The Friday email: 31 January 2025

UCU Scotland and UCU Cymru rallies

With universities across Scotland announcing voluntary severance schemes and some refusing to rule out compulsory redundancies, members in UCU Scotland took part in a rally outside the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 29 January to show politicians that Scotland needs a budget for higher education.

Moreover, UCU Cymru has launched a joint funding campaign for FE and HE. As the first draft budget debate is taking place at the Senedd on 4 February, we have arranged a cross-sectoral rally to highlight concerns around the funding of post-16 education in Wales and to lobby Members of the Senedd to urge proper funding of this. It is crucial that as many UCU Cymru members, officers, representatives, and allies come together on Tuesday 4 February (12:30-13:30) outside the Senedd to fight for the future of further and higher education in Wales.

New Deal for FE: MPs to launch inquiry into college sector

UCU welcomes the announcement of a wide-ranging Education Select Committee inquiry into further education which will look at how the post-16 education system can better provide vocational and skills based learning and qualifications. The cross-party committee will explore pressures currently facing sixth forms and colleges, including the pay gap between school and college teachers, maths and English GCSE resits, and students' mental health.

The inquiry is an opportunity for government to undertake a root and branch review of the parlous state of further and adult education in England and our campaign for a New Deal for FE provides a road map for the change that is needed including pay parity with schoolteachers, national bargaining and fully funded pay outcomes.

As the voice of FE teachers, UCU will be a proactive participant in this inquiry but we need every member of college staff and our supporters to show support for our demands by signing the petition for a New Deal for FE.

Strike ballot results for University of Sheffield International College and University of Dundee

Staff at the University of Sheffield International College (USIC), run by the private company Study Group, voted overwhelmingly to take strike action over job cuts. With a turnout of 72%, 100% of those voted backed strike action. The result comes after USIC put 36 staff at risk of redundancy by April 2025 in the student support and academic teaching teams.

An industrial action ballot also closed at University of Dundee this week in a dispute over the employer's plans to cut staffing levels and refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies. On a turnout of 64%, 74% voted to back strike action and 92% voted to back action short of a strike (ASOS).

Big pay win for postgraduate researchers on UKRI stipends

This week UCU celebrated the biggest real-term increase in the stipend for UKRI-funded postgraduate researchers (PGRs) in over two decades as a major win for its 'PGRs as staff' campaign, and called on other funders to confirm they will now match it.

The union also called on UKRI and universities to peg their stipends to the Real Living Wage after UKRI's report into stipend levels found institutions may be willing to match annual stipend rises.

Your support is needed: current disputes

Please support the following branches where UCU members in higher education are continuing to defend jobs and education:

• Brunel University London: a ballot has opened at Brunel in response to the university's failure to commit to no compulsory redundancies. UCU has received notification of 135 academic redundancies at the university plus 79 technical and professional staff and there is possibility of further redundancies. The ballot closes on 12 February and members are urged to vote early
• Canterbury Christ Church University: CCCU UCU has declared a trade dispute following the university's refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies. They have announced 400 FTE job cuts by the end of this academic year to save £20m
• Cardiff University: Cardiff has announced plans to cut 400 staff and drop subjects including nursing and music; UCU members will be balloted for industrial action imminently
• Coventry University: Coventry has threatened more than 300 staff with the sack. Those who remain will be forced to work through a subsidiary company on behalf of the university, and any new starters would be unable to access the industry-standard Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS)
• Durham University: UCU is in dispute with Durham management over plans to axe 200 jobs and the university's failure to rule out compulsory redundancies
• University of East Anglia: a strike ballot has opened at UEA after over 190 staff (one in six) were put at risk of redundancy. The ballot will run until 4 February
• Newcastle University: Over 1,000 UCU members are being balloted for strike action at Newcastle over £35m in cuts management is slashing from the university's budget. The ballot is over the impact of huge cuts across the institution and management's refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies. You can send messages of support by emailing the Newcastle UCU branch
• University of Northampton: Northampton UCU and UNISON branches are calling on government for immediate help. Management is currently consulting staff on restructure plans which if not stopped could result in closure of programmes, departments and compulsory redundancies. A unique circumstance at Northampton is that its Waterside campus was paid through a bond guaranteed by a previous government which it now has difficulty paying due to decreased international student recruitment. It is in the government's power to support Northampton by adjusting the terms of the bond and in doing this the impact of current financial pressures would be mitigated. Please show your solidarity by signing this petition which implores the government to take action
• Sheffield Hallam University: UCU and SHU are in dispute over management's failure to implement UCEA's pay increase. The ballot will close on 12 February
• University of Sunderland: Staff threatened with a restructure by university management have been told they cannot tell colleagues they are at risk of losing their jobs. Upon returning from their Christmas break, a small team of academic staff were told they would be restructured and that at least one post would be deleted. However, university management forbade impacted staff from having any 'discussions with students, alumni or colleagues'. Please sign the petition to oppose the University of Sunderland's decision.

