The Friday email: 20 June 2025

Academic boycott of Brunel University over mass redundancies

UCU declared an academic boycott of Brunel University London in response to the institution's continued pursuit of mass redundancies. The boycott began on Tuesday 15 April; Brunel UCU demands that the university withdraws the threat of compulsory redundancies, provides transparent financial information, enters collective conciliation talks through Acas, and reinstates those already involuntarily dismissed.

UCU is asking members, supporters, and the international academic community to observe the boycott by:

• not applying for jobs at Brunel
• not attending or organising academic or other conferences at the university
• not giving talks or lectures at Brunel
• not accepting visiting appointments at Brunel
• not contributing to academic journals edited at or produced by the university
• not taking on roles as external examiners for Brunel's taught courses.

For the latest developments please see the Brunel University UCU branch website.

New Deal for FE: electronic consultation closes today at 17:00

At UCU Congress 2025, further education delegates voted to ballot UCU members at further education colleges in England for strike action. The industrial action ballot will be in support of delivering a New Deal for FE, and will involve a statutory, postal ballot.

Before the statutory, postal ballot takes place, FE England members are consulted in an electronic ballot to assess member support for any strike action. This electronic ballot will close today (Friday 20 June) at 17:00 so get voting as soon as possible.

Eligible UCU members from participating England FE branches should have already received an electronic ballot at their preferred email address. Look out for an email with the subject 'IMPORTANT: UCU New Deal for FE consultative ballot'. Note that it is no longer possible to request a replacement electronic ballot.

Full information about this electronic consultation is available on this page. For the avoidance of doubt, this electronic consultation is for members from participating England FE branches only, and is not for members in higher education.

Save the date: adult and community education campaign briefing

UCU is intending to launch a new campaign on adult and community education (ACE) in July. More information and materials will be available imminently; for now please save the date for the online ACE campaign briefing meeting which is scheduled for Thursday 10 July (18:00-19:00).

Stop the Cuts! Disputes at UK universities

We are asking everyone to continue to sign and share UCU's Stop the Cuts petition.

The Gillies Report into the financial crisis at the University of Dundee has been released on 19 June. You can view the report on the Scottish Funding Council website, and click here for comment from UCU Scotland. See coverage on BBC Scotland: the current principal Shane O'Neill and two senior members of the university's governing bodies resigned as soon as the Gillies Report was published.

Last week, UCU held a Stop the Cuts national demonstration in Newcastle to support Newcastle University UCU branch, who are fighting against mass redundancies. Newcastle University UCU members have continued their industrial action and you can see the full strike schedule here. We encourage all UCU members to continue to sign the Newcastle University UCU petition.

University of Bristol UCU members in CALD (Centre for Academic Language and Development) have sent a resounding message to management with an 82% turnout in their strike ballot and an astounding 95% voting Yes to strike action. Forty-five staff are at risk of redundancy, affecting predominantly the lowest paid academic staff in CALD. Bristol UCU states that these cuts are financially unnecessary and cruel. The loss of these staff will undoubtedly lead to increases in workload across the university and affect support for international students. While details of any intended action are yet to be decided you can sign and share this petition. If you wish to support CALD members via donations, please see details here on Bristol UCU's webpage.

University of Edinburgh UCU members have taken strike action today (Friday 20 June), as their employer refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies. Their next strike days will be in September. You can support UCU Edinburgh colleagues by donating to their hardship and fighting fund.

Bournemouth University UCU members will resume industrial action on Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 June, in opposition to management's plans to cut academic and professional services staff. The walkout follows an overwhelming vote in favour of strike action on a turnout of 78%.

University of Lincoln UCU members have voted to take industrial action in a dispute over plans to threaten nearly 300 staff with redundancy. An overwhelming 86% of UCU members who voted backed strike action in a ballot that had a turnout of 61%.

Durham University UCU members were on strike on Thursday 19 June in their ongoing dispute over the university's refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies.

University of Nottingham UCU members are facing mass redundancies over two phases of drastic restructuring. During the first phase, at least 258 professional services staff are currently under threat with several thousand employees in related redundancy pools. The second phase from September onwards is likely to involve a similar number of academic staff. An industrial action ballot will close on 30 June.

Liverpool Hope University intends to axe 39 staff. The threatened cuts will fall on the faculties of education and social sciences, creative arts and humanities, and human and digital sciences. Management claims it needs to make the cuts due to its own predicted deficit, with staff set to go as soon as November 2025. An industrial action ballot will close in July.

