Tag: Industrial Action

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UCU Hardship Fund – Donations and Applications

Email sent to members on Thursday 30th October

Dear members,

Thank you for your continued solidarity and commitment throughout this period of industrial action. Our collective strength depends not only on participation but also on mutual support — ensuring that those most affected by pay deductions can continue to take part.

Maintaining a strong hardship fund is essential to sustaining effective action and sharing the financial burden fairly across the branch.

We recommend you save this email for future reference.

Hardship Fund Donations

Many members have chosen to focus strike activity on high-impact days while working on others. If you are not striking every day, we strongly encourage you to donate at least a quarter of your salary for the days you are working.

These donations directly support colleagues with heavy teaching or administrative workloads who are striking more frequently — helping everyone to stay the course.

To donate:
UCU Nottingham LA63 Hardship Fund
Account number: 20346359
Sort code: 60-83-01
Reference: Autumn 2025

Every contribution, no matter the size, strengthens our collective position and ensures no member is left behind.

Hardship Fund Applications

Once you have payslips showing strike-related deductions, you can apply for support from both the national UCU fighting fund and the local branch hardship fund.

National UCU Fighting Fund

Members can claim for up to 8 days of strike action:

  • £75/day for salaries under £30,000
  • £50/day for salaries over £30,000

Please note:

  • The cap applies to the entire dispute, including the July action.
  • Members cannot claim for the first three days of strike action.
  • You must apply to the national fund first before applying to the local fund.

Details on how to apply to the national fighting fund can be found here. 

Local UCU Hardship Fund

Thanks to the generosity of members and other branches, we are happy to report that we can offer members support at a rate similar to the national fund (which is obviously much better resourced!).

We will offer:

  • Up to £50 per day, capped at £600 total,
  • Covering the 42 days of action this term (Sep-Dec 2025).

Eligibility:

  • Members applying after the first phase ending on Friday 24 October must show deductions for at least 12 of the first 20 days.
  • Members applying after the second phase ending on Friday 12 December must show deductions for at least 20 of the 42 total days.
  • For part-time staff, both the required strike days and the cap are pro-rated.

Important:

  • Funds are limited and will be allocated for as long the resources last
  • Please only claim what you need, so we can prioritise members in greatest hardship.
  • Priority will be given to those facing the most acute financial pressure.

To apply to the local fund:
Fill out this google form. To do so, you will need:

  1. Copies of the relevant payslips showing strike deductions.
  2. Evidence that you have already applied to the national fund.
  3. Confirmation that you have struck for more than the required threshold for hardship applications
  4. Details of the bank account you wish to be credited.

Applications will be reviewed by a small team from the branch committee, including Tony Padilla (Treasurer) and Kitty Howarth (Branch Organiser).

Members with acute financial needs can request an immediate loan of up to £300 ahead of a full decision — please email the branch at uonucubranch@gmail.com and mark your email “Loan request.”

In exceptional cases of extreme hardship, additional funds or flexible payment arrangements may be considered — please include full details and justification in your application.

Thank you for your continued solidarity. Every donation and every act of mutual support helps to sustain our collective strength.

In solidarity, 

Tony Padilla

UoNUCU Branch Treasurer

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Members meeting 30 October!

Original email sent to members on Wednesday 22nd October. Please see original email for Zoom link.

Dear members,

Thank you for your continued action, support, and solidarity. We are writing with a few key updates which are below, but also wanted to mention that last week we met with Alex Norris the MP for Nottingham North and Kimberley to discuss the dispute. Alex was due to speak at an event on campus but cancelled when we approached him, and he was shocked to hear about the proposed restructuring and the loss of jobs so far – he was also saddened to hear how much things have changed since he was taught by Andreas as an undergraduate in 2003! Alex has promised to speak with the Vice Chancellor about this, and while we will continue to lobby other local MPs, please consider writing to your MP mentioning the scale of potential redundancies.

