Posted on by L Scott Blankenship

Motion: Requisition for a Special Higher Education Sector Conference on the SoS Campaign and Electronic Balloting

The following motion was passed with a majority of 93% at the members’ meeting on Monday 15th June 2026.

This branch notes:

    1. The ongoing crisis in higher education and UCU’s lack of a national response.
    2. Rule 16.11 of the UCU Rules permits the convening of a Special Sector Conference upon receipt of requisitions from quorate general meetings in 20 branches from separate institutions within the sector, provided the intended business is specified.
    3. HE14, committing UCU to pursue a dispute with the Secretary of State for Education over Higher Education funding (SoS Campaign), based on legal advice establishing the viability of such a dispute.
    4. The National Education Union (NEU) has announced plans to launch a ballot over school funding in October to prevent redundancies and rises in workload.
    5. There are no plans for UCU to allow electronic balloting for industrial action after it is introduced under the Employment Rights Act in August 2026.

This branch believes:

    1. The SoS Campaign is necessary to defend jobs, pay, conditions, and the future of public higher education.
    2. Coordinating with other unions in education is key to winning this campaign.
    3. The failure to progress the SoS Campaign highlights serious democratic problems within UCU.
    4. UCU needs to prepare for the introduction of electronic balloting to coordinate with the NEU timeline and organise effective local disputes going forward.
    5. The union requires a democratic, member-led process to debate and determine the next steps in the SoS campaign and the introduction of electronic balloting.

This branch resolves:

    1. To requisition, under Rule 16.11, a Special Higher Education Sector Conference on the specific business of:
      1. Opening the dispute and progressing the SoS Campaign.
      2. Coordinating campaigning and industrial strategy with other education unions, including the NEU.
      3. Developing a democratic process for electronic balloting for industrial action, both in the SoS Campaign and other disputes.