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Open Letter Against Punitive Deductions for UCU Industrial Action

We are calling upon our international networks to release statements of support for UCU members and highlight/criticise the punitive measures adopted by universities and their representative organisation UCEA (Universities and Colleges Employers Association).

As many colleagues will be aware, the University and College Union (UCU) members have been taking industrial action for several years to address:

  • rapidly deteriorating working conditions, systemic workplace inequalities and long-term real-terms pay cuts faced by university staff;
  • deeply unjust and financially indefensible cuts made to our collective pension fund.

In the 2022-2023 academic year, 70,000 university staff at over 145 institutions won two consecutive national ballots and took strike action. This is unprecedented and a considerable victory in and of itself given the excessively restrictive trade union laws that govern industrial relations in the UK. Collective action has brought us closer to a resolution in the pensions dispute, but it has, unfortunately, not produced sufficient movement in the pay and working conditions dispute.

The union members are now engaged in a Marking and Assessment Boycott (MAB) to compel employers back to the negotiation table. While marking and assessment-related duties constitute a small percentage of our workloads, many universities have responded to this legal industrial tactic by threatening to dock 100% of our pay. These punitive pay deductions will have a significant impact on all participating UCU members, but they will impact most harshly on our early-career and precarious colleagues—disproportionately women and people of colour—who are already struggling with low pay and job insecurity.

We are therefore calling upon our international networks to release statements of support for UCU members and highlight/criticise the punitive measures adopted by universities and their representative organisation UCEA (Universities and Colleges Employers Association).

What can you do to support UCU members?

  • Sign our open letter: If you would like to add your name to our brief open letter you can do so by filling this form.
  • Send us your own solidarity message: You can also send us a personalised note to express your support. With your consent, we can add your message to the open letter and circulate it on social media. Please also consider expressing your support via your own social media accounts.
  • Bring solidarity motions to your union branch: If you are part of a workplace union at your own institution, please consider bringing a solidarity motion to your next union branch meeting. A solidarity statement released publicly by your union branch would be much appreciated.
  • Contact University Vice-Chancellors: Vice-Chancellors are in a key position to influence the bargaining position of UCEA. We would greatly appreciate it if you could contact them and express your support for UCU members. You can use the union’s email template to contact VCs.
  • Contact your own networks: Feel free to share this page and the open letter with your own networks.
Click here to access our open letter against punitive deductions for UCU industrial action.

