Report on UCU's international work - January 2026

Academic freedom 

1. On 15 October, UCU and Education International (EI) hosted an international conference on academic freedom. The conference heard from union leaders in the UK, United States, Norway, Türkiye, Kenya and the Philippines on the different ways in which state repression and interference, managerialism, and the marketisation of academia are undermining academic freedom and how higher and further education unions are fighting back. A short news report is available on the EI website.
   
   On the back of the conference, UCU publicised the case of Dr Tom Alter, a US academic who was fired by Texas State University for remarks he made at a socialist conference in his capacity as a private citizen.

2. The UCU/EI conference coincided with a separate EI Asia-Pacific regional conference on academic freedom. Held in Kochi, India, the conference brought together over sixty educators, union leaders, researchers, and policy advocates from across the region and beyond. A short news item on the Asia-Pacific conference is also available on the EI website.

International solidarity

3. In line with a Congress motion, UCU supported this year's Campus Voices for Palestine Tour. The speaker - Bayan Haddad from Birzeit University - spoke at numerous universities across the UK, as well as at the UCU Black Members' conference. UCU members were also well represented at the PSC Trade Union conference on 22 November, which included a powerful speech by Bayan Haddad. 

4. UCU has continued to support the work of Fobzu, who have recently relaunched as Friends of Palestinian Universities (FPU). This support is particularly crucial at a time when Israeli attacks on Palestinian universities in the West Bank have intensified. In response to these attacks, we co-hosted a webinar with FPU on academic life under occupation, and a separate webinar where academics and students in Gaza reflected on what a new semester looks like under ongoing scholasticide.

5. In December, EI, UCU and FPU spoke out against Israeli military raids at Birzeit University and Al-Quds University. On 6 January, Israeli military forces invaded Birzeit University again, attacking students with live ammunition. UCU has written to the Foreign Secretary urging the British government to take immediate action. The Friends of Palestinian Universities (FPU) have also provided a tool for writing to your MP and urge the UK government to take action to defend education in Palestine.

6. One of the tactics used by the Israeli authorities is to isolate Palestinian educators from international contacts. In January, a delegation of education trade unionists, including the UCU General Secretary, were blocked from trying to visit Palestinian educators and trade unionists as part of the International Day of Education.

7. Building on UCU's emergency motion to TUC Congress, we are continuing to speak out against the clampdown on the right to protest in the UK. For example, UCU signed a civil society statement against provisions in the Crime and Policing Bill and have raised concerns about the health of Palestine Action-affiliated prisoners such as Qesser Zuhrah and the length of time prisoners have spent on remand.

8. Ukraine remains an important focus of our solidarity work. As an affiliate of the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign (USC), UCU agreed to donate (£500) to their recent humanitarian aid appeal and we supported the protest in London on 17 December calling for frozen Russian assets to be transferred to Ukraine. In response to an appeal launched by TUESWU (Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine), we wrote to the Ukrainian Parliament calling on them to withdraw proposed anti-trade union legislation (the campaign was successful).

9. On Sudan, UCU supported the Sudan Solidarity Conference on 17 January and the UCU President was one of the speakers. The conference statement and demands are available here. 

10. In response to Hurricane Melissa, the NEC agreed donations to humanitarian appeals for Cuba (£500) and Jamaica (£500). 

Education International and ETUCE

11. UCU continues to be an active member organisation of Education International (EI) and its European region, the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE).

12. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a key priority for the global education union movement. Education International (EI) held its first Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 'Shaping our Future: Education Unions Leading for a Human-Centred AI', in Brussels on 4-5 December. The conference brought together more than 200 union leaders, educators and experts from every region. Over these two days, participants examined how artificial intelligence is reshaping education and work, and how unions can ensure that these systems strengthen, rather than undermine, public education, democracy and the teaching profession. At a breakout session for higher education and research unions, Maria Chondrogianni spoke about UCU's own work on AI and digital technologies. A short report of the conference is available on the EI website. 

13. Global union work on AI sits alongside specific union initiatives in Europe, including an EU-funded project. A workshop took place in Copenhagen in October and further initiatives are planned for 2026. ETUCE is particularly concerned about the European Commission's deregulation agenda, known as the Digital Omnibus package. 

14. The ETUCE Committee met in November and agreed a number of policy statements on the EU's strategy for Vocational Education and Training, the Erasmus programme and proposals for Horizon Europe. The Committee also agreed a statement on Ukraine.

15. A key part of our membership of EI and ETUCE is the opportunity to meet with sister trade unions. During November and December, the UCU President (Maria Chondrogianni) attended the AOb conference in Utrecht, Netherlands and the FNEC-FP -FO Congress in Angers, France. These conferences provided an opportunity to exchange views and ideas with international colleagues and to strengthen links with fellow officers and officials from across the globe. In Angers, the UCU President addressed the FNEC-FP -FO congress on the issue of Palestine, and the sector conference on the UK HE (failed) funding system (noting the devolved nations' variations).