Humanities under attack in HE

The assault against Higher Education provision in the UK continues apace. In particular, those subjects that are deemed too expensive or that don't force graduates down the narrow road of making money for money's sake - these are the ones suffering an onslaught as departments and units are downsized or closed.

The humanities, modern languages and the arts in general, continue to face obliteration. Oxford Brookes, Aberdeen, Lincoln are just some of the universities where these subjects are being eliminated or significantly reduced. Staff are being laid off. Students' futures are being mortgaged off. Horizons are being obscured as universities plead financial penury.

London SolFed and Hackney Anarchists picket IKEA in support of CNT-AIT (Spain) in dispute with Foldeco

On Sunday, 12th of November, members of North London Solidarity Federation and Hackney Anarchists, who can be contacted at HackneyAnarchists@riseup.net, held a solidarity picket outside of the Greenwich IKEA in support of our comrades in CNT-AIT Madrid who are in dispute with an IKEA contractor; Foldeco Development S.L.

Foldeco uses racist abuse against its workforce in an effort to keep them in line and squeeze more productivity out of them. We handed out over 150 flyers to customers going in and out of IKEA detailing this abuse, and encouraged them to take their custom elsewhere, as IKEA is directly profiting from Foldco’s bullying of its workforce. The reaction to our picketing was generally positive and some people stopped for a longer chat with us.

Marking and Assessment Boycott in Higher Education keeps pressure on employers

The Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU) would like to express its heartfelt thanks for the support shown by students at recent graduation ceremonies. The Marking and Assessment Boycott (MAB) has been a difficult time for both staff and students, but it is clear that we stand in solidarity together against those institutions that would rather penalise its workers than negotiate with them. At some institutions, the MAB has had such a huge impact that graduation and classification of degrees has been severely affected. These huge sacrifices in terms of both pay and of grades demonstrate that that together we can make a difference and cracks are starting to show in the employers' association (UCEA), with one university, Queen's University Belfast, being suspended from UCEA for breaking ranks and brokering a local agreement.

London SolFed Workplace Organiser Training 12th Aug, 12noon

London Solidarity Federation - Workplace Organiser Training
12th Of August, 2023 12:00 to 18:00
London Action Resource Center 62 Fieldgate Street, London, E1 1ES.
The London Solidarity Federation is running organiser training, free and open to all.
The training will include case studies of previous workplace organisation and actions, how to map your own workplace, role playing through a first meeting with your co-workers, and more!
Any questions? Email us at solfednl@riseup.net
SOLIDARITY FEDERATION - INTERNATIONAL WORKERS ASSOCIATION

Business as Usual for the NEU, GMB, Unite and Unison

In late 2022, the GMB, Unite and Unison issued a formal complaint to the TUC against the NEU alleging that “the NEU had actively sought to recruit school support staff and had intervened in pay negotiations between the three recognised unions and the local government employers, which cover school support staff.”

Members of the GMB, Unite and Unison responded, unsuccessfully, with a petition calling for a withdrawal of the complaint.

The claim was in response to a prior agreement made between all four unions that the NEU should not “recruit nor organise in areas already covered by other recognised TUC unions.” NEU leaders likely agreed to this proposal to appease the larger unions, but whether it’s members would have also agreed is unknown given that they were not consulted.

Marking and Assessment Boycott

As the number of management teams at Universities across the country show their willingness to re-open negotiations in order to limit the damage of the Marking and Assessment Boycott (MAB) currently underway, there are some institutions that continue to threaten 100% reductions for "partial performance" of work. In the past, this kind of employer's lockout, when bosses refuse to pay you for any work done, has been upheld by the courts. Here at SFEU, the anarcho-syndicalist union in education, we would be surprised if the courts would act any differently - the courts do not reflect our interests but those of the people who control society in their benefit.

The Queer Pay Gap

It’s June, and rainbow flags are everywhere. For one month only, every jailer [1], death dealer [2] and sweatshop owner [3] wants to be an ally.

This pride month, us queer workers are looking at our bosses. We see their rainbow flags, and we do not buy the act.

Our bosses kill us [4], force us into poverty [5], and sexually harass us [6]. They steal our time, the best parts of our minds, our bodies and lives. They waste our very selves on shit that doesn’t matter, just to make us earn the right to live [7]. As queer workers, we feel a special kind of fury when the boot on our throats has a rainbow sticker on it.

SFEU statement of solidarity with Higher Education Marking and Assessment Boycott

The Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU) would like to express its solidarity with university academic staff currently engaged in the Marking and Assessment Boycott as part of their demand for restored salaries, the elimination of the gender and race pay gap, workloads and casualization.

As on previous occasions, it is a big step to take but ultimately one of our greatest weapons for causing major disruption to the academic process. Students are understandably angered by university responses to date largely suggesting that they will just predict a grade based on their prior performance – it appears it is easier to ignore all their hard work this semester than to get round the table and negotiate an end to this dispute.

SFEU successful dispute at Aberystwyth University

Nine months to the day since our comrade’s formal grievance against Aberystwyth University was filed, we can confirm that the grievance has been upheld on all counts. The university have agreed to pay the difference in salary between Grade 6 and Grade 7 for the two years and five months that the Grade 7 duties were performed on a Grade 6 contract. HR have also agreed to review their guidance in regard to role and person profiles for each grade and to look at other instances of staff who are currently working with similar mis-aligned responsibilities. The SFEU have been proud to support our comrade on this journey – victory was never in doubt!