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Dear members,
Please remember to attend the branch meeting tomorrow, Wednesday 9th July at 1 pm to discuss our next steps in the fight against redundancies. Full details were communicated by the Branch Secretary by email.
Last week we took a break from the newsletter as we wanted the focus of our communications to be on the branch’s ballot win, which has been covered well in the media. Our struggle against job losses has also gained the attention and support of some prominent MPs, communicated privately to branch officers.
Over the summer period, depending upon the amount of information there is to communicate with members, as well as the capacity of the Branch Committee in general and Communications Officers specifically, these newsletters may be sent fortnightly rather than weekly.
Read on for the following topics:
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- A credible alternative to job cuts
- Casework update
- HSE takes action on our workload and work-related stress concerns
- Know your rights: The Right to Protest
- Branch Committee meeting summary
- Protect University jobs here and across the country
- Local and national campaigning
- Joining link and further information
A credible alternative to job cuts
As communicated by email on Friday 4th July, our branch has created and submitted to management a counterproposal to Phase One of Future Nottingham. The counterproposal builds on our Alternative Financial Strategy (AFS) 2.0, which in turn is informed by the predictive power of the original AFS 1.0 published in 2021.
The counterproposal sets out a clear and credible set of financial and strategic alternatives to compulsory job losses. It is grounded in robust evidence, sector norms, the University’s own financial data, and insights from staff working within units affected by management’s plans under Phase One.
The counterproposal demonstrates that viable alternatives to mass redundancies exist. What is needed is not more cuts, but the courage to change direction. Download and read the full counterproposal here. The Executive Summary (pp. 4-8) sets out the key, practical alternatives to the University’s destructive plans.
This was a collaborative and consultative effort with the whole membership – thank you to all who contributed!
Casework update
It’s been a busy year so far for the casework team! Our team has dealt with twice the number of support requests compared to normal. This increase has mostly been down to members needing help with redundancy and protected conversations, but we’ve also seen many more payroll issues. Branch members who volunteer as caseworkers have helped members achieve some significant wins, including:
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- Getting a statutory flexible working request actioned that was being disregarded,
- Getting reasonable adjustments put in place that had stalled,
- Securing redundancy pay that hadn’t been forthcoming,
- Challenging an employment contract that wasn’t actually ‘subject to underlying funding’ as was stated by management.
Two of our caseworkers are unfortunately moving on from UoN over the summer, so we are looking for volunteers who want to contribute to providing practical solidarity to members. Please do get in contact with the branch at uonucubranch@gmail.com if you are interested.
– Andrew Renault (Casework coordinator)
HSE takes action on our workload and work-related stress concerns
As yesterday’s email to members from the UCU Workload Group explained, 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. This calls into question how the current redundancy programme fits into Health and Safety law.
Know your rights: The Right to Protest
Despite the recent proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, your right to protest is still protected by law. Proscription applies to membership and active support for a listed group—not to expressing political opinions, attending protests, or showing solidarity with causes like Palestinian rights.
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- You have the right to protest peacefully, as protected under the Human Rights Act 1998 (Article 10: Freedom of Expression and Article 11: Freedom of Assembly).
- You can legally attend protests supporting Palestinian rights, provided they are not organised by a proscribed group and you do not carry out acts that could be seen as ‘support’ for the group as defined under the Terrorism Act 2000.
- Trade union activity is protected by law—we have a proud history of standing in solidarity against injustice.
If you’re unsure about what is and isn’t allowed, get informed before attending a protest. Civil liberties organisations like Liberty, Bindmans LLP, Netpol and Green & Black Cross offer helpful guidance. And if you’re ever questioned or contacted by police about protest activity, you have the right to remain silent and the right to legal advice—use them.
UCU stands for academic freedom, free speech, and the right to protest.
Branch Committee meeting summary
Your Branch Committee met on Wednesday 25th June and Tuesday 1st July and discussed:
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- The development of the branch’s counterproposal to the University’s Phase 1 “restructuring.”
- Membership of the Joint Negotiation and Consultation Committees,
- Upcoming University Council elections,
- Industrial action strategy,
- The July 9th branch meeting,
- The ongoing campaign to protect the language centre.
The Committee also heard an update from the Casework Coordinator, Andy Renault.
The Branch Committee meets weekly. If you would like Committee to discuss a particular topic please email the details to: uonucubranch@gmail.com
Protect University jobs here and across the country
Our dispute is about workers at the University of Nottingham being threatened with redundancies, our Alternate Financial Strategy 2.0 lays out how decisions by management have led to this. We can also see the threat of redundancy is commonplace for many workers in Universities across the UK. Our strength here as a Union is in our collective solidarity within our branch and in extending it to other UCU branches and HE workers.
Please find details and petitions/letters to sign to support staff at UoN and across the country using the links below:
Local and national campaigning
Open letter to UCU Trustees and National Executive Committee
There is an ongoing dispute between employees at UCU head office represented by Unite and UCU as an employer. In June 2024, a branch meeting of UoN UCU passed a motion expressing solidarity with Unite UCU and calling for swift resolution to the dispute.
As the dispute continues, the branch committee has agreed to share with members and ask them to sign this open letter, which calls on UCU Trustees and elected members of the National Executive Committee to examine the handling of this dispute.
Call on Nottinghamshire County Council to divest from apartheid
Nottingham Palestine Solidarity Campaign is leading a movement to demand Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) divests its Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) from companies and organisations complicit in the genocide in Palestine. Currently the LGPS holds £170 million in shares in genocide-complicit companies. In line with the branch’s BDS motion and solidarity with Palestine motion the branch has given official support to the campaign.
We encourage all members resident in Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County to sign the petition here.
60 Years of the Tricontinental Conference: Context, Impact, Legacy, and Future
Parvathi Kumaraswami, an academic at the University is crowdfunding for travel grants for scholars, artists and activists from the Global South to attend the above January 2026 conference at the University of Havana. This will celebrate the original event and prioritize contributions from the Global South and stimulate important debates about the original event and its relevance to anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism, and decolonisation.
Please consider making a donation if you’re able. More information and donation link here.
Report anti-trans discrimination
Have you been questioned, stopped or challenged using a single-sex space? Fill in this form to help TransActual advocate on this issue at a national level.
Joining link and further information
Remember to pass on the online joining link to your colleagues.
Having trouble at work? Please log a case with our large, competent casework team!
Need to talk to your Departmental Rep? Find the full list of UoN UCU reps here. If you are interested in becoming a departmental rep, get in touch!
Struggling with your mental health or wellbeing? UCU members get free access to confidential support service educationsupport.org.uk who can be called 24/7 on 08000 562 561.
Yours sincerely,
L Scott Blankenship and Will Paterson-Bassett, Branch Communications Officers, on behalf of UoN UCU Branch Committee
Branch website: https://uonucu.org/