Equality groups conference

UCU's 2025 equality groups conference will consist of five one-day conferences, which will take place at UCU head office for in-person attendance, with an option to attend any conference remotely.

This year the equality groups conference will have a broad theme of 'Organising against division: building inclusive workplaces, resisting reactionary politics'. Each group conference will have its own focus within the broad theme.  

The schedule of the conferences:

• Friday 14 November 2025: women members' annual conference
• Saturday 15 November 2025: LGBT+ members' annual conference
• Thursday 20 November 2025: disabled members' annual conference
• Friday 21 November 2025: Black members' annual conference
• Friday 5 December 2025: migrant members' annual conference

To register for any of the above conferences, please click on the relevant link/s above.

The convening notice for the conference has been issued in branch circular UCU2178.

Notes on previous conferences

UCU equality groups conference 2024

The 2024 event included four separate half-day conferences for migrant, LGBT+, women, Black and disabled members, and a plenary session for all equality strands. It took place at Conference Aston Hotel from 28-30 November 2024.  All conferences were also held in a hybrid format using Zoom. 

The topic for the 2024 plenary session was fighting the rise of the far right in the context of a new Labour government in the UK. Speakers included:

• Leona Vaughn, BA (Hons), MRes, PhD - Derby Fellow for Slavery and Unfree Labour Research at the University of Liverpool. A social scientist and equality, human rights and social justice expert
• Saima Razzaq-Khan - the first Muslim woman to lead a Pride parade in Britain and actively involved in mobilising in defence of the LGBT+ community, and against far right targeting of the Muslim community
• Taj Ali - freelance journalist covering areas including industrial disputes, strikes, trade unions, and class whose work has featured in MSN UK, The Independent, Metro (UK), HuffPost UK, The i Paper, NewArab, TRT World, The Real News, Popular Resistance, and Red Pepper (UK).

UCU equality groups conference 2023

The joint equality groups conference 2023 took place from 16-19 November 2023. The conference took place at Manchester Innside Hotel. 

The theme of the plenary session was to explore on the ways in which UCU's equality work supports the struggle for both individual and collective autonomy.

UCU equality groups conference 2022 

The conference was held at Conference Aston from 8-10 December 2022.

UCU equality groups conference 2021

The conference was held online using Zoom from 2-4 December 2021; it included five separate half-day conferences for Black*, disabled, LGBT+, migrant and women members, and a plenary session for all equality strands.

UCU equality groups conference 2019

The 2019 conference was held in Birmingham from 21-23 November and included half-day conferences for each of the four equality strands, and a plenary session on 'othering' which marginalises and devalues people based on their protected characteristic or class. This was followed by a session on how to progress equal pay claims in the workplace and identifying pay gaps for different equality groups.

Speakers for this session include:  

• Michael Braithwaite (Windrush campaigner and lived experience)
• Sam Heyes: need for trans inclusion (Essex University)
• Claire Sosienski Smith, (Vice president for HE)
• Zamzam Ibrahim (NUS president)
• Dr Jo Grady, UCU general secretary.

Migrant members' standing committee

At UCU congress 2019, it was agreed to establish a migrant members standing committee as part of the UCU equality structures. The two national executive committee (NEC) seats for migrant members were also created. From autumn 2020, the migrant members' conference will be part of the annual equality groups' conference. Please contact UCU press office for further information or advice.

UCU equality groups conference 2018

The 2018 conference was held in Manchester from 29 November-1 December 2018 in Manchester, and included half-day conferences for each of the four equality strands, and a plenary session on exploring the rise of the populist right in Western Europe and North America, with reference to class politics, the politics of hate, austerity, the hostile environment and our own identity. Speakers included: Moyra Samuels, Justice4Grenfell; Peter Purton, a trade union champion for disability and LGBT rights and author; and Omar Khan, Director of the Runnymede Trust. There was also a short session with Jo Seery from Thompsons Solicitors on running a discrimination case.

UCU equality groups conference 2017

The 2017 conference took place in Birmingham from 23-25 November. The conference included the four equality strands, plenary session on organising and campaigning through the prism of intersectionality. This session will discussed how we address the issue of intersectionality in how we organise and campaign. It will also discuss class inequality and the move by the Scottish Parliament to bring in the socio-economic duty which has not be enacted as part of the Equality Act in the UK. Speakers were Kalwant Bhopal: Professor of Education and Social Justice  Wanda Wyporska, Executive Director of the Equality Trust.

There were FE and HE workshops delivered by Andrew Harden (UCU head of further education) and Paul Bridge (UCU head of higher education).

UCU equality groups conference 2016

The 2016 conference took place in Birmingham from 1-3 December. The conference included conferences for the four equality groups and a plenary for session opened by Vicky Knight, UCU vice-president. The session was based on 'supporting members after Brexit' and discussed the rise in racism and xenophobia since the EU referendum, the immigration issues that may face our members and the potential impact on equality and employment rights. 

Sector specific workshops were held and delivered by Andrew Harden (UCU head of further education) and Paul Bridge (UCU head of higher education).

Speakers included Dawn Livingston, Organiser with HOPE not hate, Sally Brett, Senior Policy Officer, TUC and Kirsten Forkert, UCU member at Birmingham City University, Malia Bouattia, NUS president, Cooper Bates, Leeds City College, Trish Fay, Durham teaching assistant and Sara Tomlinson, NUT.

UCU equality groups conference 2015

This conference was held over 3 days at the View Hotel in Eastbourne.  The conference included equality strand session, workshops and guest speakers. More information can be found in circular UCU685.

UCU equality groups conference 2014

The conference was held over three days at the Manchester Centre. The conference incorporated all the equality strands and a plenary session that had speeches from UCU general secretary Sally Hunt, TUC senior equality officer, Sally Brett, Nathaniel Coleman, UCU with a question and answer session. More information can be found in circular UCU605.

For more information please contact UCU's equality administrator

*UCU uses the term 'Black' in a political sense to refer to people who are descended, through one or both parents, from Africa, the Caribbean, Asia (the middle-East to China) and Latin America. It refers to those from a visible minority who have a shared experience of oppression. The word is used to foster a sense of solidarity and empowerment.