The Friday email: 13 December 2024

Keep fighting for a New Deal for FE in 2025

We launched our campaign for a New Deal for FE in June 2024 and in just 6 months our amazing members and branches in colleges have already achieved so much: from successfully lobbying for extra funding for further education (FE) to building huge support for the campaign via our petition.

Please watch and share this short video celebrating our FE campaign in 2024.

UCU officer hustings, 5 February 2025

Candidates for the positions of vice-president and honorary treasurer will take part in an online hustings on Wednesday 5 February 2025, 4.30pm - 6.00pm. More details, including how to register and submit questions, will follow in January.

Cyber crime phishing threat

It has been reported by a member that they have received a malicious phishing email as part of a new cyber crime tactic.

This new scam sends victims an email disguised as a legal notice from the UK Employment Tribunal. It urges recipients to click to avoid "series legal consequences" but this action infects devices with malware which can be used to access personal details including bank accounts. Please be aware of this grim development, particularly at the current time when institutions are attacking staff and threatening job losses.

Yes we can! Support the climate and nature bill

Please write to your MP requesting that they support the climate and nature bill on 24 January. You can use the 'Zero Hour' campaign online tool here to contact your MP. UCU branches can use our template letter here.

UCU Congress 2024 and the annual meeting of our climate and ecological emergency committee have called for your support to help progress the climate and nature bill.

University of Glasgow UCU petition

University of Glasgow has placed more than 80 staff from its Social and Public Health Sciences Unit (SPHSU) in the School of Health and Wellbeing at risk of redundancy after the Medical Research Council (MRC) decided in early 2022 to close their research units. The branch has set up a petition and are asking members to sign it to show solidarity and call on the university to stop the redundancies.

Women and State Pension Inequality petition

Women and State Pension Inequality (WASPI) have launched a new petition calling on the UK government to urgently set up a compensation scheme for WASPI women. In March 2024, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's investigation concluded that women born in the 1950s were owed financial redress and an apology due to maladministration from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). 100,000 signatures are needed to secure a parliamentary debate; please sign and share.

Ceasefire NOW! End scholasticide in Gaza

As part of UCU's work to support our colleagues in Palestine, we encourage members to support Friends of Birzeit University's (Fobzu) new e-action campaign. Please email your MP to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and to end the scholasticide in Gaza.

Please note that this is the last weekly update of 2024. Wishing you a restful break and an enjoyable Christmas holiday.