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higher education

Do you sometimes feel your union isn’t listening to you?

SFEU-flyer-2024-front

Do you sometimes wonder whose interests they’re representing?

The chances are your union suffers from as much bureaucracy as the very institution you are fighting against!

If you are sick of the top-down approach, protect your interests by joining the Solidarity Federation Education Union.

The Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU) is a union established out of the desire for connected struggle and defence of all education workers.

SFEU-flyer-2024-back

In our small but growing union, we welcome all workers within the industry, from early years, primary, secondary, to special and higher education. Whether you are a teacher, student teacher, lecturer, researcher, learning support worker, administrator, cleaner or work in facilities at your institution – we are the union where you will have a voice and we stand in solidarity together.

You can find out more at: www.solfed.org.uk/sfeu or contact us at: sfeu@riseup.net

Attachment Size
sfeu-leaflet.pdf (600.24 KB) 600.24 KB

Tags

  • education
  • cleaning and facilities
  • education support
  • higher education
  • lecturers and teachers
  • schools and academies
  • students
  • Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU)
By sfeu, 26 July, 2026
sfeu

Higher Education funding model against workers

Cardiff, Durham, Hertfordshire, Sheffield... the list of struggling HEIs goes on and on. If anything was clear as this stage, it's that the funding model for Higher Education is simply not working. Like most of capitalist or quasi-capitalist ventures, leaving everything to the market is not only wasteful but is also extremely damaging of workers' livelihoods. Young people and others who wish to embark on a University course are increasingly thinking twice about doing so because of mounting costs, often questionable quality as provision is cut to the bone and a future that is as doubtful as the continuance of some universities in the UK.

Tags

  • direct action
  • education
  • higher education
  • solidarity
  • trade unions
  • Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU)
By solfed-iwa, 18 July, 2025

Crisis after crisis

Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU) logo svg
sfeu.svg

No-one will doubt that Higher Education is undergoing one of its historic, but it has to be acknowledged, repeated crises. With a drop in international students by some 16% and with approximately 40% of HEIs (Higher Education Institutions) thought to be likely to go into deficit in 2025-2026, university management teams are cutting universities to the bone. Departments supposedly under review face rapid closure or down-sizing, staff in academic support roles have had their positions slashed and whole programmes are disappearing.

Tags

  • education
  • higher education
  • marketisation
  • Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU)
By sfeu, 6 March, 2025

Higher education marketisation - What did they expect!?

Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU) logo svg
sfeu.svg

The concept of marketisation must have seemed a good idea to someone at some point. It’s a shame that it has fallen to higher education to prove the idiocy of capitalism. 

Education is not a commodity to be thrown to the winds of market forces, it is a basic right and should be properly funded and supported. 

Tags

  • education
  • anarcho-syndicalism
  • higher education
  • marketisation
  • Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU)
By sfeu, 11 July, 2024

SFEU marketisation of higher education statement

marketisationAs many higher education institutions are on the brink of financial collapse, it’s time to understand what has brought about this perfect storm and what can be done about it. 

Headlines often focus on ‘over-reliance on international students’ but it is more complex than that. Why do you think universities try so hard to recruit international students?... because their fees are not regulated, and universities can charge what they think they can get away with given market forces; i.e. Cambridge can charge a student from China more than Cardiff Met can. 

Tags

  • capitalism
  • funding
  • marketisation
  • tuition fees
  • education
  • higher education
  • Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU)
By sfeu, 25 July, 2023

Marking and assessment boycott in higher education keeps pressure on employers

Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU) logo svg
sfeu.svg

The Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU) would like to express its heartfelt thanks for the support shown by students at recent graduation ceremonies. The Marking and Assessment Boycott (MAB) has been a difficult time for both staff and students, but it is clear that we stand in solidarity together against those institutions that would rather penalise its workers than negotiate with them. 

Tags

  • education
  • higher education
  • industrial action
  • boycotts
  • trade unions
  • University and College Union (UCU)
  • Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU)
By sfeu, 26 May, 2023

SFEU statement of solidarity with Higher Education Marking and Assessment Boycott

Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU) logo svg
sfeu.svg

The Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU) would like to express its solidarity with university academic staff currently engaged in the Marking and Assessment Boycott as part of their demand for restored salaries, the elimination of the gender and race pay gap, workloads and casualization.

