of society?

Thebreathtakinghypocrisyandstupidityofsucha

questionbeggarsbelief.Youngpeopleareshaped,aswe

allare,bytheworldinwhichwelive;greedybankers

whowreckeconomiesandthengetwealthier,politicians

onthetakewhodontgetarrested,policeofcerswho

beatandmurder,butrarely,ifever,getbroughtto

justice.

Weliveinasocietywherewearetoldthatbeingrich

andfamousisthepathtohappinessandfullment.The

survivalofthettest,getrichquick,dogeatdogmorals

thataredrummedintoouryoung,dayindayout,are

theonesthatwearesupposedtoliveby.

Theyseethewealthyaunttheirrichesensuring

theirownchildrenaresecureandhappy,whilstknowingthattheywillneverhavethisforthemselvesortheir

families,nomatterhowlongtheyworkorhowhard

theystudy.Arethepoliticiansandthosewhowriteabout

theyoungandtheirbehavioursooutoftouchwith

workingclasslifethattheyreallydontunderstandwhat

createdsuchareactiontoanotherkillingofablackman

onourstreets?

ForsomeImsuretheriotsdidcomeasashock,like

athunderboltthroughtheclearbluesky.Theyareout

oftouch.However,Indithardtobelievethatmanyofthosethatrunsocietywerethatsurprised.Eventheir

ownpublicationswarnedaboutthedangersofmass

unemployment.Young,joblessandlookingfortrouble

wastheheadingofanarticleintheEconomistwritten

on3February2011.Itwentontosay,

We are rightly xated on the politics of what is going

on in Egypt at the moment. But it is worth sparing a

thought for the economics, too. If Russians in 1917

wanted bread, peace and landyoung Egyptians want

jobs. Egypts youth unemployment rate is currently

about 25 percent. That is clearly a depressing number,but even more depressing is that it is not out of line

with rates across the region and beyond. Lebanons

youth-unemployment rate is 21 percent, Tunisias is 30

percent, Britain is 20 percent and Spain 40 percent

Policymakers would be well advised to think about how

were going to promote job intensive growth.

90 million unemployed young people

TheInternationalLabourOrganisationestimatesthat

90million15-24yearoldsareunemployed.Thisisthehighestguresincerecordsbegan.

Itisclearthattherewereplentyofwarningsbutthe

governmentrefusedtodoanythingaboutthem.Their

fakeconcernandcrocodiletearsforourcommunities

intheaftermathoftheriotswasjustasmokescreento

allowthemtocontinuetodrivethroughtheirausterity

policies.

Itisalsoclearthatcapitalismcannotdeliverabetter

lifefortheyoung.Theirdreamsandaspirationswill

notandcannotbemet.Allitcandoisattempttolower

expectationsbycallingontheyoungtoberealistic,

acceptdeadendjobsonpovertypay.Forgetaboutgoing

touniversity.Atbestsomewillbeabletogetoncourses

thatteachskillsfornon-existentjobs.

Governmentsattemptstovilifyanddemonisethe

youngworkingclassreecttheirfearofthem.Theyare

righttobefearful.Itistheirenergy,dynamismand

senseofinjusticethatwillbeabletounleashtheforces

thatcanbringaboutanewsocietythatdoesnotwaste

thecreativecapacityoftheyoung.

sean Vernell

neCand Cityand islingtonCollege

aUtHorofdontgetyoUngintHetHird millenniUm -CapitalismandtHedemonisingoftHeyoUng WorKing Class



The Institute or Learning and the (De)proessionalism o FE Lecturers

TheideaofprofessionalismintheFEandAdultEduca-

tionsectorhashadahardtimeofitlately.Theongo-

ingselfdestructionoftheInstituteforLearning(IfL)

followingyearsofenforcedandbureaucratically-imposed

professionalismhasdonesignicantdamageto theno-

tionofprofessionalismwithinthesector,andthereisa

dangerofpractitionersgettingswitchedoffitaltogether.

TheIfListheprofessionalbodyforFurtherEduca-

tionandAdultEducation;teachersandlecturersinFEare

obligedbylawtobecomemembersofthebody.Following

theimpositionofafeetobecomeamember,FEmembers

ofUCU voted overwhelmingly toboycott theorganisa-

tion.ThisactionhasinitiatedareviewoftheIfLandpro-

fessionalismwithinthesector.

