Yesterday more than a hundred @ucu activists spent several hours in two branch delegates’ meetings, sharing branch members’ views on how to proceed on the Four Fights and USS disputes. 1/

Despite some confusion over the framing of questions, the views of members are clear, at least in the Four Fights dispute. Weighting votes by branch size, 55 delegates voted to accept the Four Fights offer; 96 to reject; 9 to note; and with 43 with no clear position/abstain. 2/

There was also a clear position on who should decide whether the offer is accepted, rejected or noted: 7 branch delegates thought it should be HEC; 101 wanted it put to members; 43 said the decision should be made by a higher education sector conference; 47 had no clear view. 3/

The position in the USS dispute is even clearer in one sense: 124 out of 150 delegates wanted the dispute paused but not ended. However, delegates were divided on the question of who should decide whether the dispute is settled... 4/

10 said the HEC; 55 said the question should be put to members; 72 said an HESC should make the decision; 6 had no clear view. 5/

Today, at Higher Education Committee, rather than accept the very strong steer from the branch delegates meeting, Jo McNeill (HEC’s acting vice-chair and a leading member of UCU Left) tabled an emergency motion (received by members after the meeting had started), ... 6/

noting the confusion, and resolving to “call an emergency HESC within three weeks which allows branches to consult members on all of the questions proposed to Branch Delegates yesterday”. 7/

In other words, this motion proposes that all but one of the four clear recommendations from UCU branches mentioned above are ignored and overturned. 8/

Context, in 2018, there was a branch delegates’ meeting to discuss the JEP. That meeting was controversial because there was no formal count of delegates’ vote – opinion was gauged by simple raising of hands. Since then, UCU has introduced rules and a voting record. 9/

It cannot be argued that yesterday’s meeting misunderstood the views of branches! 10/

In moving this motion Jo McNeill argued that it should not be members of UCU who have a vote, only activists; and that the decisions made by the branch delegates yesterday cannot be trusted. 11/

Clearly, if the members give you a result you dislike Jo McNeill and her UCU Left allies try to choose a new constituency. This is gerrymandering! 12/

Saira Weiner (HE rep for the North West), also speaking for the motion, commented that members could not be trusted to vote down a bad deal – though can always be trusted to vote yes for action. 13/

The motion failed to pass, but the vote was tied, 20 for and 20 against. Members of UCU Left voted as a block in its favour. (Controversially, one member of UCU Left, who had left the meeting, was allowed to vote for the motion by text.) UCU democracy saved? Not really. 14/

Despite all the time and energy spent by branch delegates yesterday, we spent no time today respectfully engaging with members' views. 15/

My overall impression of today's meeting was that HEC as a committee – and UCU Left in particular – doesn't give a shit about UCU members or they views. 16/