UCU general secretary's Christmas message

We have fought for better workplaces, better politics (both here and globally), better funding for education and for a better future for those we help educate.

UCU wins

Through your dedication and determination this year, together, we have made progress and achieved wins ranging from securing £300 million extra government investment in further education, successfully defeating fire and rehire in adult education, winning a range of excellent pay awards in prison education and further education--especially in Northern Ireland where UCU members won a long standing dispute--to securing a commitment to raise the starting salary for college lecturers to £30,000, and of course we can still celebrate our victory as a union, which saw USS pension benefits being restored in full this year.

Winning in 2025

But I know many challenges remain. Across all the sectors we represent, excessive workloads remain. Insecurity runs rampant. Professional respect, autonomy, and workplace safety are lacking for far too many.

We are also gripped in numerous battles to protect staff threatened with redundancies and defend against departmental closures in higher education. What we are witnessing are unjustified and reckless attacks. I know this is a really worrying time--made so much worse by nasty and vindictive employers--but our union will do all it can to protect education and education workers during this period.

In the new year we will launch a UK wide stop the cuts campaign which I know I can count on you to support.

We have commissioned our own pamphlet, authored by UCU members, which outlines an agenda for ambitious change in post-16 education, and makes a powerful case for increased investment, both now and in the longer term. This can be our blueprint for change.

Where we fight, we can win. When we win, we can change not only our own working lives, but those of our colleagues, both present and future.

After fourteen years of austerity, it is difficult right now to believe in political institutions, but I want you to know that each action you take from signing a petition, writing a letter to your local MP, to sharing information about our concerns within your local communities and networks is making a difference.

As we look towards 2025, there will be spending review announcements, sector conferences, demonstrations, annual meetings, and more opportunities to influence policy decisions.

Whether you are in higher, further, prison or adult education I want to continue to have open and honest conversations with you about what we need to do in order to build upon what we have achieved during 2024. We can be in no doubt that we will continue to face challenges in 2025. The sectors we work in continue to be managed by people who treat education as a business and fail to see the urgent need for the investment. But I believe that together, united, and doing all we can to build the union and our power, we will secure a better deal for everyone working in post-16 education.

Recharging

I hope you are all able to enjoy a restful Christmas break. For those of you who will be working--either on the day job or for the union--you are appreciated.

We are all determined to change the landscape of post-16 education together.

I am looking forward to getting started in 2025.

Jo Grady
UCU general secretary