For the second week running a UNISON national conference convened in Gateshead in the Northern region. Yesterday 200+ delegates and visitors assembled for the annual conference of UNISON’s 38000 strong higher education service group.
Inevitably the conference agenda was dominated by the £900m funding cuts, with a series of emergency motions attacking them.
http://unisonactive.blogspot.com/2009/12/butcher-mandelson-cuts-500m-from.html
There was controversy at the start of the conference as delegates from a Scottish branch failed in its challenge to the SOC decision to rule out an attempt to forestall the upcoming debate at June’s NDC on the establishment of a new Universities & Colleges service group.
A speech by General Secretary Dave Prentis was well received and other debates around points based immigration, student fees, and defending nursery provision for students and staff showed that we are not just interested in our own members but are dedicated to providing high quality services to students and we support widening access for students from poorer families.
The HE service group is also at the cutting edge of work on equalities, with debates on the experiences of LGBT staff in the sector and how to use the public sector equality duty in bargaining.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/87334
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