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Dear members,
Happy Halloween to all celebrating on Friday! We are no longer on strike but remain on ASOS. Please do not mitigate the effect of our action by informing management of your intent to take industrial action in the future.
Remember to attend the members’ meeting tomorrow Thursday 30th October at 3pm (communicated by email) to discuss this second phase of action, including additional picket line days in November and December. Zoom link here.
Friday 31st October marks the first of a series of deadlines to register attendance at one of the upcoming hybrid Equality Conferences.
Read on for the following topics:
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- Agnes Flues Memorial Parkrun
- National ballot
- APM senate elections
- Branch Committee meeting summary
- Members consultation on Academic and Technical Specialist promotions
- People and Culture Survey
- Migrant members – contributions regarding Indefinite Leave to Remain
- Local and national campaigning
- Joining link and further information
Agnes Flues Memorial Parkrun
To honour the wonderful memory of our friend and former president, Agnes Flues, members of the branch will be taking partaking in our 2nd Agnes Flues memorial parkrun at Wollaton Parkrun on Saturday 8th November at 9am.
Agnes was a regular at this parkrun, so joining the run closest to her birthday seems a good way to celebrate her life. UCU members are warmly invited to come along and take part or to support those who are. Please come wearing your UCU colours if you have them.
Another way to offer support is to sponsor those who are taking part so that we can raise money for the local branch and continue doing the work that Agnes did so inspirationally. You can do this by visiting our Just Giving page.
National ballot
The UCU national ballot over the pay and working conditions dispute is now open. As such Departmental Reps will start their Get The Vote Out efforts so will be asking you whether you have voted. You will find your ballot in a fetching pink envelope. Once you have voted, please inform your Rep or let UCU know directly. If you have not yet received yours, click here to order a replacement.
APM senate elections
The elections for senate vacancies of 2 x APM/TS at L1-6 and 1 x APM/TS at L7 opened yesterday, and the deadline to vote is 4pm on Monday 10th November. Voter registration is now closed. Only APM staff are eligible to vote in this election.
Tom Pike and Louise Savage are standing for the APM/TS L1-6 posts. Your voting link should have been emailed to you from Choice Voting yesterday.
Branch Committee meeting summary
Your Branch Committee met today, Wednesday 29th October and discussed
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- Renewal of casework management software
- Development of FAQs on assessment and marking during ASOS
- Timing of next local ballot
- Picket lines over next period of industrial action
- UCU demonstration in Leicester on Wednesday 12th November
The Branch Committee meets weekly. If you would like Committee to discuss a particular topic please email the details to: uonucubranch@gmail.com
Members consultation on Academic and Technical Specialist promotions
Thank you for all your useful comments and feedback on the proposed changes to the Academic and Technical Specialist promotion (criteria and framework). Unfortunately, the JNCC Performance and Talent sub-group meeting on 21st October was cancelled due to lack of representatives.
Nevertheless, the feedback and comments received from members have been collated (ensuring anonymity) and transmitted on Monday 20th October. You can access the document here.
The proposed changes (and comments) will be discussed at the next meeting of the subgroup.
People and Culture Survey
The People and Culture survey will open on Tuesday 4th November. The survey was first mentioned to the group at the meeting on 20th August 2025. Your representatives in the HR Workload and Work-related Stress Task and Finish group requested to be consulted and have access to the questions in advance, at least those related to stress.
This request has been reiterated at the meeting on 8th October, but to this date nothing has been shared. Rest assured, we will scrutinise the survey as soon as it is made available to us.
Nevertheless, we recommend that as many complete the survey as honestly and critically as they feel. Management used the results of the previous survey on many occasions to justify changes, thus we need to ensure that responses accurately reflect staff experience.
Migrant members – contributions regarding Indefinite Leave to Remain
The inquiry into changes to the eligibility criteria for ILR has opened and is accepting written evidence until 2nd December: New inquiry: Routes to Settlement – Committees – UK Parliament. UCU will be making a submission at the national level. Please contact our Co-Equality Officers Lisa Rull (REDACTED) and/or Jenny Elliott (REDACTED) regarding making an institutional submission so we can co-ordinate.
Local and national campaigning
University of Leicester demonstration
On Wednesday 12th November a national UCU demonstration will be held in Leicester in solidarity with the UCU branch who will begin two weeks of strike from 10th November following announcements of aggressive and unnecessary redundancies.
A delegation from the Branch Committee will attend, and we encourage all members to make arrangements to join the demonstration. More information on travel arrangements to follow.
Exposing Empire: War, Capital & Palestine
On 14th October, Victor Kattan and Andreas Bieler, both UCU members, gave teachouts on ‘The Hidden History of War Crimes in Palestine and the Campaign for an Apology’ and ‘Global Capital, Imperial Power and the Political Economy of Genocide in Palestine’. Please do listen and share the echo360 recordings. The event was organised in collaboration with two student groups: Lawyers Without Borders and the Nottingham Camp for the Liberation of Palestine.
Call on Nottinghamshire County Council to divest from apartheid
We encourage all members to sign Nottingham Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s petition demanding that Nottinghamshire County Council divests from 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.
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.
Donate to the branch hardship fund here!
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 0800 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/