Please do not reply to this newsletter, as your email will bounce. Contact your Departmental Rep or uonucubranch@gmail.com if you need any assistance.
Dear members,
Make sure you vote, vote YES, and tell your Departmental Rep when you have. Our opposition to the chaos created by management is only as strong as our mandate. Encourage members in your department to vote.
Read on for the following topics:
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- Mobilise to protect Language Centre staff
- Know your rights as a trade unionist
- Future Nottingham meetings
- Branch Committee meeting summary
- Our struggles are connected
- Protect University jobs here and across the country
- Local and national campaigning
- Joining link and further information
Mobilise to protect Language Centre staff
Our open letter in solidarity with Language Centre casualised staff has reached over 1000 signatures! Help increase pressure on management and stand up for these workers by attending the rally tomorrow, Wednesday 18th June at 1:30 pm in Trent Courtyard to show the University that we will not back down.
Go to the campaign page for more ways you can continue to support our colleagues in the Language Centre.
Know your rights as a trade unionist
In a climate of increasing job insecurity, redundancy and rising workloads across the sector, knowing your rights as a trade union member has never been more important.
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- You have the legal right to join a union and to participate in its activities including meetings, campaigns and industrial action – without fear of dismissal or detriment.
- Your employer must not treat you unfairly for being active in your union, whether you’re a caseworker, rep or simply attending a branch meeting.
- If you are facing disciplinary action or a grievance, you have the right to be accompanied by a union rep, not just HR.
- Unions have the right to be consulted over redundancies, contract changes, and major restructures. This means UCU plays a key role in negotiating safer, fairer outcomes for all staff.
If you’re ever unsure whether a decision made by management is lawful, fair or discriminatory – speak to your Departmental Rep before signing or agreeing to anything. It’s your right to seek advice and representation.
Use your voice: a strong union presence depends on active members. Whether you’re new to the union or a long-time supporter, your engagement makes a difference – not just to you, but to your colleagues.
Know your rights. Use your rights. Stand together. Together we are stronger.
Future Nottingham meetings
The three campus unions hosted two open meetings last week, attended by almost 1000 staff members. Attendees expressed anxiety at the chaotic manner in which the University has rolled out these redundancies. We will continue to keep our members and the broader employee body as informed as possible via branch communications, further open meetings, our social media, and the Workers’ Eye Whatsapp channel.
The three campus unions will be holding further open meetings both for all staff and at the faculty and department level. Upcoming faculty level meetings:
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- Engineering: Thursday 19th June, 12:30 pm in X1, Chemistry and via Teams at this link
- Social Sciences: Friday 20th June, 11:00 am via Zoom at this link
Branch Committee meeting summary
Your Branch Committee met on Wednesday 11th June and discussed
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- Our response to the University’s role evaluation and restructuring under Phase 1 of Future Nottingham
- Methods and infrastructure for communicating effectively with members
- The progress of the current industrial action ballot
The Branch Committee meets weekly. If you would like Committee to discuss a particular topic please email the details to: uonucubranch@gmail.com
During the ballot period the Departmental Reps are also meeting weekly to discuss progress and challenges in their areas.
Our struggles are connected
Trade unions, including UCU are committed not only to furthering the interests of their members, but the struggles of all oppressed people in the UK and across the world. To this end, this Saturday there are two demonstrations we encourage our members to attend:
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- Notts Trans Pride 11am starting at Broadway Cinema.
- National march for Palestine, London. Coaches leave at 8:00 am from Forest Recreation Ground, tickets available here.
We also encourage our members to sign the petition demanding Nottingham County Council divests its pension fund from companies complicit in the genocide in Palestine
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
A People’s History of the Farmers’ Movement in India, 2020-21
In 2020 a monumental uprising of India’s agrarian base unfolded in response to contentious farm laws. The Farmers’ Movement was a year-long protest that ended in December 2021 with the passage of the Farm Laws Repeal Bill by the Indian Parliament. The Movement is a testament to the power of collective resistance that offers a roadmap for future struggles.
In this talk, Professor Singh will discuss the Farmers’ Movement, looking at the socio-political dynamics, cultural nuances and wider solidarity that the protest generated across India and amongst the Indian diaspora.
This talk is supported by the Department of History’s ‘Rupture, Revolution, and Crisis’ theme and will take place on 25th June, 2-3.30pm, Lenton Grove, A18.
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/