Rally with the UCU General Secretary Thursday 23rd

We are ending this round of rallies with a bang. We have a great lineup of speakers including Jo Grady, the UCU general secretary, tomorrow. She is coming to show her solidarity to us and to speak about the National dispute. As usual we will be meeting in the Trent Courtyard at 12.40 before marching to Portland Steps for the speeches. Do please come along, in your numbers and show your anger.

Submission of next block of industrial action to the VC

Notification of our next block of industrial action was served to the VC this morning by our regional officer. Following your overwhelming rejection management’s opening offer, and the clear majority support for prioritising action this term the University has been notified of strike action on the following dates:

Monday 10th November – Friday 14th November

Monday 17th November – Friday 21st November

Monday 24th November , Tuesday 25th November

Monday 1st December – Friday 5th December

Monday 8th December – Friday 12th December

On Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th of November we will have big pickets in major entrances, Rallies in the Courtyard, Invited external guests, and a media presence. These particular dates have been chosen with key council meetings on Phase 2 in mind. All of these actions gives us the capacity to exert significant pressure on management, from without and within. 

Having served management the notice of the action today,  we will be writing to them to discuss the implications of it for students and staff and to explore resolutions that can avoid the damage this action has the potential to create, to rethink shrinking size and shape ideology. 

Members’ meeting Thursday 30th October 3-4pm

To discuss this second phase of action, including additional picket line days in November and December and to inform on any potential negotiations with management we have called a members’ meeting for next Thursday at 3pm (link in original email). It has been fantastic to hear from so many of you in recent meetings, so do please come along.

Finally,  some of you will have started to receive your ballots for the national dispute. Please vote in this, and please let your rep know once you have. 

In solidarity,

Lopa

(on behalf of branch committee).

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Strike update and links

Email sent to members on 25th July 2025

Dear members,

Thank you for going on strike yesterday and thank you to everyone who  attended yesterday’s pickets at West and North Entrance, whether that was for a few hours or all day. An especially big thank you to all those members who joined us that are new to the branch, to picketing or to striking in general! 

As well as being highly visible to anyone coming on to campus from 8am till 3pm, our strike was also covered by BBC East Midlands on the lunchtime and early evening news (see about 9 minutes in) and reported on by Nottingham Post/Nottinghamshire Live, as part of their ongoing coverage of Future Nottingham and our campaign against loss of livelihoods and compulsory redundancies. 

Thanks  for sending  messages of support, and to those who were unable to participate in yesterday’s strike thanks for donating to the local solidarity fund. If you have yet to donate to the fund, we are asking members who were unable to strike to donate 50% of a day’s salary to support members most in need. The account details are:

UCU Nottingham LA63 Hardship Fund

Account number: 20346359

Sort code: 60-83-01

Reference: “July 24th”

We are now in a period of live Action Short of A Strike (ASOS), please consult the guide on our branch website that answers common questions and outlines what this means in practice. Don’t forget to change your email signature and set up an automatic reply in order to maximise our impact! If any members do face salary deductions for participation in ASOS, remember that support from the local solidarity fund is available. Due to payroll cut off dates, any deductions the University does decide to apply for participating in industrial action will at the earliest come in August payslips. We will therefore share information about how to apply for financial support from the branch nearer to the time.

We have had a very busy week as a branch with Monday’s rally with Unison and Unite as the University Council made its decision on Phase 1 of Future Nottingham (lovely images on our website and social), Tuesday’s branch meeting and vote to continue with our strike action and action short of a strike, and of course yesterday’s strike action and pickets. This activism and action has ensured that our collective objection and opposition to how the University is treating staff through Phase 1 of Future Nottingham cannot be ignored and it lays down a marker that we will continue to oppose this approach as and when Phase 2 begins.

In solidarity and with best wishes,

Will and Lopa, on behalf of UoN UCU Branch Committee

Posted on

Call for Action and Strike Info

Email sent to members on Wednesday 23rd July 2025. Minor edits have been made from the original.

Dear Members,

It was excellent to see nearly 200 of you at our meeting, and thank you to everyone who spoke – whether on mic or via the chat. It was fantastic to hear your energy, care and solidarity.

