Tag: local newsletter

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,

We had not planned to send another newsletter, however we have a few things to report to round up the academic year. This will likely be the last one before we resume in early September. The Branch Committee is taking a break for the rest of August, and we hope that all members find some time to rest and recuperate over the next month.

If you are going to be at work, please don’t forget that we are still in a period of ASOS! 

Additionally, there is now a branch calendar on our homepage. You can subscribe by clicking the ‘+’ at the bottom right. We plan to use this calendar to share information about, and reminders of, upcoming branch and other meetings as well as events featured in these newsletters.

Read on for the following topics:

1. 1. Know your rights – redundancy consultation meetings
   2. Farewell
   3. University Worker struggles across the country
   4. Local and national campaigning
   5. Joining link and further information

Know your rights – redundancy consultation meetings

On Friday many staff will have received an email from Helen McNamara to say their role remains at risk of redundancy. These staff will be shortly invited to individual consultation meetings to assess if they wish to move to other suitable roles and thereby avoid compulsory redundancy. Union members are entitled to be accompanied to such meetings by a caseworker from their trade union. UCU members receiving such an email should request caseworker support via the website (blue tab on right hand side of screen).

Further information on redundancy consultation meetings and the law can be found from Citizens Advice.

Farewell

Two members of the branch committee are moving on to other jobs and will be sorely missed. They have also worked as Department Reps in their Schools, Caseworkers supporting individual members, members of local campaign groups and branch representatives to UCU national bodies. What follows are some words from people within the branch who worked closely with them.

Gertjan Lucas

Lisa Rull (Equalities Officer): 

“Gertjan has been a source of incredible support and encouragement to numerous members through his actions as a department rep, a caseworker, a branch committee member and Equality Officer. He’s tirelessly served the specific needs of migrant members both locally and at national level on the Migrants Members’ Standing Committee. Beyond this expertise, his contributions have nevertheless covered every aspect of equality issues and I feel very fortunate to have benefited from his expertise and attention to detail as his co-Equality Officer over the past year. His capacity to cite minutiae of rules, regulations, procedures and past decisions has enabled effective decision-making across numerous meetings and I will miss his diligence and level-headed approach to union activism greatly as he moves to a new life beyond UK HE.”

Tom Coogan (Rep, Business School): 

“Gertjan has been a thoughtful, proactive rep for the Business School, with an eye for detail and a practical, good-humored approach to the role. I couldn’t have asked for a better co-rep.”

Michaela Collord

Ella Guerin (Membership & Organising Secretary, Reps Coordinator) and Joe Kearsey (Rep, Politics and International Relations): 

“Michaela has spent the past year as a Membership Secretary and Reps Coordinator, developing the Reps network activity to introduce more informative meetings about the key campaigns, supporting Reps through back to back e- and postal ballots, and guiding many new reps who joined the network in recent months. She has been a pivotal member of the Anti-Casualisation campaign group. In this network, she has contributed a huge amount of work to organising the UoN Anti-Cas survey of our casualised workers, and the 2023 report for UoN UCU on Counting the Cost of Casualisation at the University of Nottingham. Her dedication to supporting and representing casualised members of staff across the university is profound, most recently working with UCU members in the Language Centre to fight against casualisation and job cuts. Michaela has also been the Rep for School of Politics for a number of years to boot!

Michaela’s knowledge, contributions, dedication, and care for every member will be greatly missed as she moves on to pursue a new job at the University of Manchester. But there is no doubt that their branch will be very fortunate to have her!”

Andrew Renault (Casework Coordinator): 

“Michaela has been branch casework coordinator and a very active caseworker focussing on helping members navigate the thorny issue of short term casualised employment contracts. Her insight and energy in getting these renewed and sometimes changed to permanent contracts has been invaluable. She will be sorely missed.”

University worker struggles across the country

Over the past few months we have been highlighting the fights of various branches across the country against job cuts, and asking members to sign petitions and/or send letters in protest. Read on for updates on some of these campaigns.

The UCU branch at Newcastle University ended their dispute with the employer after 40 days of industrial action with a victory. Management has now withdrawn their threat of compulsory redundancies this year, and promised to end their plans for ‘workforce re-sizing’ next year, also making key commitments on workload and casualisation.

