UCU Congress 2018

Updated 28 June 2018

These are materials from all sources on events at the UCU annual Congress, held 30 May and 1 June 2018. Please contact me at a.e.chitty@sussex.ac.uk to add others

Hashtags: C = comment, D = Congress document, E = email, F = first-hand account, L = open letter, N = newspaper report, P = podcast, S = statement, V = video

Congress main page

Motions heard at Congress (all from the Strategy and Finance Committee)

For other UCU official documents see bottom of page

#C UCU congress: we are the university, and we are the union too, Mike Finn, THE, 28 Jun 2018

#L How to ensure democracy and move UCU ahead, letters from University of Liverpool UCU and Rhiannon Lockley, THE, 28 Jun 2108

#C UCU congress: how not to turn victory into defeat, Adam Ozanne, THE, 17 Jun 2018 (paywall)

#N Frayed unions, Private Eye, 15 June 2018

#L For union democracy: unite members in solidarity with UCU's rank and file, 15 Jun 2018

#L Factions must not be allowed to take over, Terry Murphy et al, THE, 14 Jun 2018 (Paywall)

#C The IBL and the left - response to Adam Ozanne's overview of the UCU and factions #ucu2018 and #ourUCU, Rhiannon Lockley, 100 Miles from the Sea, 14 Jun 2018

#F Crisis? Transformation? Reflections on #UCU2018 and #OurUCU, Rhiannon Lockley, 100 Miles from the Sea, 14 Jun 2018

#C Provocation as a feature not a bug: notes from the UCU Congress, Jane Elliott, Medium, 14 Jun 2018

#C The real democratic deficit in UCU, Adam Ozanne, ucuagenda, 13 Jun 2018

#N Cambridge UCU challenges national leadership’s ‘threat to democracy’, Noella Chye and Catherine Lally, Varsity, 12 Jun 2018

#L Open letter to the National Executive Committee, 11 Jun 2018
On bullying accusations

#S A statement from the Exeter UCU committee in response to events during and subsequent to UCU Congress 2018, Exeter UCU, 8 Jun 2018

#C UCU Congress 2018: Statement by KCL UCU Executive Committee, 8 Jun 2018

#N UK: bureaucrats walk out of University and College Union congress, Alice Summers, World Socialist Web Site, 8 Jun 2018

#F UCU Congress Report 2018, King’s College London UCU delegates, 7 Jun 2018

#N 'Anger' after UCU congress walk-outs, George Ryan, TES, 7 Jun 2018

#F Report from #UCU2018 Congress, Rachel Cohen, City UCU, 6 Jun 2018

#F Report on UCU Congress 2018 - Bristol UCU delegates, 5 Jun 2018

#N What was decided at UCU conference - when delegates got a chance, Sadie Robinson, Socialist Worker, 5 Jun 2018

#F UCU congress shut down by staff walkouts - fight for a democratic accountable union, Sam Morecroft, The Socialist, 4 Jun 2018 (revised 6 Jun 2018)

#F Congress report 2018, Emma-Jane Phillips, Northumbria UCU, 4 Jun 2018,
(See also Exeter delegates' statement, 5 June in response to some claims made in this report)

#F #OurUCU: the real culmination of the UCU's 'turnaround year', Craig Gent, Novara media, 4 Jun 2018

#P UCU Congress: what happens next? USS Briefs podcasts 2, Soundcloud, 4 Jun 2018

#E Email from Sally Hunt to UCU members, 4 Jun 2018

#F UCU Congress 2018: delegates's report, Sheffield UCU, 4 Jun 2018

#S Press statement from Communist Party's further and higher education advisory on the recent UCU congress, Communist Party of Britain, 4 Jun 2018

#P UCU Congress, what happened? USS Briefs podcasts 1, Soundcloud, 3 Jun 2018

#C The two souls of trade unionism: the fight for democratic control of UCU, Sean Vernell, UCU Left, 3 Jun 2018