This email is to provide a summary of where things stand for our branch and dispute, and information about our upcoming strike action, our plans for pickets tomorrow, and action short of a strike.

There is a lot of information to summarise here, so it is inevitably quite long – please use the headings to guide you and please do read to the end. 

Meeting summary and next steps 

At our branch meeting yesterday afternoon, we discussed our plans for strike action tomorrow (Thursday 24th) and Action Short of a Strike in the light of the latest news on Phase 1 of Future Nottingham.

A running theme was the widespread discontent, anger is a better word, over the running of Phase 1 and the ongoing refusal to rule out even at this late stage the use of compulsory redundancy. 

A vote was held and the meeting decided to continue with the strike action and ASOS called two weeks ago. 

The call for solidarity with our APM members, friends and colleagues from the meeting was loud and clear. As was the recognition that this is an opportunity to demonstrate our resolve and strength of feeling ahead of Phase 2 in the autumn. We look forward to seeing all who can join us on the picket lines!

Participation in the strike

When it comes to industrial action, all members are expected to participate as part of the collective responsibility that comes with union membership. 

However, if you have accepted a VR offer (please see advice from UCU regional office below), are on annual leave, research leave, field research or attending a conference on the day of the strike and cannot take part, we strongly encourage you to show solidarity with your friends and colleagues by donating 50% of your day’s salary to the hardship fund:

UCU Nottingham LA63 Hardship Fund
Account number: 20346359
Sort code: 60-83-01

For both strike action and ASOS, line managers are likely to ask staff to declare participation in advance. Some have already asked this in all staff emails. Please remember however that we are required to declare participation after returning to work, not in advance. If in doubt, talk to your department rep or contact the branch committee. 

Picketing – let us know you’re coming!

As our strike day on Thursday takes place on a day of graduation ceremonies, with cars arriving and leaving campus much of the day. West and North entrances of University Park will be especially busy – and our dispute can be made highly visible. 

Therefore, we will hold a picket at University Park West Entrance from 8am until 3pm. (The Beeston roundabout.) We ask that you join us for a few hours, if you are able to, as part of your strike action. Please let us know when you are coming by using this form. This will help us plan for tomorrow!

We have a number of signs, leaflets, arm bands, and UCU branded paraphernalia, but essential to any picket are the placards picketers make and bring! Whistles, drums, maracas, vuvuzelas, and pots to bang are all welcome too – as are any snacks you want to share! 

ASOS fundamentals

For guidance and frequently asked questions about ASOS, please see the ASOS Fundamentals page of our branch website noted in last week’s newsletter. We are updating this as people ask new questions, so do ask your reps or the branch committee!

New to industrial action or to picketing?

A ‘picketing for beginners guide’ has been added to the branch website.

Our branch was last out on strike in 2023. Many of you will be experienced in HE industrial disputes, pickets and ASOS from the USS and Four Fights campaigns. Many of you will also be new to the branch or to participating in strike action. The first thing to know is that our picket lines, in contrast to how they may be portrayed in the media and in pop culture, are friendly places. 

While we protest and call attention to the serious failings of our employer, picket lines are places of positivity. We stand in solidarity with colleagues we would not ordinarily speak to and feel part of an academic community. Whether it is philosophical discussions on what the university should be, picket line dogs, honks of solidarity, kids starting their union training early, there is loads of excitement to be had. So join us for however long you are able! 

In that spirit, we recognise that picket lines are not equally accessible to all. Whether that is because you have caring responsibilities, are a disabled member of the union, or otherwise face barriers. No member of the branch should ever feel they are the lesser when their strike action does not include picketing. As long as you withdraw your labour for the day, you are making an important contribution! Feel free to reach out to fellow members to feel some solidarity as you strike away from campus, or reach out to someone you know can’t be there.

Regional UCU advice for staff taking VR

We have received advice from UCU regional legal advisors that members who have a voluntary redundancy agreement agreed or signed off may put their settlement agreement at risk if they strike. We therefore recommend that those members do not strike, but contribute to the strike fund instead (details above). If you are in this position and wish to visit the pickets on the day to talk with colleagues and express support, know you are welcome. 

