UCU Referendum
Last updated Friday 17th February // All links open in the same window
Vote in the UCU Referendum
Information Key dates What is a referendum? What does YES and NO mean? *NEW* How does voting work? Open Meeting Taking part Rules and Regulations Get in touch
Information
University and College Union (UCU) have announced 18 days of potential strike action across February and March.
Staff from 150 universities in the UK will walk out unless their university employers improve the current offers on pay, revoke pension cuts and restore pension benefits.
After this round of strikes, if resolutions are still not met, the UCU is proposing an assessment and marking boycott in April.
You can find out more about the strike on the UCU website here.
Last term, our Student Assembly voted on the motion to support UCU in their current dispute, and 76% of registered Student Assembly Members voting to support.
Following the announcement of the additional 18 days, GSU Officers have received significant feedback from students regarding the impact of the strike on their studies.
In reference to this and effectively representing student opinion, Greenwich Students’ Union Trustee Board has triggered a referendum to decide what position GSU should take on the current and upcoming strike action.
Key dates
- Deadline to register for YES or NO campaign: 12:00, Friday 10th February
- Campaigner training: Monday 13th February, 12:00 - 13:00
- Campaigning starts: Monday 13th February, 14:00
- Open Meeting: online, Wednesday 15th February, 15:00 - 16:00
- Referendum voting: Friday 17th February, 12:00 – Sunday 19th February, 17:00
What is a referendum?
A referendum is an all student cross campus vote which gives individual students the chance to have a say on a particular matter.
There are a number of ways that a proposal for referendum can be approved, including a petition from 250 students.
This referendum was triggered by a GSU Officer Proposal to the Board of Trustees, in which it was unanimously approved.
The referendum is governed by a set of Greenwich Students’ Union Referendum Rules and Regulations that can be found here and are overseen by the Deputy Returning Officer (Sophie Harrison, Head of Student Voice & Representation) and the Returning Officer (National Union of Students - NUS).
The proposed motion (the submitted proposal paper) outlines the following question:
Should GSU support the 18 days of UCU Strike Action between March and April 2023?
What does voting & joining the YES or NO campaign mean?
By joining the YES Campaign Team, you are advocating and campaigning that Greenwich Students’ Union SHOULD actively support the 18 Days of UCU Strikes happening over the next couple of months.
This means that you agree that Greenwich Students’ Union should support UCU University Staff Members during the upcoming strikes.
By joining the NO Campaign Team, you are advocating and campaigning that Greenwich Students’ Union SHOULD NOT actively support the 18 Days of UCU Strikes happening over the next couple of months.
This means that you agree that Greenwich Students’ Union should not support UCU University Staff Members' strikes.
How does the voting work?
If the Referendum meets quoracy (500 votes) and the simple majority votes YES - Greenwich Students' Union will work with the YES Campaign Team to formulate what UCU Strike Support looks like across campus sites.
If the Referendum meets quoracy (500 votes) and the simple majority votes NO - this referendum vote will override the vote of Student Assembly and Greenwich Students' Union will not support the strikes happening across the University.
If the Referendum does not meet quoracy (500 votes) the November Student Assembly vote to support the ongoing UCU strikes will stand and Greenwich Students' Union will continue to explore what this support looks like across campus sites.
Open Meeting
On Wednesday 15th February we will be holding an Open Meeting Online from 15:00-16:00, where you can come along and share your views.
At this open meeting, each campaign team will have the opportunity to put forward their case as to why students should reflect their views. Alongside this, amendments to the proposed motion can be submitted and discussed.
The deadline for motion amendments is Thursday 16th February at 12:00 midday.
Students are able to formally submit an amendment by emailing elections@gre.ac.uk with the proposal which will then be considered by the President in reflection of the Open Meeting.
Taking part
The referendum vote will open on Friday 17th February (12:00 midday) via the Greenwich Students’ Union website and remain open until Sunday 19th February (17:00).
If you want to put yourself forward to campaign for either referendum option (YES or NO) you can register to do so and come along to our Campaigner training on Monday 13th February from 12:00-13:00 on Microsoft Teams (you can find the link to the training here). Campaigning is free to start on Monday 13th February at 14:00. The deadline to sign up for a campaign team and to attend the training is 12:00 midday on Friday 10th February.
There are so many ways you can get involved whether that be through joining a campaign team, voicing your opinion or just by voting - make sure that your voice contributes to the future of the Students’ Union!
Rules and Regulations
Any Greenwich Students’ Union (GSU) referendum aims to be free, fair and accessible to everyone. The document below sets out all the rules for this referendum.
Read our rules (PDF file, opens in the same window)
Get in touch
To learn more about the strike action, proposed dates and more, visit our webpage with more information.
If you want to hear more from GSU Officers, you can have a read of their most recent statement here. If you have any questions about the referendum, please do not hesitate to get in touch at elections@gre.ac.uk and we will get back to you as soon as we can.