Our local Trade Dispute over the threat of compulsory redundancies

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As we explained last week, in response to the Vice-Chancellor’s refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies Cardiff UCU has declared a Trade Dispute, as the first step towards balloting our members on Industrial Action. Our principle aim in this dispute will be the avoidance of compulsory redundancies at Cardiff University.

Since last week, Welsh media have covered these plans(please note we aren’t responsible for the headline, which refers only to “lecturers”, and we’ve made clear to the news outlet that all staff are under threat, not just teaching staff – we’re all in this together!). We have also distilled info about the local problems we face, and how we’re planning to respond in this Twitter thread (you don’t have to be on Twitter to read it, but if you are please follow us and share our tweets – it’s an important campaigning tool, as well as a place where you can get useful updates on our work).

No Trade Union takes industrial action lightly, and we’ll do everything we can to avoid the need for it, but Union legislation (designed to make things more difficult for unions) means we need to set the wheels in motion now, plan for the worst, and be ready to face compulsory job cuts if (more likely, when) they come.

What can you do

  • Spread the word about, and attend, our upcoming open staff meetings for information sharing and planning to resist the cuts: The first joint staff meeting will be held Tomorrow (Thursday 20th December) 1-2pm in the Wallace Lecture Theatre (rm. 0.13 Main Building, Park Place);
  • Join our new Cardiff UCU Dispute Committee, which will be open to all members, to plan our strategy for defending our jobs (first meeting soon, TBA; to express interest contact ucu@cardiff.ac.uk);
  • Be ready to vote in indicative online polls and formal ballots on local industrial action in the new Year – and please vote in favour of Industrial action to empower your local negotiators to better defend your jobs and those of your colleagues;
  • Be inspired by the success and tactics of other UCU branches who’ve fought redundancies and won (see p.79 onwards of the Branch Solidarity Network’s UCU Activist Handbook)