Keele UCU Suspends Grey Listing

There has been a welcome development in the six month long dispute between Keele UCU and the university's management over the planned closure of School of Economic and Management Studies and Centre for Health Planning and Management. Previous posts and statements on the dispute can be read here, here, here and here. The deal itself won a majority vote among the SEMS Action Committee, the rank and file body of UCU members that has played a leading role in this dispute and their decision was unanimously backed at an emergency meeting of the union's branch committee this afternoon. Here is the message our union branch has circulated to members.

To all UCU members,

Following talks on 10th June 2008, an agreement has been reached between UCU and management on the SEMS/CHPM dispute. The agreement was approved by a meeting of UCU members in SEMS/CHPM and by a meeting of the Local Association committee today.

All industrial action - both the SEMS/CHPM assessment boycott and the other action short of a strike begun on 21st February - is therefore suspended with immediate effect. Members are asked to work normally from now on.

The greylisting of Keele University is also suspended with immediate effect.

The aim of our action was to bring management to the negotiating table on the issues of

- academic discussions with the School on the future of the teaching programmes,
- the terms of the voluntary severance offer and an extended period of voluntary severance.

We feel that we have achieved those aims and also defended the role of Senate in consideration of course closures and academic restructuring, and furthermore that the agreement provides a space in which this situation can be resolved without need for compulsory redundancy. However, there is still much work in front of us to implement the agreement.

The agreement is available at
http://www.keele.ac.uk/socs/ucu/local/sems2008/agreementJun08.doc

See also an accompanying statement from Sue Davis, UCU regional official, at
http://www.keele.ac.uk/socs/ucu/local/sems2008/statementJun08.html

I should like to thank all members who have supported the industrial action and greylisting. It is only by our vigorous campaign, and the immense support we have received from colleagues across the country, that we have been able to get this far.

Peter Fletcher,
for the Keele UCU committee.

You can also read the national UCU's official statement here.

Edited to add: this is a significant step forward in the dispute and can rightly be regarded as a victory against a management who were determined to dig their heels in.