John Fones 4 UCU NEC
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johnfonesucu.bsky.social
John Fones 4 UCU NEC
@johnfonesucu.bsky.social
Trade Unionist, Lecturer (FE) Computer Science, MBCS.
Chair: UCU Bridgwater and Taunton College Branch
Secretary to the UCU South-West Regional Committee
Member: NEC (FE South)
FE National negotiator 2024-25
Pinned
Wow!
Some incredible ballot results across the FE South Region.

Five colleges in the extended SW just smashed it.
Bournemouth and Poole
New College Swindon
Truro and Penwith
Bristol
Abingdon and Witney

What amazing work from your reps and an amazing effort from all of you.

Congratulations all!
November 21, 2025 at 11:22 AM
May 2, 2025 at 2:17 PM
I missed NEC today in solidarity with striking UCU staff.
NEC was cancelled.
I was one of 14 NEC members signing the statement reported (Times Higher Educn.)
A UCU spokesperson is reported saying, "We respect our staff. We reward them. We value them."

Unite-UCU have a different view!
May 2, 2025 at 2:14 PM
@dyfrigjones.bsky.social
Congratulations, Dyfrig.
Can I also now look forward to seeing you at the Durham Miners' Gala and the Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival?

Comradely wishes
John
March 6, 2025 at 5:18 PM
@dyfrigjones.bsky.social
@illdoitanyway.bsky.social

Hi Dyfrig, Hi Rhiannon
The UCU SW Regional Committee met last Saturday and are now keen to go ahead with a Hustings event.

I have emailed you both with a few more details.
Please also respond by email if you can.

John
[email protected]
February 14, 2025 at 3:35 PM
@drjogrady.bsky.social
Excellent video, a brilliant "coup" getting a Minister for interview.
Particularly interested in the FE section (31 m in).
Questions were spot on. 👌
Answers - very ministerial!
Very disappointing from Jacqui Smith.
@ucu.org.uk
@ucusw-regcom.bsky.social
@ucu-btc.bsky.social
Bloody good effort Jo.
But Jacqui Smith really said NOTHING.
Govt says £300m.
Govt says £50m. ??
April - but not where or how.
Jacqui Smith - what is going on?
FE pay is going nowhere.
Some action please.
Your words are utterly hollow.
@ucu.org.uk
@ucusw-regcom.bsky.social
@ucu-btc.bsky.social
February 10, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Bloody good effort Jo.
But Jacqui Smith really said NOTHING.
Govt says £300m.
Govt says £50m. ??
April - but not where or how.
Jacqui Smith - what is going on?
FE pay is going nowhere.
Some action please.
Your words are utterly hollow.
@ucu.org.uk
@ucusw-regcom.bsky.social
@ucu-btc.bsky.social
February 9, 2025 at 9:11 PM
@dyfrigjones.bsky.social
@illdoitanyway.bsky.social

Hi Dyfrig, Hi Rhiannon
Would you like to take part in a final wk online hustings run by the UCU SW Regional Committee?

30 days' notice would take us to 27th/28th February.

Let me know ASAP and please provide an email address.

John
January 28, 2025 at 10:31 PM
@illdoitanyway.bsky.social

Hi Rhiannon.
Pleased you are able to use another endorsement from FE.

Best wishes
J
January 17, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Hi Rhiannon
I've tested on other devices.
Seems it may be because Deepa is using an older iPhone.
Hope you can see the pages including endorsements.
I'll try next week to send you something extra for your endorsement pages.
John. ✊️ ✊️ ✊️
A pleasure.
Deepa tells me she can't see other pages, so I apologise.
I'll have to check tomorrow at work.
Don't have other devices working at home this evening.
I'm on it! 😉
January 17, 2025 at 3:32 PM
johnfones4nec2025.wordpress.com

Includes my endorsement for Rhiannon Lockley
@illdoitanyway.bsky.social

Also Sean, Marco Tesei, Saleem Rashid and for HE South - Michael Carley
@drmcarley.bsky.social
John Fones 4 UCU NEC 2025
John Fones - Standing again for UCU NEC FE South
johnfones4nec2025.wordpress.com
January 16, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Summer '24 - NEU strike threats win 5.5%.

Jan '25 - NEU strikes in SFC win another £50m.

WTF do we do to demonstrate that FE England needs national UCU action?

National indicative ballot?
Why not?

Stand together, stand fast.

