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The Friday email: 10 October 2025

10 October 2025

Two upcoming industrial action ballots 

UCU is about to launch two major national, statutory industrial action ballots:

These industrial action ballots are conducted by the independent election scrutineer Civica Election Services as postal votes as required by law. Ballot eligible UCU members will be receiving postal ballot packs at their preferred mailing address (home or work), and must then return their vote to Civica Election Services using the pre-paid envelope. There is no online option to vote.

New Deal for FE: further education industrial action ballot

In further education (England FE), UCU is conducting an industrial action ballot involving almost 100 UCU branches. The timetable is the following:

  • Monday 13 October 2025: ballot opens
  • Monday 20 October 2025 (09:00): replacement ballot request form opens 
  • Tuesday 11 November 2025 (17:00): last day for new members to join UCU, or for members to update their membership status or membership category (to become ballot eligible), and still be automatically included in the FE industrial action ballot
  • Wednesday 12 November 2025 (23:59): replacement ballot request form closes 
  • Thursday 13 November 2025: last 'safe' date to post the ballot
  • Monday 17 November 2025 (17:00): ballot closes.

If you are an England FE UCU member, you can:

We are the University: higher education industrial action ballot

In UK higher education, UCU is conducting an industrial action ballot involving 138 universities/higher education institutions (corresponding to 145 UCU branches). The timetable is the following:

  • Monday 20 October 2025: ballot opens
  • Monday 27 October 2025 (09:00): replacement ballot request form opens 
  • Thursday 20 November 2025 (17:00): last day for new members to join UCU, or for members to update their membership status or membership category (to become ballot eligible), and still be automatically included in the HE industrial action ballot
  • Sunday 23 November 2025 (23:59): replacement ballot request form closes 
  • Wednesday 26 November 2025: last 'safe' date to post the ballot
  • Friday 28 November 2025 (17:00): ballot closes.

If you are a UK HE UCU member, you can:

Next UCU Live on both the FE and HE ballots

On Tuesday 14 October (19:00), we will be holding the next UCU Live session on both the FE and HE ballots. The focus will be solidarity and bringing people together. We will be joined by guest speakers including:

  • Eddie Dempsey, RMT general secretary
  • Steve Wright, FBU general secretary
  • Paul Fleming, Equity general secretary and many more.

You can click this link to join on YouTube. Please note that all UCU Live events broadcast on YouTube are automatically recorded. If you cannot join us at that time, you can catch up later via the same YouTube links.

Victory at Warrington and Vale Royal College

UCU members at Warrington and Vale Royal College have accepted a pay increase of 6.5% from 1 August 2025, plus a commitment to guarantee annual increments worth up to £1,000. The deal also includes the merger of the main and upper pay scale, which previously saw teacher's pay capped at £33,725.

In addition, local negotiators have secured an agreement to ensure term-time only staff receive the same bank holiday entitlement as staff on all-year contracts. The branch had called three days of strike action following a 94% vote in support of action, but the threat of strike action was enough to bring the employer back to the table.

Stop the Cuts! Disputes at UK universities

UCU members across Scotland are preparing for an autumn of strikes and industrial action as the funding and job cuts crisis in Scottish universities deepens. Three branches in Scotland have backed industrial action against job losses over the last two weeks: University of the West of Scotland, University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), and University of Dundee have successfully balloted for industrial action mandates in their fight against redundancies. This comes after members at University of Edinburgh have taken action earlier this semester, and Edinburgh UCU are currently re-balloting to extend their strike mandate.

Sheffield Hallam University UCU members voted decisively for industrial action. The dispute centres on management's refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies, despite already having slashed around 500 jobs at Hallam during 2024. UCU has also raised the alarm over spiralling workloads as fewer staff are left to do more work. Across the city at University of Sheffield, UCU members also voted for industrial action over management's plans to put staff in five academic areas (chemistry, civil engineering, management, materials science, East Asian studies) at risk of redundancy, as well as continued risk of redundancy to professional services staff.

Imperial College London UCU members have been on strike this week. The dispute centres on management's refusal to increase its pay award or to negotiate improvements to leave, despite rising workloads and massive operating surpluses. You can send messages of support here.

