Email sent to members on Wednesday 23rd April 2025. Content has been modified slightly for the purposes of this post.
Dear member,
I am writing to you with some more information about next week’s Annual General Meeting (on Wednesday 30th April). Given how much is going on at the moment the AGM will be a slightly longer meeting than usual and will take place between 1 to 2.30 pm.
The AGM is the occasion to declare the election results of Executive Officers and Officers (and ordinary members of branch committee), for 2025/26 and ensure member approval. I’m pleased to announce that nominations (and seconders) were received for all the roles that needed to be filled. There were no more than one nominee per role (aside from shared roles) and thus no ballots have been necessary. A full list of nominees and positions is linked below.
The agenda (below) also includes reports from our President and Treasurer. There are also two motions (linked below) for us to discuss. The first is locally focused and surrounds progressive pay structures and how these could help save jobs. The second is UK-wide and calls on the National Union to adopt a new approach towards funding in the sector. This ‘Trade Dispute’ motion is to determine how our delegates vote at the upcoming UCU National Congress, and you can also register your views on other Congress motions through this Google Form. Both motions are branch motions which the committee supports, but please do look over the motions in advance of the meeting, there will be plenty of time to discuss them.
As a committee we have also written to the VC Jane Norman wishing her a swift recovery following her diagnosis.
If you haven’t already done so, please vote in the indicative ballot. You will have received an email from UCU National titled “IMPORTANT: University of Nottingham UCU consultative ballot” so do also check your spam folder if you haven’t seen it yet.
As always in solidarity,
Nick Clare (Branch Secretary)
UCU UoN is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Happy Easter and Subbho Noboborsho! There will be no newsletter next week due to Comms officers taking annual leave. Newsletters will recommence on the week starting 28th April.
While we are all committed to helping each other within our UCU branch, we are not a service. Rather, we are an organisation based on solidarity. A repeat of our training session for supporting compulsory redundancy individual consultations for anyone reps who want to be involved and couldn’t make the last one. Thursday 8th May 2-4pm on Zoom. Trainer: Gareth Brown, regional UCU office. Sign up here.
On Monday 14th April, the first meeting concerning redundancies between University management and campus unions took place. UCU was represented by Lopa Leach (Branch President), Andrew Armstrong (APM Officer), and Julie Cooper (East Midlands Official). This meeting was extraordinarily short as it became apparent that management had not done basic legal minimum tasks required before this meeting. No details of which jobs will be cut, and the business case for cuts to each business unit have been given. In other words, unions were not informed of how many redundancies there are planned, where those redundancies are planned, and why they are ‘necessary’. UCU declared that the consultation period could not legally start without this legally required information being provided. We will see in May if this information is forthcoming.
If you are made aware that your own or your colleagues’ roles come under compulsory redundancy, please let your rep or the committee (uonucubranch@gmail.com) know the details. This information should come first to the Unions alongside a business case so we can be aware and support staff properly.
Fight back, together
The Branch Committee, Reps, Caseworkers, and activists are working hard to resist the draconian and unnecessary redundancies announced by the VC last week. Friday’s lively Q&A session was attended by 230 members, demonstrating the resolve of members to fight back.
You will of course be updated by email, but further information can be found on the redundancy section of the website. Don’t forget to keep discussing the situation with your colleagues, and vote in the indicative ballot (look for email with subject line “IMPORTANT: University of Nottingham UCU consultative ballot” check your spam!). You can also be a part of the pressure against these redundancies by joining the Redundancy Working Group, and/or becoming a caseworker. In either case email rwguonucu@gmail.com.
Solidarity with casualised Language Centre staff
Staff at the Language Centre experience high amounts of casualisation and insecurity, which has been compounded by administrative failings associated with Unicore resulting in missed wages. Within less than a week, more than 100 Language Centre staff and UCU members signed an open letter calling on management to provide more secure contracts and improved work conditions. The HR Director, Helen McNamara, has since replied and committed to respond within our deadline of two weeks. We will keep everyone updated with further developments. We also welcome further signatures. Please add your name here.
Know your rights – discrimination
Section 98 of the Employment Rights Act, 1996 specifies that an employer must apply objective and fair criteria when selecting employees for redundancy. The Equality Act, 2010 protects employees from discrimination based on specific protected characteristics e.g. age, race, gender, disability, etc. Employers must ensure that redundancy selection is not based on discriminatory factors. Under section 98 of the 1996 Employment Rights Act, employees have the right to challenge the fairness of their dismissal, including redundancy, if they feel the procedure or selection criteria were unfair.