The redundancy program at the University of Derby has expanded to include Professional Services staff, after initially being restricted to academics. This is of course the inverse of management’s strategy here at UoN. The UCU branch has however had a significant win in its BDS campaign, forcing the University to de-invest from Blackrock.

Local and national campaigning

Workload Webinars
In order to push back against excessive workloads in the sector, East Midlands UCU is hosting two webinars to equip members with the requisite skills and information. Details below:

• • • • Wednesday 3rd September 4pm: Challenging Excessive Workload in Education
      • Wednesday 22nd October 4pm: Saying No with Confidence

We encourage members to attend. In either instance, please email eastmidlands@ucu.org.uk to register.

Workload campaign – keep up the pressure!
The Branch Workload Campaign Group is working closely with the UCU National Workload Health and Safety Officer, who has advised us to keep gathering data of unsustainable workloads and work-related stress. This is particularly in light of the HSE taking our concerns very seriously.  

You can help by adding your voices to those have already heard via this questionnaire. We will use your voices to keep campaigning for our right to sustainable workloads and a safe and supportive working environment that doesn’t leave us stressed and burnt out. Thank you so much for your help and support. 

Call on Nottinghamshire County Council to divest from apartheid
We encourage all members to sign Nottingham Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s petition demanding that Nottinghamshire County Council divests from from companies and organisations complicit in the genocide in Palestine

Currently the LGPS holds £170 million in shares in genocide-complicit companies. In line with the branch’s BDS motion and solidarity with Palestine motion the branch has given official support to the campaign.

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/

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,

Thank you to everyone who joined last week’s joint rally with UNISON and our picket lines! We are currently waiting for confirmation from the Vice Chancellor that Compulsory Redundancies are off the table. The power to de-escalate is firmly in the hands of management.

We have moved sending this newsletter to Wednesday afternoon so that it is up-to-date with the latest discussions from the Branch Committee. We will also pause the newsletter for much of August.

Read on for the following topics:

1. 1. How we fight back together
   2. Tell us your Unicore woes! Toward a collective grievance.
   3. Summary of branch meeting last week
   4. Remembering Agnes Flues
   5. Branch Committee meeting summary
   6. Request for feedback on promotions process
   7. Workload webinars
   8. Protect University jobs here and across the country
   9. Local and national campaigning
   10. Joining link and further information

How we fight back together

As the University refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies, we are now in a period of ASOS. For guidance on what this means and how to participate, see our ASOS Fundamentals. To maximise the impact, remember to set an automatic reply, and change your email signature to reflect your participation in this industrial action.

In order to support members subject to  salary reductions, we are bolstering our hardship fund. We ask  that members who can donate half a day’s salary – details below:

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

Tell us your Unicore woes! Toward a collective grievance.

The branch has seen a massive increase in casework support requests in the past six months, many are related to the rollout of Unicore, and ongoing systemic failures in HR. These problems can be divided into:

• • Employment contracts: Renewals not being issued, or issued late.
  • Salary payments: Inaccurate and/or late
  • Incorrect tax reporting to HMRC.

Compounding the stress and uncertainty created by these glaring failures is the seeming inability of HR and Payroll to respond to emails complaining about said issues. This weighs particularly heavily on our most vulnerable members; those on fixed term contracts, or in casualised employment.

We are looking for members to participate in creating and filing a collective grievance, in order to pressure the University to fix these systemic issues. If you have been having any issues described above, please contact the branch at uonucubranch@gmail.com to describe your experience.

Summary of branch meeting last week

The Extraordinary Members’ Meeting on Tuesday 22nd July was attended by over 200 members. Following impassioned expressions of anger at compulsory redundancies and calls for solidarity with APM staff, members voted for both strike action on Thursday 24th July and ASOS.

Members also approved the new grievance procedure and a motion to support the ongoing campaign for a dispute with the Secretary of State for Education over funding of HE. 

Remembering Agnes Flues

On 5th August 2024, Agnes Flues, our Branch President from 2020 to 2023 and member of the UCU national executive committee (NEC) from 2023 onwards, died prematurely. 

