Month: July 2025

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HSE takes action on our workload and work-related stress concerns

Email sent to members on Monday 7th July 2025

Dear members,

We are pleased to share some very positive news from our workload campaign.

Following our formal report to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regarding the University’s failure to meet its legal duties on work-related stress prevention, the HSE has issued a letter to the Vice-Chancellor confirming that our concerns warrant further scrutiny.

The HSE has requested a formal response from the University by 8 August 2025, asking them to demonstrate:

  • That suitable and sufficient stress risk assessments have been carried out;
  • That effective control measures are in place and being monitored;
  • That there has been appropriate consultation with staff.

This intervention by the HSE is a significant milestone. It confirms that our evidence of excessive workloads, under-resourcing, lack of consultation, and failure to comply with legal duties is being taken seriously at a national level. This is particularly timely, as Future Nottingham redundancies will inevitably lead to even higher, unsustainable workloads  

Please find the HSE’s letter attached for your information.

We will continue to push for meaningful changes that support the health, safety, and dignity of all staff. Thank you for your support in making this possible.

In solidarity,
UCU Workload Group

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Our alternative to job cuts: read the UCU counterproposal

Email sent to members on Friday 4th July 2025


Dear members,

We are pleased to share our detailed counterproposal to the Future Nottingham Phase One cuts, formally delivered to university management this morning on the final day of the consultation period. Management is now legally obliged to consider this document in full before proceeding with any compulsory redundancies. A series of meetings with management is already being planned to discuss the University’s response.

Unlike the University’s proposals — driven by senior managers relying on spreadsheets and arbitrary targets, without essential granular knowledge — our counterproposal is informed by you: the staff on the front line. It reflects the realities of your work, the essential role of APM colleagues in supporting teaching, research, the needs of our students, and the long-term health of the University.

This 70-page document is the culmination of an immense amount of hard work by members of the branch committee and the redundancy working group, with input from members, lay experts, and many of our APM colleagues who have sadly been pooled during Phase 1. Thanks also to everyone who attended any of the specific chapter/business unit meetings during the consultation period as well as our sister unions.

While management must read and respond to the entire proposal, we know members are busy; we encourage you at the very least to read the executive summary, where we set out the key, practical alternatives to the University’s destructive plans.

This is a critical moment. We have just secured a mandate for industrial action, and it is important to remember that industrial action is our most powerful tool to stop job cuts. This approach has already worked at Dundee, Cardiff, and Newcastle, where compulsory redundancies were withdrawn under pressure.

We must stand together to protect jobs, defend our colleagues, and fight for the future of our university. Hopefully see you all on Wednesday 9th at 1pm for the members’ meeting.In solidarity,


Your UCU Branch Committee

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Members’ meeting next Wednesday 9th July at 1pm

Email sent to members on Wednesday 2nd July

Dear all,

I am writing to invite you to a members’ meeting next Wednesday 9th July at 1pm. You will have received the fantastic news from Lopa earlier this week that we sailed past the 50% threshold for industrial action. 63% of you voted, so thanks to all of you who did, and as always to our reps, committee members, and branch administrator for helping get the vote out once more. Thanks also to those who came to the open meetings in very large numbers, and to the Faculty Meetings for faculty specific Q and As. The successful results have been sent to the VC and already now reported in the BBC.

We are meeting with the University Team (VC, DVC, CPO et al), on the 7th of July where they will update us on the outcome of Phase 1 in relation to compulsory redundancies. We will use this members’ meeting to feed back on that and discuss our next steps in light of that outcome.

We are also close to finalising our Phase 1 ‘counterproposal’ as part of the consultation process. Thanks to everyone who has fed into this and those who have helped pull it together. It is a really impressive document that we will share with you all on Friday once we have submitted it to the University. Again, we can discuss this in more detail on the 9th.

The Zoom link for the meeting is below.

In solidarity as always

Nick (branch secretary)

UCU UoN is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: UoN UCU member meeting

Time: Jul 9, 2025 13:00 London

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81876860467?pwd=v07GkuDfetb3dAANmqABSYBTjDiPBa.1

Meeting ID: 818 7686 0467

Passcode: 104007

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Industrial Action Ballot result

Email sent to members on Monday 30th June

Dear Members

The ballot results are in! (Came just before 2pm). Re: Trade dispute: failure to resolve issues regarding job security. I am delighted to let you know, a resounding majority of you voted Yes!  (72.21% said yes to IA consisting of strike action, 84.12% said Yes to Action short of a Strike action). 

We have informed the Vice -Chancellor. 

Thank you for your resounding endorsement. Thank you for caring about the huge job losses of APM colleagues in Phase 1 and what may follow for academics and APM in Phase 2. 

More information to follow  on how,, what modes we take, and the VC’s reactions soon.

I just had to let you know! Enjoy the rest of this very hot summer’s day. 

Full solidarity and grateful thanks,

Lopa

On behalf of committee and Reps.