#C Unions are too vital to democracy to be allowed to gentrify and die, Kenan Malik, Observer, 3 Jun 2018

#F Report on UCU Congress 'omnishambles', Bob Jeffery, Facebook, 2 Jun 2018

#F What happened at UCU Congress 2018, Michael Carley, Michael Carly for UCU HEC, 2 Jun 2018

#N Sally Hunt, leader of lecturers' strike, doges two no-confidence votes, Nicola Woolcock, 2 Jun 2018

#N Controversy causes UCU's congress to close prematurely, Marcus Barnett, Morning Star, 1 Jun 2018

#N Sally Hunt clings on as UCU leader as congress curtailed, Chris Havergal, THE, 1 Jun 2018 (paywall)

#E Email apparently from the secretary of the Unite the Union branch that covers UCU staff to members of that branch, sent on 1 June 2018

#V Video of Congress discussions at 1:56pm, 1 June 2018, Malcolm Povey, Facebook

#F Third day of Congress: who does UCU belong to? Goldsmiths delegates, Branch Solidarity Network, 1 Jun 2018

#F Report from UCU Congress 2018, Sai Englert, Notes from Below, 1 Jun 2018

#S UCU Congress - democracy is challenged. Keep the pay fight on, UCU Left, 1 Jun 2018

#S Statement from @ourUCU majority following suspension of Congress, 1 Jun 2018
This document includes signatures from some delegates who were missed from the original document

#N Communists condemn 'ultra left's tactical insanity' at UCU conference, Marcus Barnett, Morning Star, 31 May 2018

#N UCU delegates defy bureaucrats' games and vote to debate motions criticising Sally Hunt, Sadie Robinson, Socialist Worker, 31 May 2018

#S UCU: we are the union, Des Freedman, Counterfire, 31 May 2018

#F Second day of Congress - some highlights, Goldsmiths delegates, Branch Solidarity Network, 31 May 2018

#S Joint statement by NEC and Unite, circulated at Congress, evening of 31 May 2018

#F First day of congress, motions passed, motions withdrawn, walk outs and a trade dispute launched, Goldsmiths delegates, Branch Solidarity Network, 31 May 2018

#N UCU leader pleads for unity amid resignation calls, Jack Grove, THE, 31 May 2018 (paywall)

#N More walkouts expected at combative UCU Congress, George Ryan, TES, 31 May 2018

#N UCU delegates defy bureaucrats' games and vote to debate motions criticising Sally Hunt, Sadie Robinson, Socialist Worker, 31 May 2018

#F Kings College London UCU delegation response to events at UCU congress 30 May 2018, KCL UCU, 31 May 2018

#N UCU conference rocked by bureaucratic manoeuvres and staff walkout, Sadie Robinson, Socialist Worker, 30 May 2018

#F Exeter UCU delegation response to events at UCU Congress, 30th May 2018, Exeter UCU, 30 May 2018

#S Statement from UCU minority members circulated at Congress, 30 May 2018

#S Unite UCU staff branch flyer distributed to delegates arriving at Congress, 30 May 2018

#C UCU rank-and-file push for transformation at annual congress, Rhian Keyse, The Clarion, 29 May 2018

#S Why we are calling for a democracy review, Jess Meacham and Sam Morecroft, Sheffield UCU, 23 May 2018

Other UCU official documents

The five 'controversial' motions (7, B19, 10, 11 and L8) are reproduced here

UCU president Congress speech, Joanna de Groot, 30 May 2018

UCU general secretary Congress speech, Sally Hunt, 30 May 2018

Congress equality motions (not heard)

Congress education motions (not heard)

Congress Business of the Recruitment, Organising and Campaigning Committee (not heard)

Higher Education Sectoral Conference motions in their final form (heard)

Further Education Sectoral Conference motions in their final form (heard)

Timetable and motions for Congress, 15 May 2018

Standing orders for the conduct of Congress and Sector Conferences, May 2017

UCU-Unite recognition agreement, 2006