Condemning Prevent – what will happen as a result?

On 11^th March, over 100 academic and administrative staff participated in an Assembly – possibly the only properly democratic governance body for staff within the University.

They voted overwhelmingly in favour of two motions condemning the Government’s Higher Education Green Paper and calling for minimum compliance with the Prevent agenda. The importance of this vote cannot be overstated.

Firstly, it shows that democratic mechanisms within the university are fundamental to protect its public ethos. In a climate where staff are increasingly treated as service providers or producers of commercial value, forums such as this reclaim a collective voice for the workers within the university and demand for them a stake in the University’s decision-making structures.

Democratic mechanisms within the university are fundamental to protect its public ethos

The fact that the Assembly was so well attended signals a desire for re-substantiating the concept of democracy within the University. Public Higher Education is under assault; pushing for further democratisation and participatory decision-making is one of the key ways to protect the University as an institution run collectively for the public good.

Of course, the Warwick Assembly is not a perfect forum: according to its rules, its membership excludes the lowest paid workers and hourly paid casual staff.

Its membership excludes the lowest paid workers and hourly paid casual staff

However, the organising in its run-up has opened up the space to question these exclusionary policies, and hopefully to challenge and review them in the near future – a potential first step for the shaking up of the University’s structure in a direction of greater democracy.

Secondly, the outcome of both votes shows that there is an impressive degree of shared ground between staff and students’ positions on Prevent and the Green Paper.

The organising in its run-up has opened up the space to question these exclusionary policies

In line with the SU policy and the positions of groups such as Warwick for Free Education (WFFE), the motions condemned resoundingly both of the Government’s policies, and called on the University to take concrete steps to disengage with the Prevent strategy as much as possible.

This shows an emerging clear and united opposition across the University community against the Government’s attack on the accessible, free and democratic ethos of Higher Education – also testified by the 350+ signatures of staff and students gathered in an open letter on the same issues.

This shows an emerging clear and united opposition across the University community

Most importantly, it illustrates what can be achieved when students and staff organise and mobilise together. The results of the Assembly occurred in the context of months of consistent coordination between WFFE and the SU with UCU (the main union for staff), and the forging of a common strategy of opposition – of which the Assembly was one step.

Like in the case of the defeat of Teach Higher last year, moments like this show the power of unity and solidarity between students and staff, and remind us of how much can be achieved when the two constituencies organise and agitate together.

Moments like this show the power of unity and solidarity between students and staff

The important results of the Assembly vote are already being felt. Whilst the motions will be formally discussed at the University’s Senate Steering Committee, having such a clear position asserted by staff increases considerably the chances that the University will express the will of staff and students in publicly opposing the Green Paper HE reforms.

On Prevent, joint pressures from students and staff have further opened up a space for questioning how Warwick engages with the policy, leading to the University recently agreeing to engage in public consultation on its implementation, which will be followed up through a joint students-staff working group.

The important results of the Assembly vote are already being felt

This is clearly a sign of how much real change can be effected by collective grassroots agitation, and an encouragement for all of us to keep up the pressure and continue building solidarity with staff at this crucial time.

Arianna Tassinari