Speaking ahead of the Committee meeting, EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, “The additional increase in teachers’ and lecturers’ pension contributions that the Scottish Government intends to impose is, in reality, an additional tax on teaching professionals – not one penny of this cash-grab will go into teachers’ or lecturers’ pensions. It is shameful that a Scottish Government which claims to oppose the UK Government’s austerity drive and continuing attacks on public sector workers should choose to meekly replicate this coalition-designed teacher tax in Scotland.”

Mr Flanagan continued, “The 1.2% increase in pension contributions – higher than the capped pay increase of 1% currently on offer to public sector workers – will result in yet another real-terms pay cut for hard-pressed teachers and lecturers this year.  This latest increase would push the average pension contribution deduction from teaching staff to almost 9% of their pay.  As inflation continues to push the cost of living to record levels, another year of pay decline will be unacceptable to Scotland’s dedicated teaching professionals.”

Welcoming a Motion to reject the pension increase, to be introduced to the Committee today by the Deputy Convener Neil Findlay, Mr Flanagan added, “The EIS would like to thank Mr Findlay for bringing this important issue before the Committee.  We would urge all Members of the Committee to vote in good conscience today to protect Scottish education, and support the proposal to overturn this damaging additional tax on Scotland’s hard-working teaching professionals.”

Thanks to Lesley Roy and Calum Leslie for the filming and production  @lroyjournalist and @calumsleslie

UCU led the campaign against the move and wrote to the minister for universities and science, David Willetts, asking him to block any moves to grant for-profit providers of education exemption from VAT.

The union argued that VAT exemption should not be granted to companies whose primary mission is to reward shareholders, rather than the provision of education. The union’s concerns were shared by the business, innovation and skills committee, who repeatedly questioned ministers on how a VAT cut for for-profit companies would affect the health of the sector.

Under current rules, universities and colleges are exempt from paying VAT on education services they provide because of their not-for-profit status. Today’s budget suggests that privilege will not be extended to for-profit education providers.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: ‘The government must not allow companies seeking to make profit out of higher education access to a VAT break and we are pleased today’s budget appears to back our call.

‘We don’t doubt people looking to make a quick buck out of our higher education system will continue to circle the sector, but giving them tax breaks does not create a level-playing field as some have argued. Any tax breaks, on top of their ability to raise capital from the markets, could lead to established universities being undercut by for-profits delivering only courses likely to make them money.’

Dr Douglas Chalmers, Vice President elect of UCU Scotland also welcomed this move saying: “Our view is that there is too much marketisation of Higher Education already and for-profit providers will only exacerbate the situation further, by seeking to pick off lucrative areas within Higher Education and leaving the public sector to pick up the pieces. Our view is – Higher Education is not Business as Usual – it’s different and needs to stay different. It gives all the more reason that the knowledge economy campaign ought to be supported “

Rachel Russell and Emily Thomson led the discussion

Following a scurrilous report in the Daily Telegraph which suggested that female students at Glasgow Caledonian  had been signing up to a sexploitation website, the GCU Association debating society decided to run a debate on this, on International Women’s Day, sponsored by the local UCU.

Featured by STV, the debate clearly struck a chord with students and staff alike. The students had extensively postered and union members leafleted in the morning -

Almost a thousand leaflets distributed in less than 30 minutes

although the union sponsored buffet at the debate (which soon disappeared) was perhaps an additional attraction…..

The session started with the replay of the brilliant video on International Womens Day in  Scotland

Following the video,  Emily Thomson, Equalities Officer for the local UCU, led off the discussion by looking at the increased economic pressures on women including the incredible statistic that 74% of all recent cuts have specifically targeted women. Emily’s introduction can be heard here and her presentation can be downloaded from here

Rachel Russell first of all questioned the concept of ‘lifestyle’ placing it in the context of available choices including equality and sexual inequality. She pointed out the continuing inequality in terms of salaries between male and female graduates and then looked at the significance of sex work and what it was, before looking at the recent t-shirt controversy,

and the gendered media discourse about women and sexuality including in the Daily Telegraph.

Rachel’s introduction can be heard here, and her presentation can be downloaded from here.

The event was filmed and access will be made available to the film as soon as it is processed.

The UCU – hoping to work on an increasing range of interests and concern for their members

Douglas Chalmers, local President of the UCU@GCU announced he felt honoured to be elected as Scottish vice president of the UCU in their current elections. Receiving almost twice as many votes as his opponent in the election, Douglas said “The union in Scotland and in the rest of the UK, faces some difficult times ahead, but there’s never been a need for a stronger UCU, due to the increase in managerialism in our universities.

We have a real vision for transforming Higher Education in Scotland, and are determined to do this – working with our sister unions to ensure a positive future for all in the sector. Our branch is working on an increasing range of issues of interest and concern for our members and looks forward to broadening our work over the next period at GCU. If I was asked for a theme for our work in the near future its going to be –  The UCU, it’s not ‘Business as usual.’

