The Friday email: 20 February 2026

Northumbria University: strike over pensions

Northumbria University has been hit with ten days of strike action from Thursday 12 February in a fight to save staff pensions. The dispute is over management's decision to force staff out of the Teacher's Pension Scheme (TPS), by freezing the pay of any staff member who tries to stay in it. 

So far, 29 MPs have signed a motion condemning the university's actions, North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and local councillors have written to management over the pension attack, and a petition has over 1,200 signatures.

New Deal for FE: decisions from the further education committee

A special meeting of UCU's further education committee (FEC) took place on Friday 6 February where elected representatives made a number of decisions about the New Deal for FE campaign.

FEC has determined that branches will now decide what further strike action they wish to take at a time that best suits them. To support this, UCU centrally will coordinate branches that wish to take strike action on the same day(s). UCU will also organise a parliamentary lobby. To give striking branches the space to come together, further branch briefings will be organised. You can click here for the full update.

Disputes at universities across the UK

University of Stirling: Stirling UCU members have backed industrial action in their dispute on job cuts and the failure of management to rule out compulsory redundancies. On a turnout of 66%, 80% of those voting backed strike action. Stirling UCU members will now decide on the next steps in their campaign to protect jobs and conditions.

University of Aberdeen: Aberdeen UCU members have also backed industrial action in their dispute on job cuts and the possible use of compulsory redundancies. On a turnout of 60%, 83% of those voting backed strike action. Aberdeen UCU members will now decide on the next steps.

Heriot-Watt University: Finally, Heriot-Watt UCU members have also this week backed industrial action in their dispute about job cuts and the failure of management to rule out compulsory redundancies. On a turnout of 70%, 74% of those voting backed strike action. Following the result, Heriot-Watt UCU members will decide on the next steps.

University of Essex: Following an overwhelming mandate, Essex UCU members have been on strike this week, trying to stop the reckless closure of Southend campus and the proposed axing of 400 FTE across all campuses. You can read further details here. The branch has submitted counterproposals for making savings that the university has finally begun to engage with--but it still refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies. Members have voted to take further strike action to protect their jobs, including jobs on the Pathways programme which offers a way into university education for non-traditional students. Please sign this petition to save Essex and consider donating to Essex UCU's hardship fund. You can also share UCU's short film (on YouTube, BlueSky or Facebook), in which Essex staff and students explain why so many people are coming together to defend education and their community.

Southampton Solent University: Solent UCU members took strike action again on Tuesday 17 February, in their fight to defend staff pensions. University management plans to move academic staff into employment through a sham subsidiary company, forcing them out of the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS). Staff who refuse this will be given notice without pay. Solent's support staff have already had these changes imposed on them, and were moved out of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).

University of Leicester: Over 70% of Leicester UCU members who voted have again said 'Yes' to take industrial action to defend jobs. Staff in Chemistry; Geography, Geology and the Environment; Film Studies; and Modern Languages have been told they are at risk, along with over a hundred professional services colleagues. Education and History have lost substantial numbers of academic staff through voluntary severance. Members have already taken 28 days of strike action and have been following action short of a strike (ASOS) since September 2025. The ballot result shows members will continue to stand in solidarity with colleagues and in defence of education.

University of Nottingham: Nottingham staff are continuing to face mass redundancies. Having already lost 350 colleagues, mainly professional services and support staff, through voluntary redundancy in Phase 1 of the 'Future Nottingham' restructuring, the forthcoming Phase 2 is threatening to cause further havoc and will be targeting academic staff. Nottingham has already suspended courses including Modern Languages, Music, and Nursing among others with no guarantee they will ever return, with a potential of permanent closure of some programmes. The university also wants a higher 'staff-student ratio' (SSR) and changes to research time. The impact will result in possibly hundreds of further job losses and will significantly worsen workloads. A formal strike ballot will open on 2 March to provide Nottingham UCU branch with the necessary tools to oppose the university's short-sighted and deeply harmful approach to education and research.

London Metropolitan University: London Met UCU's dispute over 120 redundancies continues, with an industrial action ballot due to open on 20 February and close on 12 March. Students and staff at London Met have also organised a petition to the university's board of governors regarding the proposed compulsory redundancies. You can sign the petition here.

As reported last week, UCU members University of Strathclyde and Durham University have backed strike action in their disputes. You can click here for developments at institutions across the UK, and click here to see recent wins and resolutions.

Truro and Penwith College: strike action

Truro and Penwith UCU members will strike on Monday 23 February in an escalating dispute over low pay and poor working conditions. The union has already called three days of strike action since the start of the year (Wednesday 14 to Friday 16 January) after college management imposed a pay award of just 2%, only half that recommended by employer body Association of Colleges (AoC).

UCU elections 2026

Postal ballots for UCU's officer and national executive committee (NEC) elections opened on Friday 30 January, closing on Monday 2 March. Candidates' election addresses are available on the UCU elections webpage.

Hustings recordings made by UCU vice president (FE) and by-election vice president (HE) candidates are now also available on UCU's election webpage.

UCU Congress 2026

UCU's annual Congress will be held in a hybrid format. Delegates can attend online, or in-person at Harrogate Convention Centre, from Wednesday 27-Friday 29 May. This will include meetings of the higher education and further education sector conferences (HESC and FESC) on Thursday 28 May:

• Members who are considering attending Congress for the first time are invited to the Introduction to Congress briefing, which takes place online on Monday 9 March, 12:30-13:30. You can register for this briefing here.

More information on the Congress timetable and practical arrangements can be found on the UCU Congress webpage.

Parliamentary event on prison educators' experience, Tuesday 3 March

UCU will be presenting two new important reports on prison education at a parliamentary event in March. One of the reports explores the mental health of prison educators across the UK, and the other explores the experiences of Black prison educators. Both are based on surveys and interviews to which UCU members have contributed. The event will take place on Tuesday 3 March at 17:30 in Westminster. If you are a UCU prison education member and would like to attend, please write to the UCU politics mailbox.

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. You can register for the following workshop organised by UCU:

• 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.

UCU equality research conference

UCU's equality research conference will take place on Friday 15 May in a hybrid format (online or in-person). The conference is now open for papers; papers can be sent using this link. Deadline is Tuesday 3 March. Registration for the conference will open by mid-March.

Support the NION Women Collective Letter

The NION (Not In Our Name) Women Collective has launched an open letter demonstrating the breadth of support for trans women among cis women. The letter affirms solidarity with the trans community and calls for inclusion, dignity and equality for all. To date, more than 80,000 people have signed, reflecting significant and growing backing across the UK. Members who wish to read the letter or add their name can do so here. Please consider sharing within your networks to help broaden its reach.

USS pensions: webinar on financial planning

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.

Ukraine solidarity

Tuesday 24 February 2026 marks the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. To mark the occasion, Ukraine Solidarity Campaign (USC) and others have organised a demonstration meeting in central London on Saturday 21 February at 14:00. Please attend in UCU gear if you are able. USC have also organised a fundraiser for life-saving aid requested by Ukrainian trade unions whose members are serving their communities at or near the front.

Defend our right to protest

On Tuesday 17 March 2026, there will be a mass lobby of Parliament to defend our right to protest, jointly organised by civil society organisations, including many trade unions. You can find out more information about the lobby here.