Signatories

Last update: 23 May 2023

NameInstitution
Dr Amira AbdelhamidUniversity of Portsmouth
Dr Joscha AbelsUniversity of Tübingen
Professor Fiona B. AdamsonSOAS University of London
Dr Ilias AlamiUppsala University
Dr Greg AlboYork University
Dr Francesco AmorusoTampere University
Professor Felix AnderlUniversity of Marburg
Dr Diego AndreucciUniversity of Barcelona
Dr Alexander AnievasUniversity of Connecticut
Dr Fulya ApaydınInstitut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals
Dr Roberto AringhieriUniversity of Turin
Dr David AttewellUniversity of Zurich
Dr Uğur AytaçUtrecht University
Professor Mona BakerUniversity of Oslo
Professor Banu BarguUniversity of California, Santa Cruz
Dr Tom BarnesAustralian Catholic University
Dr Núria Araüna BaróUniversity Rovira i Virgili
Dr Valeria BelloRamón Llull University
Dr Paul BeaumontNorwegian Institute of International Affairs
Professor Jacqueline BestUniversity of Ottawa
Dr Ali BhagatSaint Mary’s University
Dr Adi Saleem BharatUniversity of Michigan
Dr Arda BilgenLSE
Professor Renate BridenthalCity University of New York
Dr Alexi BrooksUniversity of Wisconsin-Stout
Dr Gareth BryantUniversity of Sydney
Dr Richard BuddLancaster University
Olivia ButlerUppsala University
Dr William CallisonUppsala University
Lucy CarolanNewcastle University
Dr Claudio CattaneoUniversitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Dr Jana CattienUniversity of Amsterdam
Dr Carolina Cepeda-MásmelaUniversidad Javeriana, Bogotá
Professor Iain ChambersUniversità di Napoli “L’Orientale”
Dr Hannah ChapmanUniversity of Oklahoma
Dr Liberty CheeCa Foscari University of Venice
Dr Ramón I. CentenoUniversidad de Sonora
Dr Tom ChodorMonash University
Professor Mònica Clua Losada
Professor Blanche Wiesen CookJohn Jay College & the Graduate Center, City University of New York
Ewan CoopeyMacquarie University
Dr Maria Micaela CoppolaUniversity of Trento
Elizabeth CoxYork St John University
Dr Adriano CozzolinoUniversità della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”
Dr Guy CrawfordQueen’s University
Dr M. Kerem ÇobanKadir Has University
Dr Antonia Lucia DawesKing’s College London
Carlo De GaetanoAmsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Audrey DeveaultGoldsmiths, University of London
Dr Rachele DiniUniversity of Roehampton
Andrew DockettAmsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Professor John DryzekUniversity of Canberra
Professor Rosaleen DuffyUniversity of Sheffield
Dr Chandni DwarkasingSOAS University of London
Dr Daniel EdmondsonYork St John University
Professor Steve EllnerUniversidad de Oriente
Dr Mariano FélizUniversidad Nacional de La Plata
Dr Jana FeyUniversity of Sussex
Dr Desiree FieldsUniversity of California, Berkeley
Dr Graham FinlayUniversity College Dublin
Dr Adam FishwickUniversity of Akureyri
Professor Barbora FoleyRutgers University-Newark
Dr Philippe M. FrowdUniversity of Ottawa
Dr Jasmine GaniUniversity of St Andrews
Cynthia GaoNew York University
Professor Jorge García-AriasUniversity of Leon
Dr Gustavo García-LópezUniversity of Coimbra
Dr Giulia GiorgiUniversity of Milan
Tony GregoryUWE Bristol
Dr Marco GuidiUniversity of Glasgow
Dr Caroline D. HardinWestern Washington University
Dr Ronald HartzUniversität Duisburg-Essen
Dr Christian HendersonLeiden University
Dr Richard HelliwellRURALIS - Institute for Rural and Regional Research
Professor Tracey HillBath Spa University
Dr Daniel HirschmanCornell University
Dr Kelley HolleyRochester Institute of Technology
Dr Laura HornRoskilde University
Dr Aida A. HozićUniversity of Florida
Professor Suzan IlcanUniversity of Waterloo
Dr Beste İşleyenUniversity of Amsterdam
Dr Ana IvasiucMaynooth University
Dr Alke JenssArnold Bergstraesser Institute
Dr Ari JerremsUniversity of Western Australia
Eun A JoCornell University
Dr Melissa JohnstonUniversity of Queensland
Dr Bonn JuegoUniversity of Jyväskylä
Dr Laura JungUniversity of Graz
Dr Isaac KamolaTrinity College
Dr Sarrah KassemUniversity of Tübingen
Professor Patricia KeetonRamapo College
Dr Christopher KirklandYork St John University
Dr Višnja KisićForest University
Elisabeth KochUniversity of California, Los Angeles
Professor Insa KochUniversity of St Gallen
Dr Kai KoddenbrockUniversity of Bayreuth
Dr Panagiota KotsilaUniversitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Professor David LaibmanBrooklyn College & the Graduate Center, City University of New York
Shreeta LakhaniSOAS University of London
