The London Socialist Historians Group, which organises the socialist history seminar at the Institute of Historical Research at the University of London (currently suspended there in support of an IWGB boycott over outsourcing) has backed calls for a suspended UCU rep at Ruskin College to be reinstated.
Lee Humber, the UCU membership rep at Ruskin, was suspended on Monday 1 April.
The historians say that Ruskin has a long association, not just as a trade union college, but also with socialist history itself. The late Raphael Samuel, one of the founders of the History Workshop movement and journal, was a tutor there.
LSHG Convenor Dr Keith Flett said, this is not how we expect Ruskin College to carry out its affairs. Whatever the detail of the issues at stake, and it’s clear they are serious and go beyond Dr Humber’s trade union activity, they should be sorted out by discussion and negotiation not ill conceived disciplinary measures.
Ruskin College UCU Press Release
Reinstate Dr Lee Humber – University College Union (UCU) Representative at Ruskin College
On Monday 1st April, 2019, The Principal of Ruskin College (Paul Di Felice) suspended Dr Lee Humber who is a UCU representative at Ruskin College. The suspension, on bogus charges, came after an overwhelming Vote of No Confidence in the Principal by Ruskin College UCU branch.
Tragically this is not an April fool’s joke and comes at a time when Ruskin College is supposed to be celebrating its 120th anniversary as a College that has strong links with the labour and trade union movement in Britain and internationally.
UCU is calling for the immediate reinstatement of Dr Lee Humber and for the bogus charges against Lee to be dropped.
We urge everyone to send emails to the Principal (pfelice@ruskin.ac.uk) and Doug Nicholls, the Chair of the Ruskin College Board of Directors (dnicholls@ruskin.ac.uk) asking for the immediate reinstatement of Lee and clarification of why a trade union representative has been victimised by Ruskin College.
Messages of support and solidarity should be sent to the Chair of Ruskin College UCU (dmcdermott@ruskin.ac.uk).
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