UCU was represented at STUC congress 2024 in Dundee by a delegation comprising Jeanette Findlay, Grant Buttars, Tom Jones, Marion Hersh, Justine Mercer, Marion Winters, Karen Lorimer, Douglas Chalmers, Jenny Kermally, Olufemi Ilesanmi, Mary Senior and Murdo Mathison. Talat Ahmed was also at the congress as a delegate from the STUC Black Workers Conference.
The congress was held in the Caird Hall between Monday 15 and Wednesday 17 April. UCU Scotland delegates met on the evening of Sunday 14 April to determine UCU’s positions on the motions and to agree UCU speakers on motions.
UCU submitted three motions to the congress. One on modern languages provision in higher education moved by Marion Winters which set out the recent cuts at Aberdeen university as well as explaining the problems with the funding of languages leaving them vulnerable; another on the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry moved by Grant Buttars calling on STUC affiliated unions to support the campaign and build for the 6 June mass vigil; and our third, moved by Jeanette Findlay, on political attacks on university staff focusing on Michelle Donelan’s unwarranted attack on two academics and the need for academic freedom. All three motions were carried.
We also submitted two amendments, one to a UNISON motion on housing calling for the STUC to campaign for interim rent controls to cover the period before new powers from the newly introduced housing bill in the Scottish Parliament are enacted. Our other amendment was to an EIS motion on poverty in education which sought to widen it to include higher education, funding and widening access. Tom Jones spoke in the debate on the composited UNISON motion and Douglas Chalmers seconded the EIS motion.
UCU also submitted an emergency motion based on the motion agreed by the March UCU Scotland executive meeting and agreed by UCU Scotland congress on military flights from Glasgow Prestwick Airport but the motion was ruled out and not put on the agenda by the STUC. However, Jeanette Findlay spoke in the debate on Palestine and was able to speak to the points made in the motion.
UCU president, Justine Mercer, chaired a Trade Union Co-ordinating Group, fringe on “Workers’ Rights After a General Election” with speakers from the FBU, PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote, BFAWU general secretary Sarah Wooley, and Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT.
The congress was addressed by the First Minister, Humza Yousaf MSP, as well as Scottish Labour Party leader, Anas Sarwar MSP. It also heard from Welsh TUC general secretary Shavanah Taj, and a special session on Gaza heard from the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, and Shaher Saed, general secretary of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions.
The new STUC president is Lilian Macer, Unison. UCU’s Scotland official Mary Senior was re-elected to the STUC General Council and as STUC Treasurer for the coming year.
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