Professionalismis,however,animportantpartofthe

workwedoasatradeunion.Itsaunifyingbannerunder

whichanumberofseeminglydifferentareasofourworkcanbebroughttogethertoexpressasingularvisionfor

thewayinwhichFEandAdultEducationpractitioners

willbetreated.Itisthewayinwhichweconsiderour

educationalpracticeandthewaythatthisinterfaceswith

thewiderworld.

TheimpositionofpayingtojointheIfLwasacatalyst

forwidespreadangertowardstheIfLandthisactedasa

focalpointformanyofthethingswhichareproblematic

aboutthewaythesectorworks.Thisanger,alongwith

decisivecollectiveactionthroughtheboycottgivesusan

opportunitytopushforabetterprofessionalism.

Targets

SuccessivegovernmentshaveputforwardavisionofFE

andAdultEducation,avisionofmetrics,statistics,data

collection, target setting and key performance indica-

tors,allregulatedbyleaguetables,conferredstatusand

pre-ordainedgenericcompetencies.Thisvisionofprofes-

sionalismisanintrinsicpartoftheneo-liberalisationof

education;itispartofanimposedpseudo-marketisation

ofthesector.

Teachers and lecturers have become judged on the

datatheyproduce.Statisticsanddataanalysishavebe-

comethemostimportantaspectoftheirworkandasthe

achievementofthetargetsbecomesallimportant,their

focusbecomesmore andmoredistant from the actual

activity (education) that the numbers are supposed to

represent.Thenatureofthequasi-marketsystemwhich

hasbeencreatedinFEthusbecomesapparent,andour

professionalidentityastargetsettersandachievers

becomesthesingularviewofusintheeyesofthegovern-

mentandouremployers.

Inthecontextofallofthisdataentryandtargetset-ting,IfLhashewnapathwhichplacestheFEandAdult

Educationprofessionalinapositionwhichskirtstheedg-

esofthedataandmetricsbasedmodelhandeddownby

thegovernment.TheIfLsmodelofreectivepracticeis

slightlyseparatedfromthegovernmentsstatistics-based

model.Itdoesntlooktoreplaceit,ratheritaddsonthe

notionofsharingdevelopmentwithotherpractitioners,

aswellasconsideringtheeffectofdevelopmentonyour

educationpractice, combining thebureaucracy of data

collectionwithsuperuousformlling.

Clearlyreectiononteachingandthesharingofgood

practiceissomethingwhichcanbebenecial,andhavea

positiveimpactonstudents.However,theprescribedIfL

wayofdoingitdivertsattentionfromthisbeingaposi-

tiveandcollectiveprocess,ownedbythepractitionersat

a local level. Instead itendsupasan abstract, distant

processwithpredeterminedheadingsunderwhicheve-

rythingmustsit.TheinherentpassivityoftheIfLsvisionisnotaplat-

formforchangeandthisiswhyweneedamoreforce-

ful,uniedandultimatelyactivevisionofprofessionalism

foroursector,weneedavisionofprofessionalismwhich

genuinelyrepresentstheaspirationswehaveforthework

wedo,andmoreimportantlythestudentsweteach.

FurtherandAdultEducation isnot, and shouldnot

beseenasmerelyaplacetoacquireskills.Itsnotsome-

thingthatstudentsundertakesolelyastherststeponto

aconveyorbeltintoajob(thatisiftheycangetintowork

atall).Educationismorethanthis,FurtherandAdultEd-ucationismorethanthis,andourprofessionalismshould

bemore than this.Our sector and our professionalism

needtobetransformative.

Wearenotheretoindoctrinatethenextgenerationof

workforcedrones,weasteachersshouldbecontributing

tosocialchangeandbepreparingourstudentstocontrib-

utetochangeinsociety.

Inorder toshape the forthcoming reviewofthe IfL

and thenatureofFEprofessionalism,weneedtopush

for:

YThereturnoftrusttothesectorpartof

professionalismisbeingtreatedasthoughweare

professionals,notblindlypushedtomeettargets

whichsimplydontrelatetotheeducationalcontextof

ourstudents.

