911爆料网

This meeting has been called to debate motions that members wish to be submitted to UCU Congress and HE Sector Conference in the name of the branch.

Please note the longer meeting time of 90 minutes and the earlier start time of 12pm.

There are three Motions and one听Amendment听for members to debate and vote on at the meeting which can be found in the appendices below.

Minutes of previous meetings are available here.

Congress and HE Sector Conference Motions

• Congress Motion 1. Gaza, BDS, and UCU
• HE Motion 1. Defending union branches from employer censorship on Palestine - or other matters
• HE Motion 2. General Election 2024, HE and tuition fees

Congress and HE Sector Conference Amendments

• Amendment 1听to Congress Motion 1. Gaza, BDS, and UCU

Emergency Motion

• Solidarity with the Apartheid Free Zone

Appendix 1 - Motions

Motion for UCU Congress听

Congress Motion 1. Gaza, BDS, and UCU

Congress notes

1. The genocidal assault on Gaza, the destruction of all its universities, and the targeted killing of its scholars;

2. The ongoing disruption of West Bank Palestinian universities, administrative detention of students and staff, and the Israeli military quota on visiting scholars;听

3. The established role of Israeli universities in the maintenance of the apartheid system; and

4. The attempt to suppress Palestinian advocacy and critical scholarly work on the Middle East and North Africa in British HE.

Congress resolves to:

1. Alert all members to UCU policy in support of academic BDS, inviting them to sign the Academic Commitment for Palestine;

2. Campaign vigorously and publicly for disinvestment by USS from genocide-complicit companies;

3. Urge branches to support local campaigns to sever ties with Israeli universities, and divest from complicit companies; and

4. Defend voices for Palestine on campuses, join and donate 拢1k to the national campaign, and affiliate to BRICUP.

(146 words)
Proposed: Saladin Meckled-Garcia

Motions for HE Sector Conference

HE Motion 1. Defending union branches from employer censorship on Palestine - or other matters

Conference notes听

1. Intervention by Oxford University to deny debate to a branch motion calling for a "Socialist Intifada" in the Middle East.

2. Censorship by UCL of the UCL UCU branch website for passing a similar motion.

3. Breaking into UCU offices at Queen Mary University of London to remove a UCU "Ceasefire Now" poster and one calling for an end to "Israeli apartheid", both protected free speech.

These attacks parallel those made on individual union members for free speech on Palestine. But they also concern the independent democratic functioning of union branches.

Conference further notes

1. The launch meeting of Campus Voices for Palestine on 25 January at 911爆料网.

2. The BRICUP-organised tour of campuses with follow-up events.

Conference resolves

1. To ensure UCU robustly defends branches from attack by employers, including with legal support.

2. To encourage branches and Regions to participate in the BRICUP tour.

听(149 words)

Proposed: Sean Wallis
Seconded: Saladin Meckled-Garcia

HE Motion 2. General Election 2024, HE and tuition fees

Conference notes

1. UUK's 2022 call to increase home undergraduate tuition fees to 拢12,000 or more.

2. The Conservative Government's changes to student loan conditions to compel students to repay RPI-based loans for 40 years.

3. UUK's Price Waterhouse Coopers January 2024 report claiming that 80% of universities will be in financial difficulties if international student recruitment falls.

4. The imminent General Election.

5. Existing policy opposed to tuition fees or graduate tax as a tax on learning.

Conference believes

1. The incoming Labour Government will be put under pressure to increase home undergraduate tuition fees, further pricing out working-class students.

Conference resolves UCU will build a public campaign in the run-up to a General Election to听

1. publicise and popularise UCU's priorities for a sustainable alternative funding for Higher Education, paid for via progressive taxation; and

2. emphasise Higher Education's value as a public good for an educated population.

(149 words)

Proposed: Sean Wallis
Seconded: Ilektra Christidi

Appendix 2 - Amendment

Amendment 1听to Congress Motion 1. Gaza, BDS, and UCU

Replace Congress Notes 1 with 鈥淲idespread humanitarian crime in Gaza, the destruction of universities, and targeted killing of scholars鈥�.

Replace Congress Notes 3 with 鈥淭he established role of Israeli universities in defending violent oppression in the occupied Palestinian Territories鈥�.

