Email sent to members on Tuesday 30th June 2026.
Dear members
By now many of you will have started to see pay deductions for having taken part in industrial action this summer. As a result, I would now like to share details of how to access financial support from both the national and local hardship funds.
National UCU fighting fund: When pay is deducted in full for a day, whether as part of a MAB or through strike action, members can apply to the national UCU fighting fund for support. They can apply for support after two waiting days ie from the third day of action onwards. They can then apply for up to a maximum of 8 days at £75/day (<£30k salary) or £50/day (>£30k salary). .
Details on how to apply to national fighting fund can be found here.
Members should apply to the national fund first before looking to access the local solidarity fund.
Local solidarity fund: In addition to national fund, the branch can also provide further support from our local solidarity fund. Members should only seek this support once they have already used up their entitlement from the national fund. To this end, for as long as funds are available, we will offer: £25/day up to a maximum of £1000 for the period up to the end of July 2026.
Click here to apply to the local solidarity fund.
You will need to upload:
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- a copy of your payslip showing pay deductions
- evidence of your prior application to the national fund
Members do not need to request the full amount. In fact, in order to ensure that funds remain available to those in greatest financial need, we encourage members to consider asking for less if they feel able to do so. At the same time, if any members are under significant financial pressure and need to access more than the stated amount, you can request this in the form. We will only consider enhanced support in extreme cases. All cases will be reviewed by a team from the branch committee.
To summarise:
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- days 1-2 of your industrial action: no cover
- days 3-10: covered by national fund (£75/day or £50/day depending on salary)
- day 11 onwards: covered by local fund (£25/day up to a max of £1000)
If you have any questions, please contact me directly.
In solidarity
Supporting other members taking part in the MAB/strike
All members able to impact assessments should take part in the MAB. However, if you are not involved in assessments, we ask that you donate to the local solidarity fund to help support those who are taking part, and share the burden of financial responsibility.
We recommend a donation of at least a quarter of your take home salary for each day of the MAB. Members who wish to donate more are, of course, welcome to do so! Here are the details to donate to the local solidarity fund by bank transfer:
UCU Nottingham LA63 Hardship Fund
Account number: 20346359
Sort code: 60-83-01
Ref: MAB 2026