YAguaranteeofgenuinelydevelopmentalCPD

somethingdirectedbytheteacherandnotsheepdip

stafftrainingimposedbytheemployerwhichdoesnot

benetstudents.

YGenuinedemocraticcontrolofallofourrepresentative

bodies,aspartofademocratisationofthesectorasa

whole,forthebenetofstudents.

douG rouxel

neCand soUtHessexCollege

doug rouxelProessionalism and FE


14/20


Why Equality is a Trade Union issue

SpeakingbeforethisyearsannualTUCmeeting,and

inreplytoaquestionaboutwhethertradeunionism

providesdenitiveanswerstoadeepeningnancial

crisisBrendanBarbersaidTradeunionshaveaswordof

justiceeffect,notjustinworkplacesbutintheeconomy

asawhole.Theyareaforceforgreaterequality.Wecan

starttiltingthebalancebacktowardsafairersociety.

Tradeunionismisacrucialanswertopartofthat

question.

Andheisright;thetradeunionmovementisaforce

forgreaterequalityandtostarttiltingthebalance.

Hewastalkingaboutunionsbeingaforcetoimprove

wages,safetyandtrainingbutletsconsiderEquality

withacapitalEandinthesingular.Thecommonusage

ofequalitiesisdubiousandshouldbequestioned.Even

theGovernmenthasanEqualitiesofce,showingtheir

lackofunderstandingoftheissue.ThereisonlyoneEquality-anythingelseisinequality.Therecannotbe

differentlevelsofEquality,weareeithertreatedequally,

orwearenot.Thereisnomiddlepath.

IhaveheardthequestionaskedWhyshould

tradeunionistsbeinterestedinEquality?Surelywe

shouldbecampaigningonbehalfofallourmembers,

notjustafew?Theanswerliesintheveryrootsof

tradeunionism.Webelievethat,ifweworktogether,

membersworkinglivescanbedefendedandimproved.

Forsomemembersthequalityoftheirworkinglivesis

diminishedbecausetheybelongtoagrouphavingwhattheEqualityActcallsaprotectedcharacteristic.

TheEqualityActwhichcameintoforcein

October2010givessomeprotection.Theprotected

characteristicsincludeage,disability,gender

reassignment,marriageandcivilpartnership,pregnancy

andmaternity,race,religionsandbelief,sex,sexual

orientation.UCUhasrepresentativebodiescovering

Women,LGBT,DisabledandBlackandMinorityEthnic

memberswemayinthefutureneedtorevisitthese

categoriestoconsiderwhethertheyareappropriate.

DilutionHowever,inmanywaystheEqualityActrepresentsa

dilutionanddiminutionofprotection.Therequirement

tohaveEqualityImpactAssessments(EIAs)hasbeen

removed,therewillbenorequirementforpublicbodies

tosetoutthestepstheywilltaketoachievetheir

equalityobjectives,andtheywillonlyhavetopublish

oneormoreequalityobjectives(which,inpractice

meanstheywillprobablyonlypublishone).Thisis

whyUCUactivistsneedtoweaveEqualityissuesinto

localandnationalnegotiatingstrategies.Inthecurrentclimateofsavagecutsandredundancies,itisourmost

vulnerablemembersthatwillbedisproportionately

affected.Womenparticularlyhavebeenshowntobefar

moreatriskinredundancysituations,partlybecause

theyaremorelikelytobeinpart-timeorfractional

posts.Thegovernmentsausteritymeasuresareaclear

attackonallpublicserviceworkers,butareaparticular

attackonwomenandmembersinminoritygroups.

Agediscriminationisalsoappearing.Ourmembers

inthe50+bracketarebeingpressuredandbullied

intotakingretirementsothattheycanbereplacedby

younger,cheaperworkers.

BranchnegotiatorsshouldinsistonEIAsbeing

done.Publicbodieshaveageneraldutytopromote

equalityandwecanargueforcefullythatanEIAshows

compliancewiththatgeneralduty.

Equality OfcersThereisoftenanargumentthatEqualityshouldbe

mainstreamed,shouldbeattheheartofallwedoas

tradeunionists,whichhasanattractiveringtoit.But

withoutseparaterepresentationandseparatedemocratic

structuresthevoicesandviewsofourmemberssuffering

oppressionintheworkplacecanbeoverlookedandnot

takenseriously.