Workload – a change in framing
The Workload Group had a major win this week. We have seen written evidence that some schools are now setting maximum workload to 80 – 100%. There is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that this is now rolled out consistently across the university, for equity reasons. We will continue to push for a workload model group within each business unit, comprised of union reps, directors, course leaders, etc. This group will be tasked with reviewing each business unit’s workload model in an ongoing and sustainable way, to ensure there is no shrinkflation of workload.
On a less positive note, the University is still refusing to set up a bespoke Workload/Stress JNCC. This is despite;
A Freedom of Information request revealing horrifying work-related stress absence figures
Conscious and consistent overworking of staff in four out of five faculties.
What will it take for our employer to take this issue seriously?
Branch Committee meeting summary
Your Branch Committee met on Wednesday 9th April. Given current circumstances the meeting focused on;
Our response to declaration of redundancies
Discussion of HR1, S188 and Future Nottingham Phase 1 documents presented to us for committee responses.
We also heard a report from the first consultation meeting between management and campus trade unions. Management was represented by the Vice Chancellor, Deputy Vice Chancellor and head of HR. UoNUCU was represented by Lopa Leach and Andreas Bieler as President and Vice President respectively, while Unison was represented by their Executive Committee.
The Branch Committee meets weekly. If you would like Committee to discuss a particular topic please email the details to: uonucubranch@gmail.com
Departmental Reps meeting summary
The Departmental Reps met on Wednesday 9th April and discussed;
Administrative preparations for the indicative e-ballot
Guidance for the Get The Vote Out (GTVO) campaign
Supporting APM members through phase 1 of Future Nottingham
This meeting occurs approximately monthly to provide space for Reps to feed back comments and concerns from members in their areas.
The Reps network extends across most academic Schools and professional services, however there are a number of academic and professional services departments still needing Reps. If your department has no Rep, and this role interests you please email uonucubranch@gmail.com. New Reps are well supported by the Branch Committee and the rest of the Reps network.
Local and national campaigning
Call for delegates to hybrid congress – either in-person or online Lisa Rull and Gertjan Lucas, Equality Officers, had been nominated as delegates to the annual UCU congress. With four positions available, they have been elected unopposed. Nominations will remain open until a sufficient number of delegates is reached, so if you are still interested do get in touch by emailing the branch.
UCU reasonable adjustment survey UCU is aiming to gain an understanding of your experiences with reasonable adjustments at work from both the perspectives of UCU members and branch representatives who support disabled UCU members. They kindly ask that you complete a brief survey to share your insights by tomorrow, Wednesday 16th April at the latest.
Oppose a renewal of Starbucks’ licence on campus! The encampment students have organised a petition asking UoN not to renew Starbucks’ contract on campus due to the company’s support for Israel. The UCU committee has agreed on supporting the collection of signatures. Click here for more detailed information and to sign the petition.
Stop the redundancies at the University of Derby Up to 35 Professors and Associate Professors are facing a compulsory redundancy process at the University of Derby. UCU Derby have written an open letter you are invited to sign, opposing these cuts at Derbyshire’s only University and critiquing the poor engagement with trade Union as it has unfolded. Joining link and further information
Academic-related, professional services staff open meeting UCU’s academic-related professional services staff (ARPS, i.e. APM in UoN terminology) committee will be holding the next open meeting on Friday 9 May (12:30-13:30). ARPS members are invited to join the meeting to talk about the issues affecting them and their branches currently. The format is open and friendly and all ARPS members are welcome. Please register for the meeting using this online form and a Zoom link will be sent to you on the morning of the meeting.
We, the undersigned University of Nottingham staff, write in solidarity with casually engaged workers at the Language Centre.
Like casual workers across the University, casual staff at the Centre face serious challenges, including late and incorrect payments, poor communication, and cumbersome administrative processes. Casual engagements also offer lower pay, fewer benefits, and less job security compared to fixed-term or permanent contracts. Casual staff at the Centre convene, deliver, and assess undergraduate modules. Others teach evening classes. Some staff do both and have worked full-time equivalent hours for years—yet remain on precarious contracts.
The introduction of Unicore has worsened administrative difficulties. Submission deadlines for timesheets have been unclear and frequently changed. Staff have received conflicting instructions and struggle to navigate the system with errors in account access, multiple payroll codes with no explanation, and difficulties in claiming payment for marking work. These issues are compounded by often poor communication, putting the onus on staff to chase after missed payments.
