UCU votes to suspend action over pensions.
Yesterday the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) held a special conference to determine where we go next in our pensions dispute. For those who haven’t been following the intricacies of it all I’ll attempt to briefly lay out where we were going into this meeting. UCU represents academic and what’s known as academic related staff [...]
Why I am taking my university to court.
First year biological science student Sam Weaver is taking the university of Birmingham to court over its widely publicised “ban” on protests, he explains here in his own words what has lead him to take this extraordinary step. Since starting university last Autumn one thing has really shocked me and that is the draconian measures [...]
University of Birmingham students declare “I am Spartacus”
Today Birmingham students showed defiance against a repressive university. In response to a student being singled out and disciplined for taking part in an occupation of an unused university building last year, all occupiers have come forward and admitted to taking the same actions as that student. They take this action at a university which [...]
Student protestor attacked by his own union president
By Simon Furse and Edd Bauer Mark Harrop, the Tory president of the University Of Birmingham Guild Of Students (student union), has Colluded with the University management to try and suppress a peaceful protest. Harrop identified one of his own students for disciplinary action and helped the university in the deployment of an injunction that [...]
Occupy to Support the Strikes.
On November 23rd students at universities across the country occupied their institutions as part of a day of action called by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts. Here we repost an initial statement from the Edinburgh Occupation. We are now occupying Appleton Tower, in support of the UCU strike on Wednesday November 30, against [...]
Students of Birmingham are back in occupation
What has education meant to you? The chance of coming to a university like the University of Birmingham has most likely changed your life. Education is an opportunity to transform yourself to be something you can never otherwise be. This opportunity, to get an education; to go to a good university is being stolen from [...]
This is a crisis for education
This post is the first in a series Bright Green is doing in collaboration with an alliance of groups campaigning against the government’s ‘Opening Public Services’ proposals. The Government plans are to privatise all public services (except for military & judiciary). You can take part through next week’s ‘Week of Auctions‘ taking place across the [...]
On Strikes, Action Short of a Strike and the Meaning of Solidarity.
Today staff in the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) begin a campaign of action short of a strike as the first phase of an attempt to force universities management back to the negotiating table over changes to pension plans. The dispute (which, earlier this year, already resulted in several days of strike action) concerns the [...]
Students occupy Royal Conservatoire to protest 9k fees
About 30 students from across Scotland are staging a sit-in at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland today (Friday) in protest against the institution’s announcement of 9k fees for RUK (Rest of UK) students. Following on from Edinburgh’s occupation last Friday, the students promise to disrupt management at Scottish universities with an ongoing campaign of targeted [...]
Students occupy against 36k fees
Students from universities across Scotland are staging an occupation of an Edinburgh University lecture theatre in protest against significant increases in fees for ‘Rest of UK’ students. Scottish university students, from Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews occupied the George Square Lecture Theatre at 1pm today (Friday 16th Sep) and will remain in occupation until they [...]
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