Agnes’s partner will be laying flowers at her memorial in the UoN memorial garden to mark this one year anniversary on Tuesday 5th August at 5:00 pm. He would welcome being joined by her union comrades, and is happy if anyone would like to say a few words.

Agnes’s memory was marked by the Branch with members joining her local Park Run in November to fundraise in her name, and an April memorial lecture in which the RMT’s Mick Lynch gave the keynote address. Branch Committee members are planning another presence at Wollaton parkrun this autumn to mark her birthday.

Lisa Rüll, one of Equality Officers, speaks for many of us when saying “I miss sharing recipes, crochet patterns and loud chants at our rallies – the news of her passing broke our hearts but we still treasure her example. We will continue to work towards her goals and remain inspired by her actions”.

Branch Committee meeting summary

Your Branch Committee met on Wednesday 16th July and discussed:

• • Planning for rally on Monday 21st July,
  • Preparations for members’ meeting on Tuesday 22nd July,
  • Logistics and materials for strike action on Thursday 24th July,
  • The status of the branch hardship fund.

We also met today, Wednesday 30th July and discussed:

• • Last week’s industrial action and the hardship fund,
  • Expectations and response to Phase One of Future Nottingham,
  • Plans for a new branch banner.

The Branch Committee meets weekly – though it will take a partial hiatus in August. If you would like Committee to discuss a particular topic please email the details to: uonucubranch@gmail.com

Request for feedback on promotions process

As part of the People and Talent Joint Negotiation and Consultation Committee (JNCC), our branch has been asked to get feedback from members about the promotions process, as management is doing an end-to-end review of this. 

Please see the existing feedback here, and please email REDACTED or REDACTED to tell us about: 

• • Concerns about this process that haven’t been addressed in this document
  • Experiences, examples, or feedback (either your own or from colleagues) that highlight concerns with the promotion process, especially where it may have resulted in disadvantage or inequity?

This is our opportunity to help to shape the end-to-end promotions process in ways that better reflect our experiences and needs. Please take the time to send us your feedback.

Workload webinars

In order to push back against excessive workloads in the sector, East Midlands UCU is hosting two webinars to equip members with the requisite skills and information. Details below:

• • Wednesday 3rd September 4pm: Challenging Excessive Workload in Education
  • Wednesday 22nd October 4pm: Saying No with Confidence

We encourage members to attend. In either instance, please email REDACTED to register.

Protect University jobs here and across the country

Our dispute is about workers at the University of Nottingham being threatened with redundancies, our Alternative 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:

• • Save University of Nottingham Jobs,
  • Save Language Centre Casuals and language learning in Nottingham,
  • Stop the redundancies at the University of Derby,
  • End unnecessary redundancies at Newcastle University.

Local and national campaigning

Workload campaign – keep up the pressure!
The Branch Workload Campaign Group is working closely with the UCU National Workload Health and Safety Officer, who has advised us to keep gathering data of unsustainable workloads and work-related stress. This is particularly in light of the HSE taking our concerns very seriously.  

You can help by adding your voices to those have already heard via this questionnaire. We will use your voices to keep campaigning for our right to sustainable workloads and a safe and supportive working environment that doesn’t leave us stressed and burnt out. Thank you so much for your help and support. 

Call on Nottinghamshire County Council to divest from apartheid
We encourage all members to sign Nottingham Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s petition demanding that Nottinghamshire County Council divests from from companies and organisations complicit in the genocide in Palestine

Currently the LGPS holds £170 million in shares in genocide-complicit companies. In line with the branch’s BDS motion and solidarity with Palestine motion the branch has given official support to the campaign.

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/

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,

On Monday 21st July from 11:45 am in Trent Courtyard, a rally will take place outside Council as they make their decision regarding compulsory redundancies. This is a joint demonstration with the UNISON branch at the University. Please make every effort to attend to oppose compulsory redundancies and stand in solidarity with all workers at the University at risk of redundancy.

