The Friday email: 23 January 2026

New Deal for FE: next steps

Last week, seventeen further education colleges in England took part in three days of strike action (14-January 2026) in the dispute over FE pay and conditions. You can click here to look back on some of the action.

The elected representatives on UCU's further education committee (FEC) determined that, after the strike action, UCU would send out a survey to eligible members in striking branches seeking their views on the next steps. The survey opened on Wednesday 21 January and will close on Monday 2 February at 12 noon. The responses to the survey will inform the decisions of the special FEC in February 2026.

If you are a UCU member in one of the striking UCU FE England branches, please look out for an email with the subject 'IMPORTANT: UCU New Deal for FE survey' sent by yoursay@ucu.org.uk. Please check your spam/junk folders if you cannot locate it. For the avoidance of doubt, this survey does not apply to UCU members in higher education.

Dispute at universities across the UK

University of Essex: Essex UCU has delivered a decisive Yes vote for strike action, following management's announcement just before Christmas to impose 400 redundancies and close its Southend Campus. The branch smashed the turnout threshold, reflecting a huge Get the Vote Out campaign and widespread fury. The ballot gives Essex UCU a strong mandate and real leverage to challenge a rushed and damaging mass redundancy process driven by financial mismanagement. With Unite and Unison also escalating disputes locally, the branch is building cross-campus pressure.

London Metropolitan University: management at London Met has announced plans to cut 120 jobs. Vital student support services are at risk and entire subject areas face closure. The most recent audited accounts show £180m in unrestricted reserves. While losses were reported last year, senior management pay remains excessive and £20m a year is earmarked for building projects--indefensible when jobs, courses, research and student support are being cut. UCU will fight these cuts and protests will be announced shortly.

University of Sheffield: Sheffield UCU members took 16 days of strike action in November and December in their fight against job cuts in professional services and further plans to cut jobs in academic areas. The university has informed staff that if they do not reschedule any teaching lost during the strike (for which staff were not paid) wages would be withheld between 19 January and 6 February. Please sign this petition and consider donating to Sheffield UCU's fundraiser. 

Please click here for developments at other institutions in dispute, and click here to see recent wins and resolutions.

LRD report on members' perceptions of UCU democracy

UCU commissioned the Labour Research Department (LRD) to survey our membership, to ask how they participated in our democratic structures, their confidence in the union's decision-making process and what barriers prevented them from participating in the UCU. Thank you to the thousands of you who gave your time and contributed ideas to help shape the future of our union, in such an open and positive way. LRD's findings can be found here.

Defend HE pensions: write to your MP

Please take a moment to write to your MP using UCU's tool, asking them to sign our new Early Day Motion (EDM) 2479, tabled by Rachel Maskell MP our parliamentary group chair, on the defence of defined benefit pensions in higher education.

Post-16 white paper on education and skills

UCU has published a new briefing for members on the Post-16 white paper on education and skills. The briefing highlights the key recommendations in the white paper and UCU's response.

USS pensions updates: conditional indexation and financial planning

Please click here for the USS conditional indexation (CI) January 2026 update, specifically USS has published a second report on CI and UCU's Superannuation Working Group (SWG) has organised two webinars (11 February and 25 February) to assist members in understanding and having input into this important issue. You can find more information here and contact the UCU pensions mailbox for queries.

In addition, a USS pensions review webinar will take place on Wednesday 11 March (15:00). UCU, with our partners Quilter Financial Advisers (QFA), are offering a webinar for members in USS with information on basic financial planning and saving for retirement. To attend this event please click here to register. If this date is not convenient, please email QFA with your contact details and they can arrange a free initial appointment for you with a financial adviser.

UCU elections 2026 and hustings

Postal ballots for UCU's officer and national executive committee (NEC) elections open on Friday 30 January, closing on Monday 2 March. You can find information on the ballot period, election guidelines, and hustings within UCU circular 2199. Candidates' election addresses are available on the UCU elections webpage.

In addition, candidates for the positions of UCU vice-president (further education) and by-election vice-president (higher education) will take part in an online hustings on Thursday 12 February, 16:30-18:00. Click here to register for the hustings. Members can also submit questions to the candidates via this separate form.

UCU Cradle to Grave conference

The annual 'From Cradle to Grave' conference, which will take place on Saturday 21 March, brings together UCU members, academics, practitioners, sector representatives and politicians to discuss the major issues facing post-16 education. The theme of this year's conference is 'Fighting for an education for all' and will include plenary sessions on the implications of the post-16 education and skills white paper and on defending academic freedom and professional autonomy, as well as breakout sessions on artificial intelligence, green skills and international solidarity.

The conference will run as a hybrid event, with options to attend in person in Manchester or online via Zoom. We expect spaces to attend in-person to fill up quickly so register as soon as possible to secure your place. The deadline to register is Friday 6 March; the conference is free to attend. We appreciate rail costs can be expensive, and therefore for those traveling outside Manchester with tickets costing over £20 we can reimburse 25% of your ticket, up to a maximum of £50.

TUC Year of Climate Action and UCU events

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) voted to back a Year of Climate Action, beginning in autumn 2025. As part of this, UCU is delivering two online workshops, bringing together members across education unions to exchange knowledge on sustainability and how workers can, through their roles and trade unions, advocate and organise for the integration of sustainability into all learning. You can register for the following:

• Embedding climate education in the curriculum: Wednesday 4 February, 15:30-17:00
• Decolonising and decarbonising education: Wednesday 4 March, 15:30-17:00.

On Saturday 14 March there will also be a Climate and Nature Education Festival held at Regents High School, London NW1 1RX. You can join hundreds of educators and activists from across the education sector, for a day of critical discussion on organising for a just transition.

Webinar on trade unionism, internationalism and Palestine

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) is holding a webinar on Wednesday 28 January, to hear from trade unionists and activists about organising across unions and workplaces in solidarity with the Palestinian people. This webinar is open to trade union members, workplace organisers, reps and activists, and further details are available here.

Exploring experiences of (peri)menopause and career trajectories in business and management schools

Are you experiencing peri-menopause or menopause and are working in a higher education business and management school? Your experiences are invaluable to research examining how peri-menopause and menopause influence career trajectories in such academic settings. To take part in the study, please complete the online questionnaire. For more information contact Mandy Lim at Lancaster University.

Survey of members' experience of racism

UCU is committed to ensuring that all members work in an environment that is free from discrimination and racism. This survey is designed to understand your experiences with racism in the union and your workplace. Your feedback will help us address these issues and work toward a more inclusive and equitable environment for everyone. Participation is voluntary, and your responses will be kept confidential. The survey will be live for the next three weeks.

UCU equality research conference

UCU's equality research conference will take place on Friday 15 May with an in-person and hybrid delivery. The conference is now open for papers; papers can be sent using this link. Deadline is Monday 2 February. Registration for the conference will open by mid-March.

Holocaust Memorial Day webinar

The Holocaust Memorial Day 2026 webinar will take place on Tuesday 27 January, 13:00-14:00 on Zoom. The speaker will be Professor Eve Rosenhaft from University of Liverpool.

The webinar examines the genocide of Europe's Roma under the Nazis and their collaborators. Between the mid-1930s and 1945, Romani people faced internment, forced labour, sterilisation, deportation and mass murder, rooted in long-standing antigypsyism and institutional racism. Despite survivor efforts to challenge denial, this history remains less researched and recognised than the Shoah. The talk explores what is known, the gaps that remain, and the lessons for today. Please click here to register.