Apologies: Kay Dickinson, Sheila Turley, Natalie Fenton, John Wadsworth

Nominations

President (from Jan. 2010: Marj Mayo (agreed)

Secretary: (Vacant)

Equalities: (Vacant)

Treasurer: Duncan Branley (agreed)

Membership Secretary: Kay Dickinson (agreed)

Learning Rep: Rob Bannocks (agreed)

Casework Coordinator: Pamela Beevers (agreed)

Branch Pensions Officer: Ed Randall (agreed)

Ordinary Members: Natalie Fenton, John Wadsworth, David Mabb, Sheila Turley

ACTION POINTS:

Call-out over for following positions: Secretary, Equalities Rep, London Region rep

General Meeting

1. Pay claim/redundancies/cuts

Report from DF and BL on consultation on employer’s pay offer of 0.5%

Motion: Campaigning to defend Higher Education (carried; 1 abstention)

Goldsmiths UCU

1. Declares its full support for the joint union campaign to defend Higher Education;

2. Condemns both the 0.5 pay offer for 2009/10 and redundancies, cuts in HE provision, outsourcing and denial of educational opportunities to students;

3. Resolves to give support to all UCU branches resisting redundancies and institutional closures;

4. Resolves to ballot for local industrial action in response to any final proposals for compulsory redundancies;

5. Resolves to engage in or support local negotiations to improve institutional agreements on job security, redundancy consultation and redeployment;

6.Resolves to work closely with NUS locally, regionally and nationally in defence of educational provision and jobs;

7. Calls on the Higher Education Committee to call a special HE sector conference to

organise a campaign to defend jobs, conditions of service and pay levels;

8.Urges the National Executive Committee to organise a lobby of Parliament to celebrate post-16 education, and to urge proper funding for Universities and Colleges.

Proposed: Des Freedman Seconded: Natalie Fenton

2. Pay Forum

The main ongoing issue is to do with moving part-time/fixed-term staff onto the pay spine. There is another meeting in 2 weeks time. The main issues are concerned with putting people onto fractional contracts and how hours of work are calculated, particularly with admin work and other work not done in the classroom. Management is still committed to backdating any pay settlement to 2006. The idea is to move to a standard rate of pay across departments but the level and formula is still to be resolved.

*If anyone wants to get involved, they should contact Ben Levitas: b.levitas@gold.ac.uk

3. Report from Campaigns

PBSI: There have been students who have had problems getting into the country and raising the necessary funds. Similar changes have also been affecting the arts. We are organising a campaign (and will be approaching NUS and UNISON) and will connect with arts and civil liberties groups. We will have an event on Monday, the 30th of November at 5PM.

Goldsmiths Education Partnerships: Goldsmiths Council has expressed reservations about the proposed school trust. There was a very good public meeting. If people want to get involved they should check out the Facebook group: tiny.cc/notrustinthegoldsmithstrust or email secretary@lewisham.nut.org.uk

4. Climate Change Motion

This branch recognizes that:

• Climate Change is an issue of enormous concern. Latest scientific evidence shows that the world is warming faster than expected.

• The changing climate will lead to more flooding, droughts, famine and hurricanes across the globe affecting the poorest in society first and greatest across the globe.

• Climate Change is a major issue for Trade Unions, many of whom have supported climate events in the last year, including the Campaign Against Climate Change (CaCC) Trade Union conference with over 200 delegates.

• We need government investment in green industries such as renewable energy, insulation of all homes and workplaces, re-skilling of workers and research into further technological development. This will create or save tens of thousands of jobs at a time when many are concerned for their own future employment.

• This December's UN Climate Talks in Copenhagen are an important opportunity to secure global, democratic commitments to measures that might avert climate catastrophe, before our planet’s ecology destabilises irreversibly.

• The Copenhagen talks will be marked by demonstrations across the globe calling on governments to agree concrete action on climate change. In London, the demonstration is called by the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition, supported by the Campaign Against Climate Change and the National Union of Teachers.

This branch therefore resolves to:

1. Support, publicise and encourage members to attend the demonstration in London on Saturday 5th December;

2. Support, publicise and encourage members to attend the third Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Conference (CCCTU) in London on Saturday 13th March 2010.

3. Donate £50 to the organisers towards the cost of the conference and sponsor the CCCTU conference in the name of this Branch.

4. Send our banner to both events.

Proposed: Toby Abse; seconded: Ben Levitas

Agreed (unanimously)

5. AOB:

Communications: consent to collect emails, but on a limited basis (only for important meetings)

REF Consultation: MM and ED to liaise with others to prepare a document to submit to the Consultation by 16 December.

For an archive of older meetings, look here.

Any questions? email us at gucu-admin@gold.ac.uk.

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