@ucu-btc.bsky.social
@ucusw-regcom.bsky.social
#UCU_FE_NationalAction
January 16, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Agreed.
Workload won't be solved by AI if there is no funding to support fast, effective infrastructure.
Most of my frustrations stem from trying to work with #Shit_IT.
There's a limit to the miracles I can work if I can't even connect.
@ucu.org.uk
@ucu-btc.bsky.social
@ucusw-regcom.bsky.social
AI is NOT going to solve the recruitment and retention crisis in #education

That’s just tinkering around the edges with a bit of tech.

What teachers need are smaller classes and fewer contact hours.
January 14, 2025 at 1:41 PM
2028 Carey reports on Social Care.
So, WTF are Skills England doing?
Why seemingly so secret.
My recommendations - for free.
- Nationalise FE
- National Pay Scales
- Parity with schools.

It'll take time - so better start now!

@ucu-btc.bsky.social
@ucusw-regcom.bsky.social
#UCU_FE_NationalAction
January 3, 2025 at 11:12 AM
@drmcarley.bsky.social
U3A -University of the Third Age - Burnham on Sea
(Maoist Tendency)
January 1, 2025 at 11:36 AM
@bwinternational.bsky.social
Zdravím Vás z Brna.
Veselé Vánoce a hezký nový rok.
December 26, 2024 at 10:26 AM
Just in case anyone is thinking of using Starbucks - even though most of us boycott it anyway (BDS)
bdsmovement.net/countries/un...
December 24, 2024 at 7:30 AM
Yep. Invest in workers.
By paying them well, providing rewarding work and a rewarding working environment.
You train them to the highest standards and raise their morale.

None of which applies across the board in FE England.

@ucu-btc.bsky.social
@ucusw-regcom.bsky.social
#UCU_FE_NationalAction
Random reminder: You don't grow the economy through trickle down economics. You grow the economy by investing in workers: their education, health care, child care, transportation, and job training.
December 10, 2024 at 11:00 PM
Spot on, Geoggers!

Principals!
Every time you pay staff the way you do ..
FE is devalued,
Education is devalued,
your staff feel devalued, and
...
your students get a bad deal.

And Govt?
Words fail me.

@ucu-btc.bsky.social
@ucusw-regcom.bsky.social
#UCU_FE_NationalAction
#UCU_SpreadTheWord
As long as #FE colleges keep “making it work” financially then the “status quo” is likely to continue. Widescale action by all staff (including strike action by principals!!) is probably the only way to get real change.

It’s thoroughly depressing to always be the poor relation in education.
December 5, 2024 at 1:02 PM
UCU asked for 10%.

A very modest step.

They offered 3% .. or 5%.

You pay peanuts ....

You don't treat staff as professionals, so don't expect professional commitment.

Another kick in the teeth for FE.

@ucu-btc.bsky.social
@ucusw-regcom.bsky.social
#UCU_FE_NationalAction
#UCU_SpreadTheWord
December 4, 2024 at 9:12 PM
So someone had a 5% pay award in FE.

SO WHAT! It's an insult.

It still leaves them even further behind in the struggle for parity.

And what about the college down the road?

We need a National Pay Scale.

@ucu-btc.bsky.social
@ucusw-regcom.bsky.social

#UCU_FE_NationalAction
#UCU_SpreadTheWord
December 4, 2024 at 9:03 PM
A 3% rise may seem reasonable, but parity now even further away.
It is NOT a good offer, albeit better than some others.

Face it.
Parity means a national pay scale.
Still a million miles away from that goal.

@ucu-btc.bsky.social
@ucusw-regcom.bsky.social
#UCU_FE_NationalAction
#UCU_SpreadTheWord
December 1, 2024 at 8:07 PM
£300m × 2?

Can anyone point to the factual source of this story?

I've had no luck so far, but very happy to be proved wrong.

@ucu.org.uk
@ucu-btc.bsky.social
@ucusw-regcom.bsky.social

#UCU_FE_NationalAction
#UCU_SpreadTheWord
November 27, 2024 at 7:13 AM
There are some really committed fans in Truro!
😉
Filthy weather in Truro.

Fair play to Truro City for laying a quality pitch at their new stadium!

#TruroCity #StormBert
November 23, 2024 at 5:25 PM
What is going on?

We need our staffers.
We need their support.
We need our Regional Offices.
We need our Head Office.

Do we need our HO restructured when the Unite dispute is still unresolved?

Is there something else going on here?

What is going on?

@ucu.org.uk
@uniteucu.bsky.social
Solidarity with Unite and all caught up in this. We need a path forward which recognises common interests, labour movement values, and clear commitments to meaningful negotiation.
November 22, 2024 at 6:21 PM