Author: ucusussexadmin
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Update from 2025 UCU Congress
By Tom Cowin, outgoing Sussex UCU Vice President and member of the Anti-Casualisation Committee We are writing to report back from the first-ever hybrid UCU Congress — the supreme policy-making body of our union, which determines national policy and strategic direction. This year’s Congress took place over the late May Bank Holiday weekend in Liverpool and…
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Sussex UCU Annual General Meeting – Two Motions Passed with Overwhelming Support
At the Sussex AGM, two important motions were proposed and voted on by the branch. We are pleased to report that both motions passed with overwhelming support from members. This is a clear reflection of our collective commitment to equity, solidarity and the protection of staff rights at the University of Sussex. 1. Adoption of…
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Branch Social 20th March
Sussex UCU is hosting solidarity drinks in Room 76 in Falmer Bar on Thursday, 20th March, from 4 PM until 6 PM. This is a chance for us to meet face-to-face, catch up, socialise, and perhaps strategise (no break-out rooms, we promise!). The branch will be putting some money behind the bar and providing some snacks,…
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Statement from Sussex UCU in support of sacked SOAS Student Union officers
On Monday 15 July 2024 two students, Abel Harvie-Clark and Alex Harvie-Clark, newly elected as Sabbatical Officers of SOAS Students’ Union were emailed letters terminating their employment contracts. These letters were timed to arrive on their first day of work, completely out of the blue. These are two democratically elected employees, appointed by the student…
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Sussex UCU Motion: Support for Unite and UCU Staff
UCU faces a collective industrial dispute with Unite over racism, equality, safety, and management issues. Unite members voted for action, citing UCU’s failure to address concerns adequately. The branch demands UCU to meet employment standards, address racism, and engage with Unite to resolve the dispute. They also plan to support Unite’s demands publicly.
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Success Story: Transforming Doctoral Tutor Contract at Sussex University
In Summer 2022, Sussex UCU triumphed in a marking boycott, securing a new contract for Doctoral Tutors, addressing issues of casualization. The process involved local campaigning, support from the national PGR as Staff Campaign, and negotiating for improved terms and conditions, marking a significant achievement in the fight against casualization.
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Sussex UCU Executive Committee statement supporting the Sussex Palestine solidarity encampments
On May 13, 2024, Sussex University students began an encampment protesting the university’s ties to Israel’s actions in Gaza. They demand a ceasefire, divestment from Israel, and resources to rebuild Gaza’s educational institutions. Sussex UCU supports these demands, urging the university to act and condemning all forms of discrimination.
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Join Us: Sign our Open Letter to Vice Chancellor, Sasha Roseneil – Divest from Israel’s Colonial Genocide
UCU stands in solidarity with those fighting for justice and human rights, calling on the University to divest from companies complicit in Israel’s colonial genocide. They urge support in signing an open letter to the Vice Chancellor, outlining demands for divestment and ethical investment policies. The motion affirms moral responsibility and advocates for meaningful change,…
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Sign Open Letter on Student Finance Issues
Sussex Students’ Union have published an open letter regarding the recent student finance issues that have affected members of our Sussex community. Sussex Exec voted to endorse and circulate the letter last week in support of USSU and our affected members. In early March, just under 900 students received ‘reminder letters’ from the University Finance…
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Uniting Against Academic Casualisation: A Call for Solidarity and Action
In academia, where knowledge production is often celebrated while the labour that creates it is invisibilised, there exists a reality that often goes unnoticed—the precarity of post-graduate researchers (PGRs). As voices behind groundbreaking research and the backbone of undergraduate education, PGRs play a vital role in the academic ecosystem. Yet, they often find themselves navigating…
Sussex UCU, Brighton, UK 