UCU: Composite: Trade union dispute with Secretary of State for Education over funding

Motion

Motion title: Composite: Trade union dispute with Secretary of State for Education over funding

Motion text: Sector conference notes:
1. UK Higher Education is in crisis and tens of thousands of jobs have been
lost;
2. UCU Northern Region call for urgent action on sector funding, and UCU
commitment to ‘defending jobs, free education’;
3. The funding model for HE in England is determined by the Secretary of State
for Education (Higher Education and Research Act 2017);
4. Recent legal advice commissioned by UCU members shows the viability of a
trade dispute with the Secretary of State over the funding of HE.
Sector conference resolves:
a. To open a trade dispute with the Secretary of State for Education over HE
funding;
b. To coordinate with other HE unions and students to build wide support for
the dispute;
c. To campaign to build awareness and support for the dispute, highlighting the
direct link between sector funding, employment conditions and student
experience.

Proposing body: University of Essex, Goldsmiths University of London, Queen Mary University of London