UCU elections 2025: hustings on 5 February

UCU has a national executive committee (NEC), elected by the union's members. The elections take place annually, and the ballots to elect Trustees, officers and NEC members opened on Monday 27 January.  

Hustings for the UCU vice president and honorary treasurer candidates take place online on Wednesday 5 February, 16:30-18:00 and you can click here to register.

Cradle to Grave 2025 conference, 29 March

Registration is open here for UCU's Cradle to Grave conference, which will take place on Saturday 29 March.

This annual conference is a chance for members to gather together to discuss some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the sectors where we organise. The theme of this year's conference is 'Education for liberation: building progressive post-16 education policy'.

The conference will be run as a hybrid event, with options to attend in person at the CCT Venue Smithfields, London or online via Zoom. We expect spaces for the in-person event to fill up quickly so register as soon as possible to secure your place. The deadline to register is Thursday 13 March; the conference is free to attend.

Annual meeting for members on casual contracts

A reminder that the annual meeting for UCU members of all forms of casual contracts is being held in hybrid format on Saturday 22 February with the in-person part of the event being at UCU head office in London. We will discuss how all parts of the union work together in our fight against casualisation and there will be workshops on the new Employment Rights Bill, casualisation and equality, and the launch of our new research staff manifesto. There will also be updates, motions and plenty of time for networking. Moreover, we are looking for 12 new members of the anti-casualisation committee so if you are interested please get your nominations in as soon as possible. Click here for full details.

ARPS workplace conditions survey

The academic related, professional services staff (ARPS) committee is undertaking a survey of ARPS members to better understand the experiences of physical issues in your workplaces and the implementation of hybrid working by employers.

ARPS members are asked to complete this short survey, which will inform discussions at the ARPS annual meeting on 6 March and the work of the committee in the coming year.

UCU continuing professional development workshops

Join us in February for the following 90-minute online interactive workshops that are free and open to all UCU members:

• Challenging sexual harassment and sexual violence: Tuesday 4 February, 10:30-12:00
• Students and staff collective organising for climate justice: Thursday 6 February, 14:00-15:30
• Menopause is a workplace issue: Monday 10 February, 14:00-15:30.

Please look out for our Monday CPD email with details of all the online workshops running this term.

Holocaust Memorial Day webinar: 'Foreshadowing the Holocaust: creating the conditions for a genocide'

To commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day, UCU held a webinar led by eminent expert Zoë Waxman, Professor of Holocaust History at University of Oxford, introduced by UCU general secretary, Jo Grady.

The webinar explored the pre-history of the Holocaust, identifying the ways in which the Nazis prepared the German population for the mass murder of the Jewish people. You can view a recording of Professor Waxman's talk on UCU's Holocaust Memorial Day page.

SDG Teach In campaign

The SDG Teach In is a campaign to put the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the heart of all stages of education and across all disciplines. This annual campaign calls upon educators to include the SDGs within their teaching, learning and assessment during the campaign and beyond.

The next SDG Teach In will be from 1-31 March 2025. Pledge from now until the end of 31 March 2025 to get involved.

The Teach In is open to all types of formal and informal training providers, educators and workplace learning providers. We believe in lifelong learning and that anyone in any context can be a student of the SDG Teach In. Sustainability is a diverse and ever-changing field, so help make a difference by pledging to the Teach In!

The launch webinar will take place on Wednesday 5 February (11:30-12:30) and you can click here to register. Please email the SDG Teach In team if you have any questions.

UCU LGBT+ research conference 2025

UCU LGBT+ research conference 2025 is now open to presentation proposals. Please submit your proposal using this link; the deadline is Thursday 13 February.

The hybrid conference will be held on Friday 16 May at the University of Manchester and on Zoom. Registration details to follow.

'Education as resistance: supporting Palestinian independence' webinar

Please register here for a webinar with Sundos Hammad, coordinator of the Right to Education Campaign--a grassroots Palestinian movement founded in 1988 to document, research, and raise awareness about the oppression faced by Palestinian students, teachers, and academic institutions under Israeli military occupation.

The webinar will explore how education can act as a beacon of resilience, resistance, and renewal for the people of Palestine. Together, we will reflect on the vital role of universities in fostering the skills, knowledge, and agency needed to navigate the path to independence and recovery.

The webinar will take place on Monday 3 February, 12.30-13.30 and the registration deadline is Monday 3 February, 09:00. We welcome pre-submitted questions and you can send them to the Equality team. There will also be the opportunity to ask questions on the day.

Demonstration at the Russian Embassy, 22 February

As part of the union's international solidarity work, UCU is supporting a march and rally against Russia's invasion of Ukraine and in support of the people of Ukraine. This will be held in London on Saturday 22 February, on the eve of the third anniversary of Russia's invasion. For more information click here.