A message from Roger

The UCU general secretary ballot result has now been declared and Sally Hunt has been elected. The union and our members face major and difficult challenges from employers and government in almost every aspect of our working lives. The turnout was just 13.9 per cent which in itself suggests the scale of the challenge the union faces. I wish Sally Hunt very well in meeting those challenges. To meet them successfully will require a clear strategic vision and a determined articulate response which members can have confidence in and ownership of. I will seek to play my part in ensuring that is the case through my continuing role as Head of Equality and Employment Rights Finally I would like to sincerely thank the hundreds of members who sent messages of support and campaigned during the election.

Thursday, 1 February 2007

Wednesday 31st January

Privatisation – now it’s FE too

“Our FE agenda is not about wholesale privatisation and the vast bulk of provision will remain in the public sector. But we are interested in the right circumstances in looking at new models which will release more of providers’ energy to focus on improvements and meeting the needs of learners and employers”

Bill Rammell – Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, FE News, 26th January 2007.

1. This statement is eerily similar to assurances given in recent years about the NHS by Bill Rammell’s ministerial colleagues, following which the private sector’s share of NHS work and services has exponentially increased.

2. The statement was made just after the Chair of the “157 Group” of colleges publicly called for entire colleges to move out of the state sector altogether.

3. Where on earth is the evidence that privatisation would “release more of providers’ energy”? The chequered history of the private sector in FE – franchising, individual learning accounts, youth training schemes, language schools, suggests that the main thing to be released will be any sense of accountability, to be followed soon after by quick profit taking, sleaze, cheap skate provision, property wheeler dealing, and overnight closures of provision.

4. Presumably Ministers have also given the green light to Andrew Colin and his INTO group to seek to privatise 16 university language centres.

The watchword should be vigilance. Those interested may want to note the speech I gave at the House of Commons last October on this issue, click here to read it.

Appeal from Carlo Morelli, President DUCU

Stop Redundancies at Dundee University

Under the guise of 'savings' Dundee University is seeking to reduce expenditure on staffing by £4.3m. Dundee University and Colleges Union believes this could result in over 100 jobs being lost.

Already seven units have been targeted; reductions & closures already identified include town and regional planning, modern languages, continuing education and academic support services including the library, research & innovation services and estates.

We are asking everyone to email and write to the University Principal, Sir Alan Langlands opposing the changes. Write to him at a.langlands@dundee.ac.uk

Messages of support can be sent to DUCU; DUCU@dundee.ac.uk

Further info can be found at the DUCU website; http://www.dundee.ac.uk/ducu/ “
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Old Blogs

A trade unionist all his working life. An activist and a proud campaigner, Roger has consistently worked to defend human rights of workers. As the leader of the Equality and Employment Rights team in the newly formed UCU he continues to unite the movement around equality and keep employment rights at the top of the agenda.