ThatiswhyeveryBranchandLocalAssociation

needsanactiveEqualityOfcertotakeupcases,work

withmemberstoimproveawarenessofEqualityissues

andtoputhelpputpressureonemployerstorecognisetheirlegalandmoralobligationsonEqualityissues.

ThatiswhyeveryRegionshouldalsohavean

EqualityOfcerandshouldbeencouragingand

supportingEqualitynetworkstoenablememberstoget

togethertoshareexperiencesandsupporteachother

andtosharegoodpractice.Thatiswhyatnationallevel

wehaveanEqualityCommitteetoprogresstheworkof

theunionandgeneratepolicy.TherearefourEquality

StandingCommitteesandfourannualconferencesfor

Women,BME,LGBTandDisabledmemberswhereissues

thatneedtobeaddressedbytheunionatnationallevelcanberaised.

UCUanditspredecessorunionsNATFHEandAUT

havealongandproudrecordintheareaofEquality.

Thishasnotcomeeasily;wehavehadtoghtfor

representationthroughoutourhistorybothwithinand

outsidetheunionstructuresandthisghtisnotyetover.

Weare,asBrendanBarbersaid,tryingtotiltthebalance

towardsafairersociety.Thiscouldtakesometime.

anGie Mcconnell

NECaNd WigaN& LEighCoLLEgE

angie mcconnellThe Importance o Equalities



International News

The Chilean Winter

In Chile today a mass

movement contin-

ues. The protests of

the Chilean winter

are demanding free

and equal education.

Forthelastvemonths,

there has been awave of

protests and occupations

against one of the most

unequal and underfunded

education systems in the

world,asystemoneprofes-

sorhasdubbed education

apartheid.

Pinochets legacy

Whileacrosstheworldaus-

terity measures are being

introduced with new at-

tacks onpublic education,

inChiletheyhavesuffered

from a neo-liberal priva-

tised education system

sincePinochetrstallowed

themarketintotheeduca-

tionsystem.

Although more than

twenty years have passedsincetheendofthedicta-

torship,todayonly45per-

centofhighschoolstudents

studyinpublicschools,and

ordinaryChileanspaysome

of the highest university

fees intheworldtostudy

at underfunded and often

privatiseduniversities.

KissathonInresponsewehaveseena

waveofexcitingandradi-

caltacticslaunchedbythe

student movement, with

half a million out on the

streetsindefenceofeduca-

tion(with apopulationof

lessthan17million).This

includedamasskissathon

organisedtoshowhowpas-

sionatestudentsareabouteducation, a dramatic

fakedsuicideorganisedby

school students showing

thedeathofeducation,and

morerecentlythestorming

of the Chilean Senate by

hundredsofstudents.

Most schools and uni-

versities have been shut

throughout this time with

asolidstudentstrikerefus-

ing to back down to gov-

ernment repression and

intimidation.

This mobilisation has

been extremely success-

ful inpulling inwide lay-

ers of Chilean society in

defenceofeducation,with

anincreaseinteacherslow

wages a key demand forthestudents.

General strke

At the end of August a

two-daygeneralstrikewas

calledbytheCUT(Central

UnitariadeTrabajadoresde

Chile-TheWorkersUnit-

edCentreofChile-aunion

federation).600,000work-erswalkedoutonstriketo

jointhe studentprotest in

defenceofeducation.Sim-

ilarlytheminersunionhas

developedstronglinkswith

thestudentsunion.

Thepowerofthismove-

ment has created an ex-

tremelyweakgovernment,

President Pinera has only

roughly 24 percent sup-

port from the population,

while successive polls

haveshown72-82percent

in support of student de-

mands. From discussions

withactivistsinChile,itis

clearthatthemovementis

notgoingaway.

Onlyyesterdaythefac-

ultyofmedicineattheUni-

versityofChilewas occu-

piedby the students, whocontinue to challenge the

very nature of the educa-

tionsysteminChile.

The impact of this

movement is being felt

acrosstheworld,withtens

of thousandsrecentlypro-

testinginBogotaandother

Colombian cities against

reforms to higher educa-

tion, clearly inspired by

eventsinChile.

