Dear all,
sorry for cross posting.
EU citizens among group members who are also workers on UK universities and
UCU members, please consider signing this letter (below) to the President
of the union *by sending your names to **Lucia Pradella (*
*<[log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>>) or Phoebe Moore
(<[log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>>) by July 15, 2016*
Best regards,
Mariya
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2016 18:28:39 +0200
From: Lucia PRADELLA <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Open letter to UCU President on status of EU academic staff and
freedom of movement
*With apologies for cross posting*
Dear all,
Please find below and attached an open letter to the new elected UCU
President, Rob Goodfellow, concerning the uncertain status of EU staff
after the referendum and the threats to free movement of people. If you
support the letter, please circulate it and send the names and details of
signatories to me ([log in to unmask]) or Phoebe Moore (
[log in to unmask]) by July 15.
Best wishes,
Dr Lucia Pradella, UCU member, King's College London
Dr Phoebe Moore, UCU Rep, School of Law, University of Middlesex
Dear Rob Goodfellow,
We are contacting you as our new elected UCU president for 2016/17. We are
concerned that the UCU has yet properly to respond to the concerns of
academic staff from the EU working in the UK.
EU staff make up 15 per cent of the academic workforce in this country.
After the referendum, their legal status is uncertain and the free movement
of labour is seriously threatened.
The right to remain of EU citizens currently living in the UK has been put
into question. Although the House of Commons voted on 06/07/16 to guarantee
their right to remain, this vote is non-binding. In early July, UCU called
on the government and all Conservative party leadership candidates to make
a firm commitment that all EU nationals already in the country can stay. At
the end of June, Sally Hunt wrote a letter to the Secretary of State for
Business, Innovation and Skills, Sajid Javid, on behalf of UCU members,
asking that the government ensures "that the best and brightest staff and
students from across the EU will continue to be supported to work and study
in the UK".
Academic staff are facing growing pressure to increase productivity and
students' satisfaction through audit mechanisms such as the REF and TEF,
while our pay and conditions are worsening. We cannot rule out that audit
mechanisms will be applied to establishing who the "brightest and best" EU
staff are, and thus who has and who does not have the right to remain.
We also note that the UCU has not taken a position on free movement of
labour. The end of free movement would represent a significant worsening of
the condition of present and future EU staff. Any restrictions on freedom
of movement for people, and our right to work without discrimination based
on nationality, will put increasing competitive pressure on EU academic
staff and thus affect staff as a whole, and weaken the strength of our
union.
While we hope that this was just an unwise choice of words on Sally Hunt's
part, we ask you to speak out clearly against any form of staff
discrimination, including linking the right to remain in the UK to presumed
merit. We also ask the UCU Executive to take a firm stand in favour of free
movement of labour and to campaign not just to guarantee the existing
rights of EU academic staff but also the continuing right of free movement
for all EU academics and indeed, for all workers. We therefore invite local
branches to start debating how to achieve this goal.
*If you support this letter, please circulate it and send the names and
details of signatories to Lucia Pradella ([log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]>) or Phoebe Moore ([log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]>) by July 15.*
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