Professor Erick D. LangerGeorgetown University
Dr Ganaele LangloisYork University
Dr David LawsonUniversity of Bristol
Dr Stephan LiebscherFree University Berlin
Dr Imogen LiuVrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Dr Matthias LeeseETH Zürich
Professor Jens LercheSOAS University of London
Professor Sonia LucarelliUniversity of Bologna
Dr Vincenzo MaccarroneScuola Normale Superiore
Professor Megan MacKenzieSimon Fraser University
Dr Maria MälksooUniversity of Copenhagen
Rachael MalottCarleton University
Dr Nuno MarquesKTH Royal Institute of Technology
Dr Carl G. MartinNorwich University
Dr Claire M. MasseyUniversity of Rostock
Dr Gillian MathysGhent University
Professor Greggor MattsonOberlin College and Conservatory
Dr Dóra MéraiCentral European University
Professor Sandro MezzadraUniversity of Bologna
Dr Laura MillsUniversity of St Andrews
Dr Alison MilnerAalborg University
Dr Paul C. MishlerIndiana University
Dr Stephen MontgomeryUniversity of Bristol
Professor Adam David MortonUniversity of Sydney
Dr Sara C. MottaUniversity of Newcastle
Professor Samuel MoynYale University
Dr Can E. MutluAcadia University
Professor Deborah MutnickLong Island University
Professor Daniel MüggeUniversity of Amsterdam
Suraj NairSOAS University of London
Professor Andreas NölkeGoethe University Frankfurt
Paul O’DonovanUniversity College Cork
Dr Daragh O’ReillyUniversity of Sheffield
Professor Gerardo OteroSimon Fraser University
Dr Umut ÖzsuCarleton University
Dr Polly Pallister-WilkinsUniversity of Amsterdam
Dr Leo ParascondolaWilliam Paterson University
Dr Juan Pablo Pardo-GuerraUniversity of California, San Diego
Professor Heikki PatomäkiUniversity of Helsinki
Professor Jamie PeckUniversity of British Columbia
Dr Oscar Perea-RodriguezUniversity of San Francisco
Professor Nina PerkowskiUniversity of Hamburg
Dr Dieter PlehweBerlin Social Science Center
Dr Aleksandra PiletićUniversity of Amsterdam
Professor Stefano PonteCopenhagen Business School
Professor Richard S. PressmanSaint Mary’s University
Professor Sujatha RamanAustralian National University
Dr Claire RavenscroftInternational Christian University
Professor Jacob RemesNew York University
Dr Raquel RibeiroUniversidade Nova de Lisboa NOVA/FCSH
Professor Lisa RicheyCopenhagen Business School
Daniel RosenblumUppsala University
Dr David RossatiVrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Dr Alina SajedMcMaster University
Rohit SarmaCentral European University
Dr Emilio SauriUniversity of Massachusetts Boston
Dr Gabi SchlagUniversity of Tübingen
Dr Moritz SchmollUniversité Mohammed VI Polytechnique
Dr Benjamin SchuetzeArnold Bergstraesser Institut
Dr Rachel SchwartzUniversity of Oklahoma
Dr Somdeep SenRoskilde University
Professor Sima ShakhsariUniversity of Minnesota
Professor Nandita SharmaUniversity of Hawaii at Mānoa
Dr Hariati SinagaUniversity of Indonesia
Dr Subir SinhaSOAS University of London
Professor Quinn SlobodianWellesley College
Zinaïda SluijsUppsala University
Professor James SmethurstUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst
Professor Susanne SoederbergQueen’s University
Professor Vicki SquireUniversity of Warwick
Dr Meg StalcupUniversity of Ottawa
Professor Margaret StevensEssex County College
Dr Maurice StierlUniversity of Osnabrück
Dr Maria Dyveke StyveEuropean University Institute
Professor Darko SuvinMcGill University
Dr Hanna SzemzőMetropolitan Research Institute
Dilruba TaşUniversity of Florida
Dr Lana TatourUniversity of New South Wales
Dr Diana TeggiThe Open University
Dr Chon TejedorUniversity of Valencia
Dr Vineet ThakurLeiden University
Dr Charlie ThameThammasat University
Dr Sergio Tirado-HerreroUniversidad Autónoma de Madrid
Professor Tiziana TerranovaUniversità di Napoli “L’Orientale”
Professor Cihan TuğalUniversity of California, Berkeley
Dr Ethemcan TurhanUniversity of Groningen
Dr Mirjam TwigtLeiden University
Dr Ahmad Rizky M. UmarUniversity of Queensland
Dr Kayhan ValadbaygiLeiden University
Professor Michel VandenbroeckGhent University
Dr Peter VerovšekUniversity of Groningen
Dr Feliciano Castaño VillarUniversity of Jaén
Nikolaos VrantsisUppsala University
Professor Alan WaldUniversity of Michigan
Dave WattonUniversity of Birmingham
Dr Carola WestermeierGiessen University
Dr Tom WesternUniversity College London
Dr Emily Kidd WhiteOsgoode Hall Law School
Dr Angela WiggerRadboud University
Dr Zhun XuJohn Jay College & the Graduate Center, City University of New York
Dr Deniz YonucuNewcastle University