Last week we launched the new Cambridge UCU Researchers Campaign, to contest the increasing casualisation of researchers at the University and the Colleges. Early career researchers are often offered repeated extensions of insecure fixed-term contracts, even when it would be possible to offer more secure open-ended contracts. Cambridge has a culture of overwork and underpay. We believe this can and should be changed.
UCU members went on strike for three days last week, 20th to 22nd March. During these days, we focused picketing at sites that employ many researchers – the Biomedical Campus at Addenbrooke’s, Downing site, Chemistry and Engineering departments, and West Cambridge – to inform about the campaign and about what demands of the University we believe an organised workforce of researchers can make. We had many good conversations with people who were, frankly, right to be upset about their work situation.
CUCU Researchers mailing list
Sign up to the mailing list to stay up to date with the campaign.
Researchers meetings
The CUCU Researchers Campaign organises regular meetings (Tuesdays 1pm via Zoom) around concerns for Cambridge researchers such as insecure contacts, workload, and effective industrial action for researchers. The meetings are open to all, and are currently focused on the negotiations around the University’s fixed-term contract policy. Meeting links are announced via the CUCU Researchers and the branch mailing lists.
Cambridge Researcher Survey
The Campaign has launched a web survey to better understand the most pressing concerns and issues that Cambridge researchers face in the workplace. The survey is aimed at all researchers at University of Cambridge and the Colleges, regardless of union affiliation.
What can you do?
- Sign up to the mailing list
- Join our organising meetings
- Circulate the survey
- Invite other researchers that you know
- Share via suitable groups and email lists (where possible)
- Circulate Researchers Campaign leaflets – available for anyone to collect from outside the UCU office at 17 Mill Lane (2nd floor)