Tags

  • casualisation
  • higher education
  • industrial action
  • boycotts
  • deductions
  • Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU)
  • University and College Union (UCU)
  • pensions
  • education
  • trade unions
By sfeu, 19 May, 2023

SFEU successful dispute at Aberystwyth University

Nine months to the day since our comrade’s formal grievance against Aberystwyth University was filed, we can confirm that the grievance has been upheld on all counts. The university have agreed to pay the difference in salary between Grade 6 and Grade 7 for the two years and five months that the Grade 7 duties were performed on a Grade 6 contract. HR have also agreed to review their guidance in regard to role and person profiles for each grade and to look at other instances of staff who are currently working with similar mis-aligned responsibilities. The SFEU have been proud to support our comrade on this journey – victory was never in doubt!

Tags

  • Aberystwyth University
  • disputes
  • pay and conditions
  • regrading
  • Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU)
  • solidarity
  • education
  • higher education
  • Wales
By sfeu, 15 March, 2023

Victory to the striking education workers!

Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU) logo svg
sfeu.svg

The Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU) is a new union that cuts across the divide and has members in different education sectors within the same workplace. Here is the view of one of our student members on the current University strikes being taken by Unite, UCU and Unison, among other unions. Our power lies in organisation and in a unitary union based on direct democracy.

"What about the students?"

Tags

  • Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU)
  • strike
  • University and College Union (UCU)
  • UNISON – the Public Service Union
  • Unite the Union
  • education
  • higher education
  • trade unions
By sfeu, 24 February, 2023

Higher Education Dispute - more unmandated strike 'pauses'

Unison, Unite, EIS, GMB and UCU have all proceded to cancel their strikes as a result of decisions by their union General Secretaries or Executives, a position that emerges out of the ACAS talks. To the majority of members of these unions, it's not clear exactly what they've been offered beyond a "limited improvement" to the pay offer for 2022-23. After so much sacrifice, this doesn't sound great.

Tags

  • casualisation
  • Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS)
  • equal pay
  • General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trade Union (GMB)
  • pause
  • pay and conditions
  • Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU)
  • strike
  • workload
  • University and College Union (UCU)
  • UNISON – the Public Service Union
  • education
  • higher education
  • trade unions

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higher education

Guides

Your rights at work

Why do we organise? Capitalism is shit, oppression is shit - but what can we at SolFed do about it?

Why do we organise?

This is our flag - it tells you what we stand for

this-is-our-flag

Direct Action #2 (2024)

Direct Action #2 (2024)

Anarcho-syndicalism in Britain – a little history (2015)

Anarcho-syndicalism in Britain – a little history (2015)

Office worker’s health and safety - your rights and how to use them (2015)

Office worker’s health and safety - your rights and how to use them (2015)

Anarchism and Anarcho-syndicalism (Rudolf Rocker, 2014)

Anarchism and Anarcho-syndicalism (Rudolf Rocker, 2014)

Fighting for ourselves - anarcho-syndicalism and the class struggle (2012)

Fighting for ourselves - anarcho-syndicalism and the class struggle (2012)

Theory & Practice 1 - Workmates - direct action workplace organising on the London underground (2011)

Theory & Practice 1 - Workmates - direct action workplace organising on the London underground (2011)

The Economics of freedom (2003)

The Economics of freedom (2003)

A history of anarcho-syndicalism (SelfEd Collective, 24 unit series, 2001)

A history of anarcho-syndicalism (SelfEd Collective, 24 unit series, 2001)

Out of the frying pan, a critical look at works councils (1998)

Out of the frying pan, a critical look at works councils (1998)

Health and safety at work - an anarcho-syndicalist approach (1997)

Health and safety at work - an anarcho-syndicalist approach (1997)

Theory & Practice 2 - Anarcho-syndicalism in Puerto Real (1994)

Theory & Practice 2 - Anarcho-syndicalism in Puerto Real (1994)
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