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  7. The Friday email: 17 October 2025
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The Friday email: 17 October 2025

17 October 2025

Two concurrent industrial action ballots

UCU has launched 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 should be receiving postal ballot packs at their preferred mailing address (home or work). The postal ballot pack will look like this (pink, with UCU and Civica Election Services branding). Members must then return their vote by post to Civica Election Services using the pre-paid envelope, like these two UCU members are doing. 

Please note that there is no online option to vote as that is not permitted by law.

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 a UCU member from one of the FE England branches being balloted, you can:

We are the University: higher education industrial action ballot

In UK higher education, UCU is conducting an industrial action ballot involving 137 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 UCU member from one of UK HE branches being balloted, you can:

UCU on BBC Newsnight, 14 October

UCU general secretary Jo Grady appeared on BBC Newsnight on Tuesday 14 October, and you can catch up on BBC iPlayer. 

The general secretary set out our ballots in further and higher education, and also responded to former education secretary Gavin Williamson's appearance at the Covid Inquiry. Williamson claimed that unions were 'blockers' and had called education workers 'lazy'. Grady spoke about the tragedy of UCU member Donna Coleman's death from Covid, and told Newsnight the unions were trying to save lives throughout the pandemic, yet were treated with contempt by the Conservative government.

The general secretary also defended the Employment Rights Bill from Tory attacks and said the Labour government must loosen its fiscal rules to improve worker conditions.

For further coverage of UCU in UK media this past week, see for example:

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

University of Derby: staff were left in tears and there was a 'real sadness in the room' when more than 200 University of Derby workers were called to a redundancy meeting earlier this week. It comes after the university announced proposals which could see around 265 staff lose their jobs--more than 5% of its workforce.

Cardiff University: Cardiff UCU members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of potential strike action in a consultative electronic ballot, which could pave the way for a statutory postal industrial action ballot later this autumn.

Lancaster University: Lancaster UCU members have voted also overwhelmingly in favour of strike action, in a statutory postal industrial action ballot. On a turnout of 58%, 88% voted for strike action and 94% voted for action short of a strike (ASOS).

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.

Please click on this page to follow updates from universities in dispute, such as Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam, Imperial, Leicester, Teesside, Nottingham and others.

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.

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.

New Ofsted inspection framework

Ofsted is currently conducting test visits and pilots of the new inspection framework.

If your institution has been involved in these trials, we would like to hear from you. In particular we are keen to capture your perspectives on the workload and wellbeing implications of the new framework, and any observations you have on HMI conduct and the new final report.

Please email your thoughts to Angela Nartey or make contact to organise a confidential and informal chat.

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).

Scotland Demands Better march and rally

This will take place on Saturday 25 October in Edinburgh, Horse Wynd outside the Scottish Parliament--10:00 assembly for 11:00 start.

Join UCU members and branches, along with community and third-sector organisations and individuals to demand better jobs and an end to in-work poverty, and campaign against those who are using the very things we are demanding--better public services, investment in our communities and a safety net for those in need--as a foundation for anti-migrant hate and far-right populism.

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.

Report on the UCU/EI international conference on academic freedom

UCU, with the support of Education International (EI), hosted an international conference on academic freedom on 15 October. The conference heard from international trade unions and experts about global and national challenges to academic freedom and discussed how to build effective union responses. You can read a report published by EI here.

With best wishes

UCU campaigns team

Last updated: 17 October 2025