- Conference
- 2024 National Higher Education Conference
- Date
- 11 October 2023
- Decision
- Carried
Conference Notes:
1)UNISON in Higher Education represents staff in a range of roles and professions. This includes staff employed by Students’ Unions.
2)Students’ Union staff experience challenges of low pay, job insecurity and workload as much as any in the sector.
3)Students’ Unions, Associations and Guilds comprise a range of organisational structures which can create barriers to our branches engaging effectively with members.
Conference Further Notes:
1)The Tory Government’s Higher Education reforms have disproportionally impacted on Students’ Unions, in relation to freedom of speech regulation.
2)Students’ Unions have a tradition of nurturing the development of progressive ideas and practices, from the peace movement to anti-racist activity and for the advancement of women’s and LGBT+ rights.
3)As a trade union in this sector, a healthy students’ movement compliments our aspirations of fairness at work and justice in society.
Conference Resolves to instruct the Service Group Executive to:
1)Seek to work with regions and branches to commence a programme of work to engage and develop membership and activism in our Students’ Union workplaces.
2)Conduct a survey of all HE branches to establish how local Students’ Unions are organised (as component part of the University, separate employers, included in national terms and conditions etc).
3)Encourage the sharing of best practice across regions for HE branches’ engagement with their Students’ Unions.
4)Develop recruitment materials and communications targeted at Students’ Union staff.
5)Set up and support a Students’ Unions in UNISON network.