The University of Manchester UCU strongly condemns the Labour government’s immigration white paper, published on 12th May. The white paper proposes, amongst other changes, to lengthen the pathway to settlement from five to ten years; to raise the salary threshold for skilled worker visas; to shorten the graduate work visa from 2-3 years to 18 months; and to introduce greater surveillance of international students.

Since 2009, successive Labour and Conservative governments have created an increasingly hostile environment for migrant staff and students. This has thrown lives and plans into upheaval whilst fanning the flames of racism and xenophobia. Amidst the increasing precarity of the HE sector at large, migrant students face cripplingly high visa and tuition fees, regular scrutiny of their attendance, restrictions on their ability to work, and separation from their dependents. Migrant staff face heightened scrutiny at work because their visa status is often tied to their employer. Beyond the university, migrants are profiled in a wide range of everyday activities, from opening a bank account to renting a flat. The hostile environment is particularly severe for racially minoritised migrants and those from the global South.

This government, like its predecessors, now proposes to make the UK an even less welcoming, more brutal place for migrant staff and students. In so doing, it has already spread fear and dismay amongst migrants who are uncertain how the new rules might affect their status.

We call for the national UCU to listen to and support migrant staff and students in its public statements and policy, for universities to oppose the hostile environment, and for the government to rescind the immigration white paper.

If you are concerned by the recent Supreme Court ruling about the definitions of women and men, and you would like to state your support for trans rights and inclusion in education and research, please sign this open letter:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UZmaZ4QCXU-b-NcBManyo9-AIZtQlxLDWpTP09goaiY/edit?usp=sharing

Note that this letter is for cisgender people to show that most of us do not feel threatened or uncomfortable with transgender people being in single-sex spaces and that the ruling was based on the views of a vocal minority. If you are a trans person I hope there are other avenues for you to have your views heard, and that you feel comfortable and supported in our workplace.

Also see Duncan Ivison’s recent statement on the matter for the University’s position and some suggested support resources.

www.tinyurl.com/MayDayNorthernRegionUniteatUCU

Dear UCU member

As we begin taking a full week of strike action from today, we wanted to put the record straight on what our employer has been reporting to you and your members about our dispute.

Every trade union member knows that when their branch goes into dispute and starts to take industrial action, the employer’s propaganda machine starts churning out disinformation to damage and undermine action. It is important that you are aware of the facts behind the employer’s rhetoric so we have published a ‘UCU SMT Myth Busting [uniteucu.wordpress.com]’ page on our website.

But beyond this, what you may not know is that UCU management is proactively exacerbating the dispute and undermining the possibility of finding a resolution through a series of union-busting actions that wouldn’t be unknown among the most hawkish of your employers: 

• they’re employing non-unionised fixed-term/agency staff to cover striking workers, and are outsourcing other work
• they’re openly crossing picket lines themselves, covering the work of striking staff, and are suggesting core teams are functioning normally
• they’re circulating misleading propaganda, which accuses our negotiators of acting in bad faith
• they’re threatening Unite members with disciplinary action if they mention strike action in out-of-office email messages so as to reduce wider awareness of our action
• they’re targeting a number of branch committee members and leading activists through repeated abuse of agreed policies and procedures
• they have breached our recognition agreement through recognising another union for managers.

It is beyond sad that we are in this situation. Our density is over 65%, which represents many dedicated and long-serving members with an enormous wealth of experience working for UCU branches and members. They are simply no longer able to properly do their jobs and are leaving UCU employment at an alarming rate.

Some of our matters in dispute could be close to resolution – or at least could be making enough meaningful progress that Unite action would be unnecessary – which makes management’s refusal to talk to us all the more incomprehensible. 

But the major sticking points, about which they are silent, are the safety and work-related stress crisis [uniteucu.wordpress.com], and now, their attacks on Unite branch officers [uniteucu.wordpress.com] which are further undermining our broken industrial relations.

In the coming days and weeks we will be reaching out again and providing opportunities for you to speak with us, ask questions and demonstrate the support so many of you have openly offered. 

We want to build this union into one that can best deliver for UCU members, one that is safe for its staff and one that allows us to support you in the best and most effective ways we know how. One in which both the union and its staff can thrive.

Thank you for reading

Unite UCU (LE127)