The STUC has thrown its weight behind
a rally on 22 April against job cuts at
Dundee University and is calling on the
government to commit to no compulsory
redunfancies in higher education.
Backing the motion, UNISON's Davena Rankin
offered the full support of UNISON to
UCU in fighting the proposed cuts at Dundee
University.
"I know that the local branch of
UNISON will be standing side by side with
their UCU colleagues to fight the cuts",
she promised,
She reminded delegates that HE staff
across the UK are in the middle of a national
pay dispute whose roots lie in the fact
that universities plead poverty while
generating ever increasing surpluses and
growing reserves.
"Dundee University has joined a
growing list of Scottish Universities
that have attempted an all out assault
on jobs. Where at the moment Dundee are
only looking for voluntary leavers from
their academic community, we all know
from bitter experience that if they succeed
now they will back for more", said
Davena.
However, Davena said all was not lost.
"Where other universities have sought
redundancies, voluntary or otherwise,
the campus trade unions have fought back.
Where this fight back has been united
we have succeeded and the universities
have been forced to back down.
"It is just over three years since
the combined unions at Glasgow Caledonian
university defeated plans to make 95 compulsory
redundancies from amongst support staff.
We succeeded because not only did the
four campus trade unions, UNISON, UCU,
EIS AND UNITE, present a united front
to the employers we also had the support
of local Politicians and other trade unions.
"So congress, I ask you not to just
vote for this motion but to support your
UCU and UNISON colleagues at Dundee University
and where possible attend the planned
lobby of Court on the 22nd of April."