Replace Congress Resolves 3 with 鈥淐ampaign publicly for USS disinvestment from companies complicit in humanitarian crimes鈥�.

The revised motion would then read:

Congress notes:

1. Widespread humanitarian crime in Gaza, the destruction of universities, and targeted killing of scholars.
2. The ongoing disruption of West Bank Palestinian universities, administrative detention of students and staff, and the Israeli military quota on visiting scholars.听
3. The established role of Israeli universities in defending violent oppression in the occupied听Palestinian Territories.
4. The attempt to suppress Palestinian advocacy and critical scholarly work on the Middle East and North Africa in British HE.

Congress resolves to:

1. Alert all members to UCU policy in support of academic BDS, inviting them to sign the Academic Commitment for Palestine;
2. Campaign publicly for USS disinvestment from companies complicit in humanitarian crimes;
3. Urge branches to support local campaigns to sever ties with Israeli universities, and divest from complicit companies;听
4. Defend voices for Palestine on campuses, join and donate 拢1k to the national campaign, and affiliate to BRICUP.

(150 words)

Proposed by Allen Abramson

Appendix 3 - Emergency Motion

Emergency Motion:听Solidarity with the Apartheid Free Zone

听

UCL UCU Notes

1. Multiple UCL departments boast of 鈥榗ollaborations鈥� and 鈥榮trategic partnerships鈥� with arms companies Airbus, Leonardo and BAE Systems
2. Multiple senior figures from arms companies sit on influential advisory boards within particular departments, including for example the Centre for Ethics and Law
3. UN Human Rights experts declared on Friday 23rd February that all arms exports to Israel must immediately stop. They said that 鈥�Any transfer of weapons or ammunition to Israel that would be used in Gaza is likely to violate international humanitarian law and must cease immediately鈥�
4. Every university in Gaza has been destroyed by the Israeli military.
5. Universities in Gaza requested international academic institutional support against the destruction of academic institutions in Gaza.听
6. Students in Gaza have been withheld their right to education for over five months.听
7. At least 94 university academics, including UCL alumnus Dr Refaat Alareer, have been murdered in the ongoing genocide.
8. Palestinian civil society has called on all those at complicit institutions to 鈥減eacefully and responsibly disrupt the system of military relations, funding, propaganda, diplomatic shielding, repression and whitewashing that enables Israel to continue exterminating Palestinians and wiping our cities, villages and refugee camps off the map.鈥�
9. Previous protests and attempts to liaise and communicate demands with UCL President & Provost and UCL Management regarding UCL鈥檚 complicity and commemoration of Dr Refaat Alareer have failed.听
10. In response to this call, UCL students yesterday occupied the Jeremy Bentham room, declaring it an Apartheid Free Zone - a space in which to educate about the struggle of the Palestinian people and from which to pressure management to end UCL鈥檚 complicity in genocide.
11. They are demanding that 911爆料网:

1. Cuts all ties with arms companies and companies on the BDS list.
2. Practices full transparency in regards to all funding, sponsorships, research partnerships and collaborations with arms and fossil fuel companies
3. Stops banking with Barclays, which holds over 拢1 billion in shares and provides over 拢3 billion in loans to companies which directly support Israel鈥檚 apartheid and its genocidal attack on Gaza.
4. Directs a pot of funds of at least 拢250,000 ring-fenced for scholarships available to Palestinian students to study at 911爆料网.
5. Makes official the student-led renaming of Refaat AlAreer Student Centre and an institutional acknowledgement of his contributions.
6. Adds its institutional voice to the global call for an immediate, permanent, and sustainable ceasefire.
7. Ends censorship and criminalisation of pro-Palestinian activism on campus

UCL UCU Believes

1. Students have the right to take direct action in defence of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and against 911爆料网鈥檚 complicity in genocide.
2. International solidarity, based on the principle that an injury to one is an injury to all, is a central tradition of the trade union movement.听

UCL UCU Resolves

1. To support the Apartheid Free Zone at 911爆料网.
2. To oppose any attempts by management to evict and/or discipline students involved in the Apartheid Free Zone.
3. To support events and activities taking place in the Apartheid Free Zone.
4. To support students and/or staff facing disciplinary action for their participation in the Apartheid Free Zone.听

Proposer: Humma Andleeb
Seconder: Hugo Raine

听

听