UCU: Participation, GTVO and priority campaigns

Motion

Motion text: Congress notes the progress made by UCU in increasing average turnout in ballots from 38% to 49% since the passing of the Trade Union Act and recognises the challenges this unfair legislation presents to the union. NEC is instructed to continue to prioritise increased participation in the union and specifically:
1. directly supporting branches in dispute, including via GTVO campaigns
2. expanding training opportunities for active members
3. prioritising help for small branches
4. continuing to grow the union through recruitment, and
5. providing support for priority national campaigns aimed at tackling pay, inequality, ending casualisation and addressing workload. This should include addressing funding disparities between institutions within the FE and HE sectors by collating and circulating financial data on universities and colleges comparing levels of surpluses, reserves, capital spending, pay levels of senior staff etc. and providing training to branches on understanding these disparities for campaigning purposes
6. to secure support from members to fight over pay UCU must be able to counter the employer's narrative that they can't afford above inflation pay rises. To do so UCU is instructed to organise training days entitled 'Alternative accounting'. Many of the UCU FE branches have been successful with this approach when they have campaigned around the slogan 'the money is there we want our share'.