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News Archives

VC–UUK–USS fact checker

Published: 25th November, 2019

Claim Who, where,when? LUCU fact-checker assessment Comments [USS] members voting ‘yes’ to strike action over pensions account for less than 10% of the scheme’s eligible membership. USS employers (Universities UK), reported in the Guardian, 25 November (The Guardian) Highly misleading 50,071 UCU members were asked whether they were willing to take industrial action in defence…

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Anti-bullying week 11-15 November 2019

Published: 13th November, 2019

‘Change starts with us‘ is the theme of anti-bullying week 2019. This annual UK event, started in 2004 with a mission of raising awareness of, and highlighting ways of responding to bullying of children and young people. Coordinated by the Anti-Bullying Alliance (in England) it has grown much larger than a school-based event; many UK…

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Student vote drive

Published: 7th November, 2019

This article in the Guardian reports on a campaign to get students to register to vote in the forthcoming general election. We think this is a great idea! Here are two simple slides that you can show at the start of your lectures.

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Welcome to Nishan Canagarajah

Published: 4th November, 2019

Dear Nishan It was good to have the opportunity to meet with you a fortnight ago and briefly outline our priorities. We are writing to formally welcome you to Leicester and to our university. Here we – very briefly – reflect on the history of the University, explain what we believe to be its most…

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Leicester votes YES – and YES and YES and YES!

Published: 31st October, 2019

We’re proud and very pleased that members of Leicester UCU have voted decisively in favour of strike action (and action short of a strike, ASOS), both to defend our USS pensions and in support of our pay-and-equalities claims. More than half our eligible members voted in both ballots, giving us a legal mandate to take…

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Pay and Equalities: (Not!) Enough Already

Published: 26th September, 2019

Another superb explanation of what’s going on from Sheffield UCU. This one by pay negotiator Robyn Orfitelli, it explains our ‘four fights’.

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USS: Enough already

Published: 26th September, 2019

Not quite sure what’s going on with your pension? (Understandable as it’s complicated and a lot has happened.) If so watch this terrific 13-minute presentation by USS negotiator Sam Marsh of Sheffield UCU.

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Debunked: 4 myths of the USS pension ballot

Published: 23rd September, 2019

It’s no surprise that members of an education union hold a variety of views. But there are currently in circulation four myths about the USS pension ballots that do not stand up to scrutiny. We address these here. Myth 1 The second Joint Expert Panel report is soon to be delivered. We should wait to…

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Out-of-the-ordinary general meeting and welcome – 7 Oct

Published: 1st September, 2019

Join us on Monday 7 October – from 4:30pm (venue: Physics Lecture Theatre A) – for an extraordinary general meeting of Leicester UCU, followed by welcome gathering. In the middle of not one but two strike ballots – in defence of our USS pensions and for greater equality and pay rises that aren’t real-terms pay…

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Letter to VC and Chief Librarian

Published: 30th August, 2019

Letter sent from Leicester UCU to Acting Vice-Chancellor and the Chief Librarian re proposed cuts to library budget, 30 August 2019. We write to express our alarm at the cuts to library information resources due to be introduced from the academic year. At more than half a million pounds (£547,624 is the figure we have…

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