Such an exciting mass

movement uniting work-

ers and students, and em-

ploying new and creative

tacticsshouldbepublicised

and discussed in Britain

today, as they provide a

magnicent inspiration for

thoseofusghtingagainsteducationcutsandprivati-

sation.

sHirin HirscH

postgradUatestUdent,

UniversityofmanCHester

Protests and

Strikes in Egyptian

universities

The new academic

year began with

protests and strikes

across most Egyptian

universities.

Staffandstudentshave

beeninvolvedinercebat-

tlestoforcetheresignation

ofseniormanagementand

university presidents ap-

pointed by the Mubarak

regime.

Nine university presi-

dents resigned under the

pressure of combined stu-

dentandstaffprotests,with

the heads of Ain Shams,

Alexandria,AssiyutandSo-

hagUniversitiesquittingin

thespaceofasingleweek.

Thepresidents of eight

other universities (Man-

soura,BeniSweif,Zagazig,Damanhour, Suez Canal,

Menouya and Kafr Al-

Sheikh)retiredduring the

sameperiod.Electionsheld

in mid-October brought

some formerMubarak ap-

pointees back into ofce,

prompting protests from

someacademics.

The Arab Spring

Students,lecturersandother

universitystaffhaveplayedan

important role in the revolu-

tion so far. Student protests

overissuessuchastuitionfees,

thecostoflivingandstudying,

andfreedomofspeechandde-

mocracyoncampuscontinued

throughoutOctober.Othergroupsofuniver-

sity workers also took ac-

tion,suchastemporaryad-

min workers atMansoura

University who organised

ahundreds-strongsit-into

demand permanent con-

tracts at the beginning of

October.

Protest wave grows

Meanwhilethewaveofpro-

tests continued to spread

from thewell-knownpub-

lic universities, such as

CairoandAlexandriawith

long traditions of student

andstaffactivism,toother

partsoftheuniversitysys-

tem, including the minor

provincialuniversities,pri-

vate fee-paying universi-

ties (which are often run

inpartnershipwithforeign

universities),andeventhe

ancient Islamic university

Al-Azhar.

For more reports on

theworkersmovement in

Egyptand toget involved

insolidarityactionsgoto:

www.menasolidaritynet-

work.com

anne alexander

UniversityofCamBridge


16/20


ManyUCUmembersareupto their

neckscopingwithdemandingwork-

loads.Manyunionactivistsaretry-

ingtostayaoat,managingthedayjob

andunionwork.

Thehard-pressed local union ofcer,

jugglingthedayjob,casework, localne-

gotiations and disputes, may wonder

whether it matters who becomes their

newGeneralSecretary,Vice-Presidentor

NEC representatives. How does all this

relatetoimmediateissuesofjobsecurity,

threatstopensions,risingworkloads,stat-

icpaylevelsandfallinglivingstandards?

Doesitmatterwhomembersvoteforin

nationalelections?Willvotingmakeany

difference?Yes it does matter and voting can

makeadifference.Notonlybecausewe

shouldexercise ourdemocratic rightsto

voteinunionelections.Decisionstakenat

nationallevelimpactontheworkofour

branches. There are real choices before

us.ThatiswhyUCULeftisstandingcan-

didatesintheforthcomingGeneralSecre-

taryandNECelections.

Our candidatesOur candidate for General Secretary is

Mark Campbell - a lecturer at London

Metropolitan University and NEC mem-

ber.Markknowswhatitistobeonthe

frontline.Hehasbeeninvolvedincam-

paigns and industrial action at London

Mettodefendjobsandconditionsofser-

vice.Markisaprincipledanddedicated

trade unionist who is committed tode-

fendingeducation both for thestudents

andtheworkers.Our candidate for Vice President is

Angie McConnell. Angie isa lecturer at

WiganandLeighCollege.Shehasserved

ontheNATFHEandUCUNECs.

In2012theVPistobeelectedfrom

the FE sector, but this isanelection in

which allmembersareentitled tovote,

sincethepersonelectedwillbePresident

ofthewhole union. Angie isan experi-

encedtradeunionistwhowillupholdand

defend the UCU constitution andmem-bersdemocraticrights.

