Rally against Dundee University job cuts 22 April

#stuc14 The STUC has thrown its weight behind a rally on 22 April against job cuts at Dundee University and is calling on the government to commit to no compulsory redunfancies in higher education.

Backing the motion, UNISON's Davena Rankin offered the full support of UNISON to UCU in fighting the proposed cuts at Dundee University.

"I know that the local branch of UNISON will be standing side by side with their UCU colleagues to fight the cuts", she promised,

She reminded delegates that HE staff across the UK are in the middle of a national pay dispute whose roots lie in the fact that universities plead poverty while generating ever increasing surpluses and growing reserves.

"Dundee University has joined a growing list of Scottish Universities that have attempted an all out assault on jobs. Where at the moment Dundee are only looking for voluntary leavers from their academic community, we all know from bitter experience that if they succeed now they will back for more", said Davena.

However, Davena said all was not lost. "Where other universities have sought redundancies, voluntary or otherwise, the campus trade unions have fought back. Where this fight back has been united we have succeeded and the universities have been forced to back down.

"It is just over three years since the combined unions at Glasgow Caledonian university defeated plans to make 95 compulsory redundancies from amongst support staff. We succeeded because not only did the four campus trade unions, UNISON, UCU, EIS AND UNITE, present a united front to the employers we also had the support of local Politicians and other trade unions.

"So congress, I ask you not to just vote for this motion but to support your UCU and UNISON colleagues at Dundee University and where possible attend the planned lobby of Court on the 22nd of April."