The financial and personal impact of these failings has been immense. Some staff have had to borrow money to cover essential bills due to delayed wages. The stress of financial uncertainty and administrative inefficiency is taking its toll on staff well-being. It is unacceptable that staff who are dedicated to delivering high-quality teaching should be left struggling to manage their own livelihoods due to an employer’s failure to meet basic contractual obligations.
Staff at the Language Centre have been raising the above concerns since at least October 2024. Meanwhile, the Principles for Casual Engagements —which aim to limit casualisation at the University—were agreed in October 2023. Promises to explore moving Language Centre workers onto more secure, fixed-term contracts—including a promise from the HR Business Partner for the Faculty of Arts—have not been followed by action. Instead, the only response has been emergency bank transfers, which fail to address the underlying issues. Meanwhile, poor work conditions are not only hurting casual staff but also undermining the Language Centre’s ability to recruit and retain talent; workers are choosing to leave rather than tolerate unacceptable treatment.
We call on the University to take immediate action:
Apologise to casual staff across the University for administrative failures, particularly pay delays.
Ensure all outstanding payments are made without further delay and establish clear, robust systems to prevent future issues.
Implement the transition of eligible casual staff—as per the Principles—to fixed-term or permanent contracts, with a clear and transparent timeline.
As an institution committed to fairness, integrity, and academic excellence, the University of Nottingham has a moral and contractual duty to treat its staff with dignity and respect. We urge you to act now to address these concerns and request a formal response outlining the steps that will be taken.
Signatories
Frédérique Poujades – The Language Centre
Jane Lowe, Teaching Associate in Japanese, The Language Centre
Shialing Kwa, Teaching Associate in Spanish, The Language Centre
Maria Barcenilla, Teaching Affiliate in Spanish, CLAS, The Language Centre
Miki Kurose, CLAS, MLC, Language Centre
Andy Rowe, BSL Tutor, Evening classes, CLAS, The Language Centre
Noemí Cedillo, The Language Centre
Monika Savage, CLAS, The Language Centre
Andrea Pastor-Torres, Teaching Associate, The Language Centre
Oscar Diaz Chento, The Language Centre
Sara André da Costa, TA in Portuguese, Modern Languages and Cultures, Language Centre
Jon Marsden, French evening class teacher, CLAS, Language Centre
Anna Cockayne, Teaching Affiliate, CLAS, The Language Centre
Dorothée Bechtloff, The Language Centre
Professor Cecilia Goria, Director of the Language Centre
Jo Brown, Language Centre
Peter Conlin, Teaching Associate, CLAS
Melanie Bhend, Assistant Professor, Modern Languages and Cultures
Marilena Minoia, Assistant Professor, CLAS, Language Centre.
Manuel Lagares, Assistant Professor, MLC
Sandra Reisenleutner, Assistant Professor, CLAS
Tara Webster-Deakin, Assistant Professor, CLAS
Matthew Pethes, CLAS, American Studies
Jordi Garrell, Assistant professor in Spanish, Department of Modern Languages and Cultures
Rocio Martinez, Assistant Professor, Modern Languages
Neil Hughes, Professor of Languages and Digital Learning Technologies, MLC
Rino Soares. Assistant professor in Portuguese. Department of Modern Languages
Maria Ryan, Associate Professor, American & Canadian Studies/Cultures, Languages and Area Studies
Jean-Xavier Ridon, Professor, School of Languages, Cultures and Area Studies
S. Clark, Lecturer, MLC
Rebecca Ford, Assistant Professor, Modern Languages and Cultures
Monica White, Department of Modern Languages and Cultures
Heike Bartel, Professor of Health Humanities and German Studies, Director of Liberal Arts, CLAS
Javier Rodriguez-Casado. Assistant Professor. The Language Centre, University of Nottingham
Sarah Simpson, PhD student, CLAS
Kristina Notthoff, Assistant Professor, CLAS, Language Centre
Anthony Hutchison Lecturer ACS/CLAS
Marta Aloi, Associate Professor, School of Economics
Prof. Antonio Padilla, School of Physics & Astronomy
Lisa Rull, Disability Support Services
L Scott Blankenship, Research Fellow, Chemistry
Dr Gerardus (Gertjan) Lucas, Assistant Professor, NUBS
Martina Salvante, Assistant Professor, Department of History
