Union chief begs members to stay after backlash over vote to stop arming Ukraine
Nurses defended over pay demands by Jo Grady
The General Secretary of the University and College Union, Jo Grady, has said she is disappointed in her union for backing a hard-left motion at the weekend that called on the Government to stop arming Ukraine.
Woke uni lecturers who backed the controversial motion were described as “deplorable” over the Stop The War-backed motion.
As outrage from more moderate members of the UCU mounts, today General Secretary Jo Grady was forced into publishing a humiliating statement begging furious UCU members not to tear up their membership cards.
She claimed that the motion being passed is cynically being used to “attack the union and question our solidarity with the working class and people of Ukraine”.
She said: “I was deeply disappointed the motion passed.”
Dr Jo Grady explained that while she is not entitled to participate in UCU votes on motions owing to her leadership role, had she been able to she would have voted against the motion.
She acknowledged the “understandable upset and anger” caused by the motion, saying it “sends the wrong message about our union”.
She said: “I know that some members are thinking about resigning from the union in response.
“This is the last thing you should do. Please do not leave, stay.
“It’s with your help and engagement that we can ensure the UCU reflects the views of its members at every single level.”
Unfortunately for the UCU, Ms Grady’s statement failed to win over plenty of social media users.
A historian at the University of Edinburgh, Dr Hannah Holtschneider, replied saying: “I’m sorry, but this is exactly the message the UCU sends and has been sending for some time now”.
“It does not matter that Jo Grady personally disagrees. I’ve resigned my membership.”
Another academic replied: “Jo, please ask yourself the question, how did you get here? What kind of messages, leadership, rhetoric could possibly be a root cause here?”
“I’ll be resigning my membership and seek an alternative union where I get what I pay for, representation of my working rights.”
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An academic at UCL added: “This just isn’t good enough. A mealy-mouthed and slippery statement, whichever way you look at it. And too late for me.”
Another simply said: “This isn’t solidarity”.
A University of Cambridge scientist said Ms Grady’s statement “is a start”, however the “rubbish first sentence weakens it”. He demanded that the union’s NEC “overturn this vile motion that favours making the Ukrainian people subjugated to a Russian dictatorship. Also call out the little sprinkle of antisemitism in the motion”.
Delegates from the University of Leeds branch of UCU tried to amend the ballot to remove any call for the Government to stop arming Ukraine.
It also wanted to remove support of Stop the War and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament protests but union members voted against its changes.
Jess Kent, UCU delegate from the University of Sheffield, told the conference the war was a “cynical game between US and Russian imperialism”, adding: “The only way to a sustainable and lasting peace is for a class struggle that cuts across all imperialist war mongering”.
“Comrades, the main enemy is at home. We fight against our own warmongers. We must deal with our own imperialist government.”
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