The Friday email: 13 March 2026

University of Aberdeen: strike over job cuts

University of Aberdeen UCU members have been on strike (12-13 March) and members will be out on picket lines again on 17-18 March. 

The dispute at Aberdeen is a result of management's plans to cut jobs and their refusal to rule out the use of compulsory redundancies, despite over 40 staff having taken voluntary severance or retiring already this year. Click here for the full story and here for coverage in BBC News.

In addition, UCU's call for universities to get emergency funding led the front page of The Herald in Scotland.

FE updates: Windsor Forest Colleges Group strike and pay gap with schools

UCU members at Windsor Forest Colleges Group will be taking two days of strike action on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 March in their ongoing dispute regarding pay, as part of the New Deal for FE campaign. Despite attempts by UCU to try to resolve the dispute, management are refusing to increase the 1.7% + £500 pay offer.

As reported in FE Week, FE teachers now earn nearly £10,500 less than school teachers-the widest pay gap in at least 15 years. New findings revealed teaching staff in FE providers earn on average 27% less than their peers in secondary schools.

Higher education pay and working conditions negotiations 2026-27

Each year UCU, along with Unison, Unite, GMB and EIS, submit a joint claim on UK-wide pay and related matters to the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA).

The claim and the joint negotiating committee for higher education staff (JNCHES) negotiations centre on issues such as pay, redundancies, casualisation, workload and equality pay gaps. This week the unions submitted the full claim for 2026-27 and you can read details of the full claim here. Negotiations will begin on 31 March 2026 and we will keep you updated throughout the process.

UCU rally in Newcastle, Wednesday 25 March

On Wednesday 25 March there will be a rally in Newcastle to support the fightbacks in higher education. Northumbria University UCU are currently taking part in strike action over attacks to their pension.

March meets up at Newcastle Civic Centre at 12:30, and leaves for Grey's Monument at 12:45 where there will be rally and speeches. Speakers include UCU general secretary Jo Grady, UCU president elect Dyfrig Jones, reps from Northumbria UCU, sister UCU branches also under attack and other trade unions. If local, or if your UCU branch can support, please do come along.

UCU Scotland manifesto and elections hustings, Wednesday 1 April

UCU Scotland's manifesto for the Scottish Parliament elections is available here. The manifesto highlights five key themes including: cuts and jobs crisis; governance reform; fair work; equality and inclusion to be at the heart of education; and ensuring professional autonomy and academic freedom. Branches and members are encouraged to use the document to question candidates locally.

All the main parties' higher education spokespersons will be attending our online hustings on Wednesday 1 April, 14:00. To attend and find out how to ask a question register here.

Update on Secretary of State Dispute

At its meeting on 6 March, UCU's higher education committee (HEC) decided that the HE officers, representatives from the devolved nations, and UCU officials would work together to determine a way forward in relation to a dispute with the Secretary of State for Education. As part of this work, UCU intends to organise meetings that are open to members in the coming weeks. Please look out for further details on this.

News from universities across the UK

University of Essex: Essex UCU members were on picket lines again this week in a fight to save Southend Campus and hundreds of jobs. You can read further details here. 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 people are coming together to defend education and their community.

Swansea University: Swansea UCU are balloting on industrial action over proposed redundancies that have placed over 200 staff at risk. Management has implemented a £30m savings plan with over £25m in staff savings. UCU is seeking a commitment to no compulsory redundancies which to date the university has refused to give.

Heriot-Watt University: As part of a wider dispute, Heriot-Watt UCU have launched a campaign over the threat of job losses (one third of its staff in the department) and closure of German and Chinese undergraduate programmes in the department of Languages and Intercultural Studies (LINCS).  Please sign their petition here and find out more about the campaign here. The joint Heriot-Watt unions have also been gathering support for Scholar, a national digital learning service for Scotland, which is threatened with closure. Please add your voice here.

You can click here for developments at institutions across the UK, and click here to see recent wins and resolutions.

UCU anti-casualisation webinar: inequalities and unpaid work in academia

This webinar will take place on Wednesday 25 March (12:00). Two University of Edinburgh researchers will present findings from their recent project, In Their Own Time. The project explores the systemic expectations of unpaid labour that sustain ableist and gendered cultures within academia. The experiences of eight casualised workers are explored in illustrated narratives. Aimed at employers and funders, the initiative was supported by UCU's anti-casualisation committee (ACC). We encourage all members to attend and you can register here.

TransActual Workers Survey

TransActual Workers Survey wants to hear from trans workers and allies about any changes that your employer has made to policies and practices regarding trans inclusion since the Supreme Court ruling.

The aim of the survey is to show the impact of last year's Supreme Court judgment, the EHRC interim guidance, and the recent High Court judgment concerning Workplace Regulations 1992. Please click here to complete the TransActual Workers survey.

UCU equality research conference

The UCU equality research conference will take place on Friday 15 May in a hybrid format (in-person at University of Manchester or Zoom). Call for papers is out with a final deadline of Monday 16 March, 16:00. If you conduct activist or academic research relating to equality please submit a proposal to present. The proposal can be for research at any stage of the process. The registration to attend the conference in person or online is also now open.