RETURN TO ATUn HOMEPAGE
AN ATTACK ON ALL OF US
An ATUn subscriber from University of Sussex reports that a dispute between UNISON manual workers and the university authorities has received the support of students. This dispute is over the familiar terrain of outsourcing for cheaper services at the expense of the workers. The local UNISON resistance has taken the sensible step of appealing for university workers' solidarity in a leaflet campaign, in which they say:
If this can happen to one department on campus, then it can happen to another. … If the University decide today that they don't need one department, then tomorrow it could be another AND NO ONE'S JOB WILL BE SAFE
The Sussex Non-payment campaign group - which campaigns actively against the imposition of fees for education - takes this solidarity one step further by identifying their position of conflict against university management with that of the UNISON members. As they say:
The University's only concern is financial: decreasing wages and lowering the cost of the necessary services that the University has to provide to keep up with the academic reputation of Sussex. Saving money, that is at the expense of staff and students.
This show of solidarity between academic students and manual staff in the same workplace/institution can only be applauded. It is also gratifying to see this student group (who are no strangers to direct action following the 11 day occupation of university buildings in May 1999) supporting rather than trying to take control of the workers' fight for justice. See leaflets below.