Uniting the struggles can winWorkingpeople areunder attackon al-

most every front: job cuts, pay freezes,

planstoslashpensions,risingprices,in-

creasingworkloadsandcutstostateben-ets.Weneedtounderstandtheseattacks

are all partandparcel of the economic

crisisandtheausterityprogrammeofthe

government. The anti-union laws mean

thatwe sometimes have to ballot sepa-

ratelyondisputesaroundpensions,pay,

jobsandothermatters.

Unfortunatelysomeintheunionuse

thisfacttoarguethatmemberscanonly

ghtonebattleatatime.Thisisuseless

whenthegovernmentisattackingusonsomanyfronts.Thuswehaveahierarchy

ofdisputes,whichcangivetheimpression

thatalltheunioncaresaboutispensions.

Thisishopelessforrecruitingandmo-

bilisingyoungerandnewerstaff,suchas

lecturers and researchers on temporary

contracts, hourly-paid, part-time and

graduateteachingassistants.Theystrug-

gleforthebasicrighttohaveajob,sothat

theycanthenhaveapension.Weneedto

respondinaholisticand integratedway

totheoffensivefromthegovernmentandtheemployers,notbedividedandpicked

offinonebattleafteranother.

The fght o our lives

In order to win the ght of our lives,

weneedtoputuptheghtofourlives.

Thismeansweneedmorethanone-day

strikes.Theyare a good beginning, but

weneedtoplanforlongertermaction.

UCUneedstoargueinthewiderlabour

movementforseriousindustrialactionby

themassoftradeunions.Wealsoneedto

unitewith students, service users, anti-

cutsgroupsandotherswhowishtochal-

lengetheprivatisationandmarketisation

ofeducationandthedestructionofpublic

services.

Building a fghting union

UCULeftexiststobuildUCUasaght-

ing,democraticunioninwhichthemassof members are involved in defending

their jobs, pensions, pay and working

conditions.Thisiswhatweneedtodoto

win.Wecannothaveamodelofaunion

inwhichmembersarepassiveconsumers

whoreceivesupportfromofcialsorlocal

repswhentheyhaveacaseworkproblem

andhavenoother involvement in their

union.Weneedallmembersactiveinde-

fendinglocalandnationalagreements.

Weneedmorerepsintheworkplace.

Weneedaunionperspectiveandpractice

inwhichthemembersaretheunion.The

presentGeneralSecretaryofferedus the

opposite atCongress 2011, emphasising

morecaseworkandservicesformembers,

ratherthanaunionbasedontheactivism

ofthemembership.

Union democracy

UCULeftbelievesUCUshouldtakedeci-

sionsonthebasisoffulldebateandvotes

atbranchmeetings,regionalcommittees

and Sector Conferences and Congress.

TheNEC shouldcarryoutthedecisions

ofCongressandSectorConferences,not

useconsultation exercises toundermine

them.

Theproblemwithemailconsultationexercises is that they individualise the

membershipandproducendingswhich

can be interpreted selectively. There is

nothingwrongwithmembershipconsul-

tationexercisestobuildaction.Thereis

arealproblemwiththemwhentheyare

usedtoproduceevidencethatthemem-

bersarenotpreparedtoact.

It matters who gets elected

UCUmembersneedaleadershipcommit-

tedtoghtingtheGovernmentsausterity

programmeandtoupholdingthedemo-

craticproceduresoftheunion.Withthe

rightleadershipwecanghtbackeffec-

tively.Withthewrongleadershipwewill

haveone(orboth)handstiedbehindus.

Vote for theUCU Left candidates.Build

UCUasaunionwhichcanghtbackand

win.

liz laWrence

neCand sHeffield HallamUniversity

The importance o the General Secretary election

liz laWrenceWhy elections matter



All in our union will agree. We are facing anunprecedented battle facing a Governmentdetermined to impose the will of the market

on everything, and to abolish what remains ofthe welfare state, publicly funded education,and the National Health Service.

Itsjusticationisthereductionofthedecit,but

thatisnomorethananexcuse.Thequestioniswhat

mustweineducationdotodefendouruniversities

andcolleges,andourroleasscholarsandteachers

andrelatedstaff,andwhatkindofUCUdoweneedto

organisethatdefence?