Marian Kelsey, Teaching Associate in Hebrew Bible, Philosophy department
Martin Findell, Assistant Professor, English
Owen Butler (Disability Adviser, Disability Support Services)
Nikolaos Diamantis, Professor of Pure Mathematics, Mathematical Sciences
Cyril Rauch, Associate Professor, School fo Veterinary Medicine & Science
Clive Simpson, EAP tutor, School of Education
Dr Nick Clare, Associate Professor, School of Geography
Michaela Collord, Assistant Professor, School of Politics and IR
Andreas Bieler, Professor of Political Economy, School of Politics and International Relations
Student disability support
Ella Guerin, Assistant Professor, Health Sciences
Paula Sharratt Notetaker: support services
Joe Kearsey, Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Geography
Alanna Higgins, Assistant Professor, School of Geography
Adam Searle, Senior Research Fellow, School of Geography
Lea Guetta Assistant Professor
Benjamin Jones, Associate Professor, Architecture & Built Environment
Gillian Roberts, Professor, CMVS
Dr Richard Bates, History
Katie Keddie PhD Student School of Geography
Dr Onni Gust, Department of History
Robin Vandome, Lecturer, American and Canadian Studies
Liam Keenan, Assistant Professor, School of Geography
Dr Kate Law (History)
Sam Knapton, Assistant Professor in History, Faculty of Arts
Stephen Argent, Senior Research Fellow, School of Chemistry
Stephanie Lewthwaite, Associate Professor, Department of American and Canadian Studies
E Kennedy, Educational Development
Tim Hutchings, Associate Professor, School of Humanities
Dr Shaun French, School of Geography
Ruth Maxey, Associate Professor of Modern American Literature, American and Canadian Studies
Edward Clough, Teaching Associate, Liberal Arts
Lea Guetta Assistant Professor
Miriam O’Duill, Assistant Professor, Chemistry
Vicki Morris, UNISON branch secretary
Dr Catherine Gegout, School of Politics and International Relations
Colin Wright, Head of Department of Cultural, Media & Visual Studies
Sam O’Thomson, PGR, Chemistry
Franziska Meyer , Associate Professor (retired)
Senior Operations Officer, School of Politics and International Relations
Lorena S. Gadella Kamstra, Assistant Professor in Applied Linguistics, School of English, University of Nottingham.
Dr Joseph Kisolo-Ssonko, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Arts
Alice Monypenny, Assistant Professor, Philosophy
Dr Emily J. Gathergood, Research Fellow, Philosophy
Jon Hoover, Professor of Islamic Studies, Humanities/Philosophy
Jon Robson, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy
Dr Koshka Duff, Assistant Professor, Humanities/Philosophy
Katie McHaffie, Assistant Professor, Philosophy
Patrice Haynes, Assistant Professor in Philosophy, Philosophy Department/School of Humanities
Ian James Kidd, Associate Professor of Philosophy
Karl Egerton, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy
Dr Susanne Seymour, Associate Professor, School of Geography
Adina Covaci, Teaching Associate, Foundation Arts & Philosophy
Milo Miller, Researcher Training and Development Manager for Research-Focused Staff, Researcher Academy
Dr Jonathan Green
David Sirl, Senior Research Fellow, School of Mathematical Sciences
Dr Charlotte Bonardi Senior Lecturer Psychology
Dr Tayyba Ali Teaching associate, School of Life Sciences
Dr Rossana Wright, Associate Professor, School of Chemistry
Prof. Etelle Derclaye, School of law
Dr Oscar Siles Brügge, Assistant Professor, School of Chemistry
Eloise Bertrand, Assistant Professor, School of Politics and International Relations
Emma Wilson, Professor of Public Health, School of Medicine
We are deeply concerned by today’s news of job losses at UoN, as reported by the VC in her email earlier today. We have also met with VC and senior management this afternoon, where these APM job losses and timelines (Phase 1) were discussed. We are already very worried about some discrepancies between public statements by the university and information we have received privately by them. Rest assured that the branch committee will be going through all the information in meticulous detail and will be challenging the university’s attack on staff at every turn. We will be in touch with further updates as they come in. Please do attend the Emergency meeting on Friday, where we can discuss further.
Chag sameach to all members observing Passover starting Saturday!
