Congress motions

Motion

Motion title

Composite: Branches’ financial and budgetary awareness and Freedom of Information strategy,

Session

2023-2024

Meeting link

Special HE sector conference (HE strategy)

Meeting date

17 May 2024

Status

Passed

Motion

HE16

Motion text

SHESC notes:
1. The growing number of HE institutions (HEIs) attacks on jobs, terms and
conditions;
2. HEIs claim that the financial challenges are sector-wide;
3. employers regularly refuse to share financial and planning information with
unions and frequently refuse to honour FOI requests for management
information on the grounds of commercial sensitivity
4. UCU branches have successfully challenged compulsory redundancies;
5. Congress 2024 motions ROC4, ED1, HE22 among others
6. branches may not have expertise in understanding employer calculations of
deficits, covenants and financial reporting.
SHESC believes:
a. Branch officers and activists require financial literacy to challenge job cuts and
other savings plans;
b. Respective expertise in this area is available amongst members, UCU staff
and external consultants;
c. While HE funding urgently needs reform, financial management in many HEIs
is poor.
SHESC resolves:
i. To instruct HEC to establish an HE finances working group, drawing on
expertise from members and UCU staff to support branches with analysis of
financial statements and budgets;
ii. Create and share detailed financial analysis of universities’ financial position
within regions, to create precedents for branch negotiations.
iii. To engage external consultants for specialist financial expertise upon request
by a Branch
iv. To develop training on analysis of university accounts, financial statements
and budgets for branch officers and activists, and on how to write effective
FOI requests
v. To provide support to help branches lodge appeals with the Information
Commissioner
vi. To explore the potential for branches to be formally twinned to file requests
on each other’s behalf, thereby protecting members from victimisation.

Proposing body

Composite (University of Nottingham, University of Aberdeen)

Amended

No

Allocated to

Higher education committee (HEC)

Notes