Management at University of Surrey is planning to employ all future professional services staff through a subsidiary, which offers worse pay, pensions and conditions, and risks creating a two-tier workforce as well as threatening the strength of sector-wide pension schemes. Please sign this petition, which calls on Surrey management to halt the proposal, protect existing staff and start discussions on bringing current subsidiary employees into direct university employment.

University of Derby is going through mass redundancies following a voluntary scheme. UCU remains in consultation but the branch have set up a petition, and you can add your signature here. You can also click here to read latest coverage in BBC News.

University of Plymouth announced up to 200 jobs at risk with over 100 of these jobs being academic roles. Job losses will impact arts, humanities, business, science and engineering, as well as health particularly the social work and nursing programmes. You can show your support by signing this petition.

University of Bradford UCU members voted overwhelmingly (82%) to back strike action on a turnout of 57%. The dispute is over plans to slash £16m from the budget in cuts that will see hundreds of jobs go and multiple courses close.

Finally, please support many other branches where UCU members in higher education are also defending jobs and education.

Education Committee inquiry into university finances

On 12 June, the UK parliament's Education Committee launched a new inquiry into the financial viability of universities as they face the challenges of rising costs and falling numbers of international students after years of tuition fee freezes.

Responding to the announcement, UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: 'With vice-chancellors axing courses, limiting student provision and slashing thousands of jobs, universities are in crisis and this inquiry couldn't come soon enough [...] Our submission will set out what's gone wrong and how the system can be fixed'. Click here for the full statement. UCU has been relentlessly lobbying parliamentarians for urgent government intervention and this new inquiry is one of the results of our sustained campaigning efforts. The union's work will continue.

FE colleges: update on action and ballots

Havant and South Downs College UCU members are engaging in three days of strike action (13, 18, 19 June) following their recent successful ballot of UCU members. They are taking action alongside colleagues from our sister union, NEU, in defence of job cuts and compulsory redundancies. We also encourage UCU members across the country to sign this petition in solidarity.

At Truro & Penwith College, UCU members have overwhelmingly voted to take strike action in defence of jobs and student provision. Last week 82% of UCU members voted to back strike action, in a ballot that beat the anti-trade union turnout threshold of 50%. The dispute is over management's plans to axe up to 100 employees in redundancy plans.

The Cheshire College South and West (CCSW) industrial action ballot closed on Friday 13 June. On a turnout of 58.33%, 78.57% of those voted YES to strike action over low pay.

Strike ballots, in separate disputes over low pay, are opening at Warrington and Vale Royal College and INTO Manchester, on Monday 23 June. If you are a ballot eligible UCU member at either institution, please get voting in the postal statutory ballot!

UCU members at Myerscough College in Lancashire are campaigning against plans to close the Witton Park campus in Blackburn, which have put 19 jobs at risk. The campaign has already won the support of the local council and the local MP, who has tabled an early day motion (EDM) in Parliament. UCU members are encouraged to sign and share the petition, and to ask their own MP to sign EDM 1464.

Casual vacancies on UCU's national executive committee

Nominations are now open for two casual vacancies on the national executive committee (NEC): one HE UK-elected member; one HE geographically-elected member (North East). The nomination deadline is Thursday 10 July at 17:00.

More information about this election, including branch circular and nomination form, can be found here.

UCU and Pride

UCU is organising for presence at a number of LGBT+ Pride 2025 events. If you are interested in volunteering to help, please complete this form.

CDBU draft code of ethical university governance

The Council for the Defence of British Universities (CDBU) is currently consulting over its draft code of ethical university governance. It is intended to sit alongside the Committee of University Chairs' (CUC) code and aims to provide more relevant help to current and future governors as they enact their role within the institution. CDBU is interested in views on their draft code and their consultation is open until Thursday 31 July.

Malcolm X centenary

Malcolm X's legacy remains profoundly powerful. Born on 19 May 1925, Malcolm X's call for racial justice, self-defence, and human rights in the 1960s laid the groundwork for movements like Black Lives Matter. His unwavering commitment to justice and equality continues to inspire activists, individuals and organisations to this day. Click here for materials and reflections from UCU's Black prison educators.

National demonstration in Glasgow, Saturday 21 June

UCU Scotland is supporting the national demonstration in Glasgow on Saturday 21 June, featuring a march and rally to mark World Refugee Day and as part of the celebration of the Scottish Refugee Festival. The march will be followed by a rally and free, family-friendly music carnival, hosted by Love Music Hate Racism, at The Old Fruitmarket in the Merchant City. Assembly for the demonstration is at 12 noon, Barrowland Park in Glasgow.