My Record

ImarankandleUCUactivistandChairoftheUCU

CoordinatingCommitteeatLondonMetropolitanUniversitywhereIhaveworkedasaSeniorLecturerin

Computingforthelast10years.ImUCULondonRegion

RepontheSouthEastandEasternRegionalTUCand

Vice-ChairofitsPublicServicesCommittee.

ImamemberoftheUCUsNationalExecutive

Committee(NEC),andhaveservedontheRecruitment,

Organisation,andCampaignsCommittee(ROCC)for

thelastfouryears,andhaverepresentedUCUatthe

TUCCongressforthepastthreeyears.Ihavebeenin

theforefrontoftheghttodefendjobsandcourses

atLondonMetandhaveplayedaprominentroleon

theNECindefenceofpensions,payandmembersconditions.

IfelectedasGeneralSecretary,Ipledgetoonlydraw

theequivalentsalarytomycurrentlecturerssalaryplus

anyincreaseswewinforourmembers,theresttobe

donatedtotheunionsstrikefund.

What I stand or

IstandforaUCUthatisledbyitsmembersratherthan

itsnationalofcialsthroughthedemocraticstructures

ofitsbranches,regionalcommittees,Congress,

conferences,andtheelectedlayofcersoftheNational

Executive.

Iamcommittedtotheview,basedonrecent

successfulexamplesofcollectiveghtbackliketheSave

Esolcampaign,ortheballottorejecttheunacceptable

dealovertheInstituteforLearning(IfL)inFE,thatifwe

aretoprevailwemuststandunitedwithourstudents,

withothertradeunionists,andwiththoseinour

communitieswhoareghtingthecuts.

UCUmembersinbothFEandHEhaveshown

overandoveragain,inballotafterballot,thatweare

preparedtostandupandghtbackwhenourconditionsandourserviceareattacked.

YIstandforaunionthatthatiscommittedtogetting

thebestconditionsformembers,notjustasaself-

interestedendinitself,butasacentralpartofdefendingpublicuniversitiesandcolleges.

YIstandforaunionthatwillndawayformembers

tousetheunionspowertodefendtheiracademic

independencefromthestricturesoftheREF,fromthe

pedababbleofacademicaudits,andfromimpossible

workloadsandconictingdemands.

YIstandforaunionthatvaluesallitsmembersandwill

campaignhardforitsmostprecarious-hourlypaid

lecturers,GraduateTeachingAssistants,andjunior

researchers-allcurrentlyonavarietyofexploitative

casualcontracts.

YIstandforatradeunionismthatiswillingtomobiliseinoppositiontoGovernmenteducationpolicy,andto

defendourstudentswhentheymaketheirsacrices

forfuturegenerations.Thatisaunionismthatwill

actonitsbeliefthatacohesivesocietyrequiressocial

solidarity,includingthatinter-generationalsolidarity

thatisrepresentedbytheprovisionofeducationasa

publicgood,andpensionsasasocialratherthanan

individualresponsibility.

A Member-led Union

Imcommittedtoademocratic,member-ledunionthat

willcampaignandorganisecollectivelytodefendboth

theprinciplesofwideaccessto,andademocraticethos

in,education.

MineisavisionofaleadershipfortheUCUthatis

committedtocollectivecampaigningratherthanone

seekingtodevelopanindividualservicingmodelthat

isover-reliantoncasework.Mineisavisionthatseeks

toplaytotheorganisingstrengthsoftheunionrather

thantofocusonappealsforsympathy,ortorelyonthe

supposedmagnanimityofouremployersorGovernment.

To read a full version and for more specic details, readMarks blog at http://markcampbell4gs.wordpress.com

The fght o our lives

markcampbellUCU Lets Candidate or General Secretary


18/20


Picture:GuySmallm

an

What is the UCU Let

UCU Left is a national organisation of University and

College Union activists. It is committed to ensuring that:

n the UCU has a democratic structure through which

members can determine policy

n elected ofcers and professional ofcials can be beldaccountable.

UCU Left seeks to:

n defend educational equality

n oppose the consequences of neo-liberal marketisation

n oppose all forms of racism, sexism, oppression and

imperialism.

Join UCU Let

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Address ..............................................................................................................................................................................

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Join UCU Let todayTo join fll in the orm below and send it

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Join online at www.uculet.org


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