Workload pressures 

APM members in our meeting made it clear that the loss of colleagues through VR is already causing significant workload issues and work-related stress. The branch workload group will be organising a meeting soon for APM members to discuss how to record this impact and hold the university to account to ensure that staff wellbeing is protected. 

Closing reflections: Solidarity with APM is Solidarity to all

The actions of the University in recent months have seen many new members join our Branch at Nottingham. All members are important to our action and having the backs of our administrative, library, and IT colleagues is vital. Whilst research and teaching staff constitute the majority of UCU members, APM staff are essential to the university – and across all job grades APM staff have been targeted first (and will be targeted again). Phase 2 is coming soon and our academic colleagues will need our action again. 

For now, it is therefore essential that we stand together – at the picket line tomorrow if you are able – to make the biggest impression we can on management, and to show our solidarity with our dear APM colleagues. Together we are a formidable force.

Looking forward to seeing you on the picket lines!

In solidarity,

Will Patterson (Picket Lead) and Lopa Leach 

(On behalf of branch committee).

Posted on

Today’s Emergency UCU Meeting 4.00

Email sent to members on Tuesday 22nd July 2025. The text has been slightly modified for flow on this website.


Dear members,

Don’t forget todays Emergency Members Meeting at 4:00 today. Zoom link below.


It was a pleasure to see so many of you yesterday afternoon at our joint rally with Unison and Unite in the Trent Courtyard in opposition to compulsory redundancies.  As we listened to our colleagues from UCU and our sister unions, and local supporters speak, the University Council met to decide whether or not Phase 1 of Future Nottingham would involve compulsory redundancies. This afternoon, the Vice Chancellor has written to UCU, Unison and Unite as the three campus unions to summarise yesterday’s decision by Council. Information has now also been put on the staff intranet about this.
In short, we have been informed that more staff have applied for, been offered and accepted voluntary redundancy settlements than the target stated in April.

This is in itself a significant loss to the University community in terms of knowledge, expertise, and experience – not to mention the loss of friends and comrades. Made all the more impactful following the hundreds of colleagues departing through MARS last year. 

However, there is also sufficient vagueness in the VC’s email about the status of compulsory redundancies in Phase 1 that we, and other campus unions, have asked for clarification on this vital point and others. 

Any clarification that is received prior to our meeting at 4pm will, of course, be something that we as a branch we must take into consideration. It is worth emphasising again that, as at every stage of our dispute, it is within the University’s power to de-escalate this situation.
Our Extraordinary Brach meeting at 4pm (Zoom link below) has three agenda items:

  • [1] Our campaign against compulsory redundancies, discussing the implication of Council’s decision for our strategy.

We have a strike day scheduled this Thursday and action short of a strike (ASOS) beginning on Friday. In the meeting, we will share the updates from management on the status of compulsory redundancies in Phase 1 and discuss as a collective  our next steps.  Part of this discussion will be summarising a planned approach to organising picket lines, so that we can ensure maximum visibility of our dispute to graduation related traffic arriving/exiting campus. We also want to hear your ideas for action, ASOS and for raising money for our local solidarity fund. (Details for donations:  UCU Nottingham LA63 Hardship Fund, Account number: 20346359, Sort code: 60-83-01)

  • [2] The updated Grievance Procedure. 

This updated procedure was negotiated with the University through a Joint Negotiation and Consultation Committee (JNCC) sub group which Branch Committee members attend For this procedure to be adopted by the University as a whole, it must be approved by UCU UoN members, so please do read this document with care.

  • [3] Motion to further the campaign for a formal dispute with the Secretary of State for Education over funding of HE. 

The text of the motion is available on the University Rank and File webpages. This follows on from a motion approved at our AGM on 30th April ahead of the UCU National Congress. We will take this follow-up motion if time permits.
Zoom details:

Topic: Emergency members meeting

Time: Jul 22, 2025 16:00 London

Join Zoom Meeting.

Meeting ID: 856 3593 9225

Passcode: 210176


In solidarity,

Kitty on behalf of Branch Committee