In these worrying times we want to keep our members as informed as possible. To this end, the Redundancy Working Group has compiled detailed advice and information on our website. In addition, as communicated by Lopa on Monday, there will be an online Emergency Meeting and Q&A session this Friday 11th April at 3pm to discuss what the branch is doing to support you and resist job cuts.
Make sure your colleagues know what’s happening at UoN
Spotlight on casework
Unsustainable workloads make us ill!
Branch Committee meeting summary
Local and national campaigning
Joining link and further information
Educate, Agitate, Organise
Last week a total of 1,100 staff members attended two open informational meetings held by the three campus unions. These were used to inform staff about Future Nottingham, University restructuring and possible compulsory redundancies, the Universities financial position, and our next steps as staff and/or union members. The high attendance and engagement signifies that there is both a high level of concern about the future of the University, and a willingness to try to do something about it.
Thank you to all who attended and promoted the meetings.
Colleagues at all levels, all job types, unionised or not, can follow this Whatsapp channel for updates on working conditions, redundancies and restructuring at UoN. Members are anonymous to other members and admins unless you are contacts. Please share this with your colleagues, and ensure they turn notifications ON.
Make sure your colleagues know what’s happening at UoN
Help make colleagues aware of what’s really happening at UoN, from job cuts to vanity projects. Download our campaign poster, print it off and stick it to your office door or anywhere else people will see it.
This poster was developed by the Redundancy Working Group, which develops our strategy to combat the risk of redundancies and feeds back to the Branch Committee. If you are interested in joining, please contact uonucubranch@gmail.com.
Spotlight on casework
As we are now half way through the academic year, it seems a good time to reflect on the practical solidarity the branch has been offering members. Since September we have helped 72 members, which is nearly double that at this point last year. From advising members on handling protected conversations to supporting members facing bullying, the range of issues we help with is diverse. A big thanks to our local caseworker team without whom none of this would be possible (Lila, Cyril, Michaela, Onni, Peter, Jenny, Liz, Martin, Lisa, Gertjan, Sara, Alice, Luisa and David). I also need to thank the fountains of knowledge and experience Julie and Gareth at the UCU regional office who support our local caseworkers when issues get especially complex or questions of legality are raised.
We are currently looking for extra caseworkers, specifically to help members facing compulsory redundancies should the University announce those. Please contact the branch email, uonucubranch@gmail.com if you would like to help.
As a reminder, if you are a member and need advice on an employment issue, the quickest way to raise it is via the ‘Ask for help’ tab on our website.
– Andrew Renault (Casework Coordinator)
Unsustainable workloads make us ill!
Despite reporting UoN to HSE for failing its legal duty to prevent work-related stress, our employer is still hesitating to establish the Workload/Stress JNCC we have urgently requested. In the meantime, a Freedom of Information request has revealed that 4,713 working days were lost to work-related stress absence between 1st Sept 2023 and 31st August 2024. That amounts to over 21 years of work lost in one year, due to the unmitigated pressure of unsustainable workloads.
The Committee also received advice from Steve French on action to oppose redundancies.
The Branch Committee meets weekly. If you would like Committee to discuss a particular topic please email the details to: uonucubranch@gmail.com
Local and national campaigning
Gathering information on redundancy At UoN UCU, we are determined to fight management’s cuts, especially when they put the job security of our members at risk. In order to prepare for any future redundancies we are keen to find out more about what sort of cuts or suspicious changes are happening across the University. We’ve set up a google form for you to share this information with us.
Workload group drop ins The Workload Group is organising drop-in sessions to support members to fight against unsustainable workloads. The next sessions will take place online; Monday 7 April April 1.00 – 2.00. Meeting Link
Call for delegates to hybrid congress – either in-person or online Lisa Rull and Gertjan Lucas, Equality Officers, had been nominated as delegates to the annual UCU congress. With four positions available, they have been elected unopposed. Nominations will remain open until a sufficient number of delegates is reached, so if you are still interested do get in touch by emailing the branch.
UCU reasonable adjustment survey UCU is aiming to gain an understanding of your experiences with reasonable adjustments at work from both the perspectives of UCU members and branch representatives who support disabled UCU members. They kindly ask that you complete a brief survey to share your insights by Wednesday 16th April at the latest.
Oppose a renewal of Starbucks’ licence on campus! The encampment students have organised a petition asking UoN not to renew Starbucks’ contract on campus due to the company’s support for Israel. The UCU committee has agreed on supporting the collection of signatures. Click here for more detailed information and to sign the petition.
