UCU BRANCH UNITED AGAINST PRIVATISATION

BELOW IS THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY BY MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY (MMU) UCU AT OUR AGM IN JUNE:
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NAVITAS = PRIVATISATION

This meeting notes:
1) The on-going secret negotiations between Navitas and the management at MMU;
2) That any move to set-up an “international college” in partnership with a private sector firm is a form of back-door privatisation;
3) Such privatisation moves will have a detrimental affect on the student experience, will lead to a two-tier workforce and will see further attempts to privatise other academic provision.

This meeting re-states:
a) its opposition to all forms of privatisation at MMU; and
b) its support for “an education for all, publicly funded and democratically accountable”.

This meeting resolves to:
i) endorse the Navitas = Privatisation campaign;
ii) issue an open call for the management at MMUBS and MMU to end the secrecy around negotiations with Navitas and join with UCU in condemning privatisation in the HE sector;
iii) campaign against any future privatisation plans at MMU and for bringing back in-house currently outsourced facilities and services;
iv) support a NW “Challenging the Market in Education” conference, to be organised at MMU in the autumn term.

90% of Essex University staff oppose privatisation plan

Read more about it here:

http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=3377

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Also a reminder about the anti-privatisation workshop:

HOW DO WE STOP PRIVATISATION AT MMU?

A workshop – part of the “Navitas = Privatisation” campaign

1pm Wednesday 25th June –G.06, Sandra Burslem building, All Saints Campus

ALL WELCOME

NAVITAS = PRIVATISATION

BELOW IS THE TEXT OF THE FIRST LEAFLET WE HAVE DISTRIBUTED ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The directorate at MMU are on the verge of signing a contract with a private sector company called Navitas (formerly known as IBT Education) to set up an “International College” at MMU. This apparently has been prepared in secret as the HR director on Tuesday (10th June) claimed to know nothing about the deal. Thus, details are sketchy but we have been able to establish the following from similar agreements Navitas are involved with:
1. They have established four international colleges in the UK at Swansea, Hertfordshire, Brunel and Anglia Ruskin;
2. These colleges recruit international students on to diploma courses that once completed “guarantee” entrance onto the second year of the relevant degree programmes (see their Brunel website – http://www.libt.uk.com/index.php);
3. Navitas is an Australian based company that proudly boasts being the first educational institution listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. In their recent interim financial results presentation there are several references to opportunities to grow their courses especially in the UK.

Navitas are hosting workshop(s) at MMU where it is mostly likely they will be identifying which of our degree programmes they will hook their diploma courses onto. This situation raises a number of questions that the directorate need to answer including:
§ Who will be staffing their diploma courses and on what terms and conditions of employment?
§ Where will Navitas be located & who is paying for their accommodation and services? How much will this agreement cost MMU?
§ What will be the impact on support staff & will Navitas students be using university facilities?
§ Who has control over the curriculum on their diplomas; who will be supplying the course materials and what control do our admissions staff have over these “guaranteed” places?

Thus far, management have failed to negotiate or consult the recognised trade unions at MMU. However, examples from other institutions in the UK and abroad show that this is a form of back-door privatisation. And once companies like Navitas get a toehold in an institution, they look to extend their coverage to areas such as Foundation Degrees, English Language courses and beyond. For these reasons UCU and GMB will be campaigning against the introduction of any private sector company into academic provision.

IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT NAVITAS OR WOULD LIKE TO BE KEPT IN CONTACT ABOUT OUR “NAVITAS = PRIVATISATION” CAMPAIGN please contact Stewart Smyth at s.smyth@mmu.ac.uk

HOW DO WE STOP PRIVATISATION AT MMU?

PRE-AGM MEETING
How do we stop privatisation at MMU?

A workshop – part of the “Navitas = Privatisation” campaign
1pm Wednesday 25th June –
G.06, Sandra Burslem building, All Saints Campus

ALL WELCOME

STUDENT'S CONCERNS OVER NAVITAS (IBT)

One of the private international colleges Navitas (formerly IBT) have set up is in partnership with Simon Fraser University, Canada. Read what their student's union has to say about it:

http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/2006-1/issue5/le-ibt2.html