Report on Notes on Debate on Ukraine at UCU Congress 2024

This all took place on Wednesday 29th May.

In the morning there was a challenge to the CBC report to reinstate on the agenda the amendment from City and Islington College UCU.  This was carried with 159 votes for, 76 against and 33 abstentions.  This amendment took out the reference to ‘and military’ in respect of aid and inserted a call for a ceasefire now.

Solidarity demonstration on anniversary of the Russian invasion

The Ukraine debate happened on the Wednesday afternoon. 

The solidarity motion was moved by Gregory Schwartz of Bristol University and seconded by Alan Reeve of Oxford Brookes University.

The first amendment debated was from the Women Members’ Standing Committee. This was moved by Vicky Blake.

There had been some political confusion among the WMSC about working with Ukrainian trade unions, maybe related to Kremlin propaganda that free trade unions are CIA linked or that Ukrainian trade unions should not be supported because they are ‘pro-war’.  So, there was a proposal to take this amendment in parts but it was defeated.  This proposal had not been agreed in the WMSC. The amendment was carried.

There was a vote on the City and Islington amendment.  This was carried with 141 votes for, 107 votes against and 14 abstentions. 

During the debate on the motion two proposals were put to take the voting in parts.  This was essentially a form of underhand amendment to knock out parts of the motion.

Grant Buttars, UCU NEC, proposed to take the vote separately on the sentence about affiliating to Ukraine Solidarity Campaign.  While it was agreed to take the vote separately, the vote on this part of the motion was carried, 115 for, 108 against, 29 abstentions.  So, UCU has now voted to affiliate to USC.

The other proposal for voting in parts was to put point 7, the vote on supporting the appeal from the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine, separately. This part of the motion was also passed.

So where does this leave UCU? The one definite positive is that UCU has now agreed to affiliate to USC. This means we can ask for a stall and an official fringe meeting at UCU Congress 2025.  It should also make it easier to get USC events advertised in the UCU Friday emailing to branch officers and activists.  Maybe we could also invite UCU national officers on a delegation to Ukraine.

It has also endorsed the appeal from the Ukrainian trade unions, which does call for both military and humanitarian aid.  Nonetheless the amendment from City and Islington College was carried which knocked out ‘and military’ in the descriptor of the appeal in the text of the motion.  There may therefore be scope for interpretation and argument about what we agreed here.  So, in this sense UCU is still in a mess of having contradictory policy on Ukraine.

During the debate we were treated to some foolish or dishonest speeches from delegates who believed or claimed to be in solidarity with Ukrainians (we did not thankfully get any references to ordinary Ukrainians this year) while also arguing against military aid for Ukraine.  We were also informed by one delegate that since we are not calling for weapons for Palestinians we should not support weapons for Ukraine.  There is a lack of understanding or refusal to recognise that humanitarian assistance without military cover, such as anti-aircraft defences, could be destroyed in bombing raids before reaching its intended recipients.

We need to consider in UCU Members for Ukraine how we use this motion to build Ukraine Solidarity work within UCU.

The final text of the motion as amended is as follows:

Substantive motion

Congress declares its support for the right of the Ukrainian people to self-determination and self-defence.

It salutes the continuing resistance of the Ukrainian people, including their trade unions, to Russian imperialist invasion and occupation.

Congress resolves to build solidarity with Ukraine and its labour movement, including:

  1. support for financial appeals for medical, educational and humanitarian projects
  2. support for Ukrainian refugees
  3. solidarity rallies and demonstrations
  4. holding webinars to educate ourselves about Ukraine
  5. encouraging twinning arrangements with Ukrainian universities and colleges
  6. demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory
  7. endorses the appeal of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine calling on the international trade union movement to call on governments to continue providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine
  8. to call for an immediate ceasefire
  9. UCU to join with Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine; and support COVAW-II project for full intersectional implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Ukraine. The conflict causes invisible and visible violence against women and children, lgtbq+ women, and women with disabilities including family separation, exploitation; gender-based violence, rape, lack of menstrual care, risk of physical harm and injury, lack of pregnancy (ante natal and post-natal) care and limited access to sexual and reproductive health

Congress resolves to affiliate to the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign and to encourage branches and regions to invite USC speakers to their meetings.

Leave a comment