Welcome to the University of Nottingham UCU branch website.
For a regular summary of the latest developments locally, members should check their emails for the regular branch newsletter that is sent out on Wednesday afternoons (usually).
Members of the branch, the Department Reps network and your Branch Committee are working hard to protect working conditions and jobs at UoN in the face of Future Nottingham. You can find reminders of what this work includes under the news section.
In November, the University announced that 48 courses are being “suspended”. These measures will effectively end the Music, Modern Languages, and American and Canadian Studies departments, and significantly reduce Nursing courses. The University asserts itself as “global” yet is ending its modern language provision – are we to become the University of Little England?
We have collated a range of petitions against these suspensions and closures run by other groups below.
Sign the petitions against course closures
The following petitions are created by students and/or staff at the University. While they are not UCU initiatives, we encourage you to sign!
Health Sciences (including Mental Health Nursing)
* Consider also signing the open letter to the VC regarding closure of Bioscience courses. Download and read the open letter here.
In the autumn semester, UCU members at UoN took several weeks of strike action against the threat of compulsory redundancies. You can find out more about why this happened below:
Why did our members vote to go on strike?
This comes as a result of the Vice Chancellor’s failure to rule out compulsory redundancies. The University is now moving towards Phase Two of the Future Nottingham “restructuring” plan, which threatens staff both in Research & Teaching and APM roles while significantly worsening the quality of education at the University and applying additional pressure to staff by;
- “Suspending” 48 courses. These measures will effectively end the Music, Modern Languages, and American and Canadian Studies departments, and significantly reduce Nursing courses.
- Centralising Administrative, Professional and Managerial (APM) Services
- Replacing 5 faculties with 3 “colleges”, and 28 schools reduced to 10.
- The threat of compulsory redundancies to accommodate these useless and unnecessary changes.
The branch voted with a 91% majority to reject the Vice Chancellor’s “offer” which contained did not commit to no compulsory redundancies. Membership also voted to prioritise industrial action this semester.
Students may be interested in our series of teachouts over this period, and check out our padlet for more information!
How did we get here?
In autumn 2023, a significant deficit of +£30m was identified, with spending controls then introduced across the University. Seeing the writing on the wall, in December 2023, a UoN UCU branch meeting passed a motion to oppose redundancies at the University.
VC Shearer West announces that she is leaving Nottingham to take the VC role at the University of Leeds. We also began to hear about Future Nottingham in 2024. During the autumn semester the Chief Financial Officer and the Head of HR also depart. Shearer West was replaced by Jane Norman as VC in January 2025
In autumn 2024, UoN UCU developed and circulated an Alternate Financial Strategy 2.0 that identifies steps that can be taken to address the financial situation without targeting jobs. By the end of the financial year, the University had reported spending £12.1m on severance through MARS as part of an overall £17m loss.
In March 2025, a meeting of the UCU UoN branch passed a further ‘no compulsory redundancies’ motion which resolved to declare a dispute over the refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies.
In April 2025, the University announced ‘Phase 1’ of the Future Nottingham programme. Over 3900 APM staff received notice of risk of redundancy, with 258 administrative/professional services roles to be made redundant, with a further 98 vacant posts not replaced. Staff can apply for voluntary redundancy, with compulsory redundancies to follow if savings targets are not met. Later in April, an indicative e-ballot of UoN UCU members demonstrates that the majority are willing to take strike action to defend jobs.
In May 2025, the official paper ballot of UoN UCU began which resulted in 72% coming out in favour of strike action, and 84% for action short of strike. On 24th July 2025 UoN UCU took one day of strike action, followed by continuous action short of strike.
The University lost 100s (exact number not yet reported) of APM staff through the voluntary redundancy scheme by October 2025.
By September 2025 the branch still received no commitment to compulsory redundancies. Members went on strike for two weeks beginning 22nd September, covering welcome week and the first week of teaching. The VC met with the Branch Executive during this period and offered very little.
In response to the threats both to their jobs and the University as a whole, members voted to continue strike action for a further two weeks beginning 13th October.
The Local Branch Hardship Fund is maintained to help strikers who will suffer significant hardship from loss of pay due to striking. Please consider making a donation if you are able.
UCU Nottingham LA63 Hardship Fund
Account number: 20346359
Sort code: 60-83-01
You can also donate to the local hardship fund to support striking staff using Just Giving.
UoN UCU Public Calendar
To follow this calendar on your google calendar please click the ‘+’ at bottom-right of calendar. Outlook and iCal users can follow the calendar too using the link.
