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First branch meeting of 2025 – 5th February, 1-2pm

Dear UoN UCU members,
We would like to invite you to our first UoN UCU branch meeting of the year. We will present and discuss our two campaigns for sustainable workloads and the incoming national ballot.

This meeting is a chance to come together, share experiences, and take collective steps toward addressing the challenges we face, linking our local activity into wider national campaigns. Links with information about the sustainable workload campaign are attached.

Date: 5 February

Time: 1-2 pm

Location: Hybrid meeting.*

In solidarity,

Nick

Nick Clare (new UoN UCU branch secretary)

*Please see newsletter dated 27th January for zoom link and location.

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Wollaton Hall parkrun, in memory of Agnes Flues

On Saturday 9 November 2024, colleagues and friends of Agnes Flues were joined by her partner Manuel Peña Prieto at Wollaton Hall parkrun to celebrate her life and social justice, within UCU and beyond.

Photo credit Chris Tregnza https://tregenza.com/ucu-uon-parkrun-for-agnes/

Agnes was a regular runner, and Wollaton was her local parkrun. We were honoured that Manuel could join us and see our show of love and respect for Agnes.

Manuel leading the way with a UCU flag in hand – Photo credit Chris Tregnza https://tregenza.com/ucu-uon-parkrun-for-agnes/

Agnes was a tireless activist taking a number of roles on the UoN UCU branch committee, as well as having been elected to UCU’s National Executive Committee. In memory of all that she did, UoN UCU hope to gather in future years at Wollaton Hall parkrun on the nearest Saturday to her birthday. We therefore invited runners and their supporters to contribute to branch fundraising, which remains open.

A post-run collection – Manuel Peña Prieto photo credit

Participants and supporters wore UCU colours (pink and purple) and we also had a number of handheld UCU flags that caught the attention of fellow parkrun participants (642 finishers). The results are available on the Wollaton Hall parkrun website.

Further images from the day can be seen on Chris Tregnza’s website.

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Agenda for branch meeting 24th September

Dear members,

Hope you have had as nice a summer break as you could. The branch meeting tomorrow will be our first 24/25 meeting of the year. Please find below the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting and the Zoom link again. The meeting will start promptly at 12:30 pm.

We will update you about the beautiful ceremony held last week, which so many of you attended in person or by live stream. The Eulogies were given by Manuel, Olympia (Head of Law) and myself (on behalf of UoNUCU), there were readings by two other friends. The celebrant Louise Savage, was brilliant. The huge role that Agnes played for us was beautifully elucidated by her, Manuel and us. Manuel put together a slideshow of Agnes, which of course had so many images of her at our rallies, picket lines etc. The Regional committee also had a dedicated session this Saturday where Andreas Bieler spoke for our branch.

We have been updated verbally on latest MARS by HR. There were 515 applications, 293 approved, 222 declined and 2 withdrawals. We were told that 69 will leave in August, 13 in September, 8 in October, 1 in November, 183 in December. We have yet to receive numerical data at school level from HR. Thanks to our Reps for letting us have, where available, individual school data. They report inconsistencies and the picture is still incomplete. This makes the Workload as a Health & Safety issue even more important. Please see attached an important document written by Jenny Elliot et al (UCU Workload Group). We have sent this document to HR as well.

Regarding MARS, many of our UCU colleagues have availed themselves of this. We thank them for their amazing loyalty to us and the ways they have always supported workers rights.

And finally, and importantly, we need your thoughts about the UCEA pay offer/pay elements and future UCU strategies which Gertjan Lucas and I can take to the Branch Delegate Meeting and voice your decisions there after our Branch meeting.

See you tomorrow,

Lopa.

General Meeting 24 September, 2024, 12:30 -1:30 pm. Agenda:

  • Update on Agnes.
    • Celebration of the life of Agnes Flues.
    • Annual Agnes Flues Lecture.
    • Tree in UP and Obituary.
  • Workload as a Health & Safety Issue.
  • Pay negotiations and the next steps (voting).