You are here

Home

HE

SFEU Marketisation of Higher Education statement

As many higher education institutions are on the brink of financial collapse, it’s time to understand what has brought about this perfect storm and what can be done about it.
Headlines often focus on ‘over-reliance on international students’ but it is more complex than that. Why do you think universities try so hard to recruit international students?... because their fees are not regulated, and universities can charge what they think they can get away with given market forces; i.e. Cambridge can charge a student from China more than Cardiff Met can. So, are they just being greedy in recruiting internationally? Not really – what they are trying to do is cover the short-fall that arises when domestic student fees have barely risen in over ten years.

Solidarity with FE & Higher Education Workers voting for Strike Action

The Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU), welcomes the news that workers in Further and Higher education have voted to take strike action on pay and pensions. On both counts, the voting threshold was attained (some 84.9% in favour with a 60.2% turnout for strikes over pension cuts and 81.1% in favour with a 57.7% turnout on real term pay cuts).

National demo against privatisation | University of Sussex | Monday 25 March 2013

COME down for 1pm and join in the LARGEST demonstration (so far) against privatisation at Sussex University, and to show that universities nationwide are NOT FOR SALE!

Facebook event

IF coming from outside of Brighton, please organise a coach to come down from your local area. Stay in the occupation the night before and if you please, stay for a celebration afterwards...

Free coach from London.

With encroaching privatisation across campuses, we need to stand up and make it heard: OUR UNIVERSITY IS NOT FOR SALE!

more details to follow, including speakers, but get planning!

The University is a Factory - SHUT IT DOWN!

Anti-privatisation struggle gathers momentum at Sussex Uni

Demo today (Thurs 28th Feb): 'the big one' | 1pm Library Square | Bring workmates, friends, and yellow squares!

The long-running struggle against the outsourcing of 235 jobs at the University of Sussex has been gathering momentum. The plans were first announced in May 2012, prompting demonstrations and mass meetings by staff and student supporters.

cleaners demonstrate for sick pay and holiday pay at SOAS

About seventy people demonstrated at SOAS on the 6th June, in the continuing battle for better conditions for cleaners in the London universities.
The cleaners at some universities have won the London Living Wage, but they have not given up and are demanding equal conditions of employment for all staff - fair sick pay, holiday pay and pension contributions. Some universities, like UCL, are refusing to make any increase in cleaners’ wages. Others, like at Senate House, have conceded the LLW but are now trying to impose speedup on the cleaners with an increase in workload.

Sussex Uni: 300 staff and students demonstrate at lunchtime protest

Staff and students rallied against planned privatisation of over 10% of campus jobs in Library Square this lunchtime. Staff had come equipped to disrupt a planned 'bidders meeting' with many carrying airhorns, only to discover management had moved the meeting to the Amex stadium across the road. With security and conference staff amongst those facing outsourcing, suggests management don't feel able to hold such meetings on campus without the details leaking out and the threat of disruption.

NLSF Solidarity with Bloomsbury Social Centre against SOAS eviction threat

North London Solidarity Federation hereby expresses its solidarity with Bloomsbury Fightback and the activists involved in the Bloomsbury Social Centre initiative in their resistance against the imminent threat of violent eviction by SOAS management.

'No platform for filth, whilst students sit in prison'

Sir Ian Blair, ex Commissioner of the Met Police was meant to give a talk at Sussex university last night, but faced disruption from students - see the report below.

Education workers under austerity

Chris, a library worker at Queen Mary Uni

Over the summer Queen Mary University  (QMUL) library workers have been organising in defence of jobs and services, in reponse to restructuring plans that will see a loss of 26 out of 82 jobs.
 
The majority of the affected workers are part-time and the nature of the workplace means that they are also term-time only workers. Management release the plans in July.  This meant the majority of the affected staff were on leave, a clear act of discrimination against part-timers and those with child care commitments. University bosses clearly designed this to prevent workers from effectively responding, resisting and seeking solidarity from the students, who were also off campus.
 

Manchester Education Workers’ Network Report, June 30th Strike

After the last UCU pensions strike in March, several rank & file union members, upset at the lack of inter-union unity, set up the Manchester University Staff Against the Cuts group (MUSAC). The group has been meeting regularly and consists of members of Unite, Unison and UCU. Members of Manchester EWN are also involved.

It has been good to meet with people whose criticisms of the existing unions match our own in many ways. The group has held a weekly stall in the University, giving out leaflets in support of various anti-cut campaigns.

Pages