Following our protests and communication with HR, all staff have now had the university’s new position outlined as follows:

“Dear Colleagues

EIS has now clarified the nature of the proposed action short of a strike – information we didn’t have when I wrote to colleagues earlier this week. The University doesn’t consider that any of the action advocated by EIS in its most recent communication to the University would cause the University to invoke its policy of withholding pay for partial performance.  I hope this clarifies the position but do please contact your HR BP if you have any queries”.

All very welcome, and well as it goes perhaps, but reference to the university’s ‘policy of withholding pay for partial performance’ sounds to the impartial reader like an implicit threat held in reserve.  Our staff don’t ‘partially perform’ – they over perform, in increasingly difficult circumstances. The staff survey showed just how committed our staff are to the future of the university – and, indeed also indicated where it was felt that partial performance was really being carried out – confidence in the performance of Senior Management (even amongst Senior Management) was very low.

Our management need to look at how to better invest in the staff who are keeping this university going – and keeping it up in the esteem it is held in, in Scotland. We need a positive approach from our management in support of staff aspirations on wages and pensions.

Dr Nick McKerrell, Convenor of the EIS/ULA at GCU, said “EIS members welcome the clarification of management’s position at GCU.  It is a shame that they rushed in using bullying language rather than waiting to see what our industrial action consisted of.  However members have to be vigilant in their campaign for fair pay for all in Higher Education to make sure that GCU will not resurrect these threats as the industrial action continues”

During his installation, Professor Yunus spoke of the need for universities to solve global problems, but suggested that the biggest challenge was often right next to campus – within the neighbourhood.  Drawing on his own experience, he developed the idea of the ‘village’ as  a real university saying that ‘without community engagement, the concept of a university is empty – the village is a real university‘. He praised the potential in this generation of young people, suggesting they could be the most powerful generation ever – in fact he wondered if young people were yet aware of their real powers. He suggested young people needed to ‘redesign’ the whole system – ‘before the system trashes you, trash that sort of system‘. Arguing that, if taught correctly young people could create jobs, not just seek them – he believed that universities were not factories to make ‘jobseekers’ – each human being could ‘create a new world‘. This world as at present was ‘finished’. We needed to aim for the next 25 years, where poverty didn’t belong to human society. He finished by arguing that young people were not ” ‘future leaders’, they were leaders already, and that universities should help make that happen“.

Student president Carla Fyfe brought welcome from the student community

During the ceremony, which had been opened by Principal Pamela Gillies,  Student President Carla Fyfe welcomed the Chancellor on behalf of the students, and Cabinet Secretary Mike Russell also spoke welcoming the Chancellor.

Mike Russell – Government continues to support free education

Of interest to the unions, and the university community as a whole, Mike Russell stated that the Scottish government didn’t want to administer a glorified poor law from Westminster, and also talked of how education changed lives, which was why the Scottish government would continue to invest in it. He also pledged continuing Scottish government support for free education.

Local UCU President Douglas Chalmers brought Professor Yunus the greetings of the unions at GCU

Following the ceremony, Professor Yunus informally spoke to members of the university community during lunch, and during this was pleased to receive the congratulations of the university unions, from UCU branch president Douglas Chalmers, during which he thanked the unions for their support, telling them “I’m looking forward to seeing more of you.”

The Charter was launched in the lead up to the 2010 General Election as a response to the economic crisis and the moves by the elite to use the financial situation to promote austerity. The Charter has 6 key themes: A fair economy for a fairer Britain; More and better jobs; Decent homes for all; Protect and improve our public services – no cuts; Build a secure and sustainable future for all; Fairness and Justice.

The People’s Charter is supported by the TUC and the STUC. UCU Scotland and other unions in Higher Education have been involved in the Scottish Organising Committee for the People’s Charter since its inception. This particular petition was lodged with the Scottish Parliament by the university’s own Vince Mills – vice president of UCU here.

The closing date is November 2nd. Many union members have already signed – if you haven’t done so yet – here’s your chance.

Sign the petition here

“We hope the vision expressed by Professor Yunus will help further expand the work which our university does amongst sectors of the Glasgow and West of Scotland population whose lack of finance would normally preclude their attendance at university.
Glasgow Caledonian’s aim of expanding educational access is one that the trade unions continue to see as crucial for the social mission of the university, and one where all members of the university community have much to be proud of.
Access to high quality affordable education, which in turn gives something back into the community itself, is part of an approach to education based on the Scottish concept of the Democratic Intellect, which too, is at the heart of our own vision.
We believe that this should be the birthright of all, together with job security, respect, decent working conditions, and an environment which allows the talents of working people to flourish and be suitably rewarded.
We look forward to working with Professor Yunus in his promotion of these values”.