University of Leicester UCU members began fifteen days of industrial action on 29 September in response to plans to slash jobs. Management have told staff in six areas (geography, geology and the environment; education; chemistry; modern languages; history; film studies) that their jobs are at risk as they seek to cut staffing budget by £11m. Hundreds of professional services staff have also been told they face a review that may lead to job losses. You can send messages of solidarity to the branch, and click here to make donations to their strike fund.

Teesside University: UCU has called on Teesside to think again over plans to delete 39 principal lecturer posts across four different schools. Those currently in post will be forced to reapply for their jobs, take voluntary redundancy by the end of this month, or face being made compulsorily redundant.

University of Nottingham: members began a period of industrial action for two weeks from 22 September. A further two weeks are planned from 13 October, in the ongoing dispute regarding job losses. University management is making significant cuts and in this first wave there remains 270+ support and academic related staff at risk. Academic staff will be next and this will likely be announced in the coming months.

UK officer and NEC elections 2025-26

Nominations for UCU officer and national executive committee (NEC) members are now open.

More information about these elections, including all the necessary guidance and forms, can be found on the UCU website. The closing date for nominations is Tuesday 11 November (17:00).

In addition, one casual vacancy exists on national executive committee (NEC) for a geographically elected member (North West) from the further education sector. Nominations for that casual vacancy must be received by Friday 14 November.

UCU calendar of committee meetings and annual conferences

UCU's national executive committee agrees a calendar of committee meetings and annual conferences each year, and you can click here for full details.

Casework and redundancy training

UCU reps from London South East Colleges (LSEC) and Harrow, Richmond, and Uxbridge Colleges (HRUC) recently came together for a joint bespoke casework and redundancy training session. Arranged by LSEC UCU branch chair Mark Murphy and UCU regional support official Caroline Lake, it was a successful and valuable opportunity for new and experienced reps to come together, share experiences, good practice and develop their skills and confidence around member matters which commonly arise. During the session former UCU president Janet Farrar talked about the the wider UCU democratic structures and shared her own trade union journey.

DivestUSS campaign

DivestUSS has launched a campaign to clean up the USS pension scheme. As the climate crisis worsens, USS is still investing our members' pension money in the fossil fuel companies and banks that cause the crisis. DivestUSS wants USS to commit urgently to divest from fossil fuels and use our members' money to transition companies to clean energy. You can find more information about this campaign here.

Power Up! New Organising 4 Power course

The international organising programme, Organising 4 Power (O4P), has a new online course. It's called 'Power Up!' and is open to all regardless of previous organising experience. The course focuses on building capacity and developing winning campaigns. It will run over four sessions, two in November and two in December, coupled with support sessions from UCU facilitators. The deadline to register is Monday 3 November (17:00).

UCU equality group conferences 2025

This year each of UCU's equality groups will have a one-day hybrid conference. The venue will be UCU head office, and the online platform will be Zoom. Those joining remotely will be able to participate fully in the conference, including voting on motions and attending workshops. When registering for the event delegates must select if they wish to attend the conference/s in-person or remotely.

The days of the conferences are outlined below (all from 11:00-16:00):

This year the equality groups conference will have a broad theme of 'Organising against division: building inclusive workplaces, resisting reactionary politics'. To register please use this link, which will take you to the main equality groups conference page.

Organising against the far right event in Scotland

UCU Scotland is hosting an online event 'Organising against the far right' for UCU members in Scotland on Monday 13 October, 18:00-19:00.

Chair: Cecile Menard (UCU Scotland vice-president, Edinburgh UCU branch secretary)
Speakers include: Talat Ahmed (Stand Up to Racism Scotland co-convenor, Edinburgh UCU); Councillor Laura Murtagh (independent, Falkirk council); Anindya Raychaudhuri (UCU Scotland equalities officer, St Andrews UCU); Sai Shraddha Suresh Viswanathan (NUS Scotland president) and Katy Highet (Women Against the Far Right Scotland, SUTR, University of the West of Scotland UCU vice-president).

To register to attend, please email UCU Scotland office and the join link will be sent out to attendees ahead of the meeting.

Campaign for Trade Union Freedom (CTUF) call for Second Employment Rights Bill

The CTUF recognises the progress made in improving workers' rights in the current Employment Rights Bill. It believes, however, that a second bill is needed to strengthen further the rights of all workers. To this end, it has launched the Finishing the Job campaign and UCU members can show their support here.

Last updated: 10 October 2025