Read on for the following topics:

1. 1. Get ready for action
   2. Local solidarity fund
   3. Workload campaign – keep up the pressure!
   4. Members meeting report
   5. Branch Committee meeting summary
   6. Protect University jobs here and across the country
   7. Local and national campaigning
   8. Joining link and further information

Get ready for action

We have added a Fundamentals of ASOS page to the website which will take you through all of the key information about what taking ASOS involves, what to expect from the university during ASOS and what to expect from the Branch. The page includes examples of what counts as ASOS, recognising variation between job roles. If you feel that there are questions left unanswered by this information, please submit these and we will endeavour to add this to the website.

There is also an automatic email reply template and an email to management that you are encouraged to adapt and use once the ASOS period starts.

On Monday 21st July 3-4pm we will be hosting an online drop-in to discuss plans and expectations of ASOS. Click here to join.

Local solidarity fund

As a collective organisation, we act to protect each other’s interests. This is at the heart of our current dispute. To do this as effectively as possible, the branch committee has asked national UCU for support from the Fighting Fund. We are also seeking to bolster our local solidarity fund so that we can weather whatever may come, in terms of management choosing to make salary deductions for participation in industrial action. As a branch, we have an excellent record of  supporting members – with thousands of pounds raised and shared locally by members in 2023 in the ‘#target100’ campaign. 

We ask then, that all members who can, donate approximately one day’s wage (after tax) to the local solidarity fund and/or start planning fundraising activities. 

This money will be used to support members through the dispute. To calculate one day’s pay after tax, multiply your monthly gross pay by 12, then divide by 365. Bank details below;

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

Workload campaign – keep up the pressure!

The Branch Workload Campaign Group is working closely with the UCU National Workload Health and Safety Officer, who has advised us to keep gathering data of unsustainable workloads and work-related stress. This is particularly in light of the HSE taking our concerns very seriously.  

You can help by adding your voices to those have already heard via this questionnaire. We will use your voices to keep campaigning for our right to sustainable workloads and a safe and supportive working environment that doesn’t leave us stressed and burnt out. Thank you so much for your help and support. 

Members meeting report

The members’ meeting on Wednesday 9th July was well attended. The focus of the meeting was on the current redundancy plans from the University and our response as a branch. As yet, management has not confirmed whether there will be compulsory redundancies. The branch also discussed our counterproposal to managements destructive plans in Phase 1 of Future Nottingham, with particular focus on the inadequacy of the consultation process and the shortsightedness of the University’s financial modelling.

We were unfortunately not legally able to discuss plans for industrial action, consisting of a one day strike on Thursday 24th July, followed by ASOS at this meeting. 

Branch Committee meeting summary

Your Branch Committee met on Wednesday 9th July and discussed:

• • Arrangements for subsequent members meeting
  • Preparations for rally and strike day
  • Information needed to complete the Action Short of a Strike (ASOS) FAQs
  • Secondment of a member to committee

The Branch Committee meets weekly. If you would like Committee to discuss a particular topic please email the details to: uonucubranch@gmail.com

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

Open letter to UCU Trustees and National Executive Committee
There is an ongoing dispute between employees at UCU head office represented by Unite and UCU as an employer. In June 2024, a branch meeting of UoN UCU passed a motion expressing solidarity with Unite UCU and calling for swift resolution to the dispute. 

As the dispute continues, the branch committee has agreed to share with members and ask them to sign this open letter, which calls on UCU Trustees and elected members of the National Executive Committee to examine the handling of this dispute. 

Call on Nottinghamshire County Council to divest from apartheid
We encourage all members to sign Nottingham Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s petition demanding that Nottinghamshire County Council divests from from companies and organisations complicit in the genocide in Palestine

Currently the LGPS holds £170 million in shares in genocide-complicit companies. In line with the branch’s BDS motion and solidarity with Palestine motion the branch has given official support to the campaign.

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/

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,

Please remember to attend the branch meeting tomorrow, Wednesday 9th July at 1 pm to discuss our next steps in the fight against redundancies. Full details were communicated by the Branch Secretary by email.

Last week we took a break from the newsletter as we wanted the focus of our communications to be on the branch’s ballot win, which has been covered well in the media. Our struggle against job losses has also gained the attention and support of some prominent MPs, communicated privately to branch officers. 

Over the summer period, depending upon the amount of information there is to communicate with members, as well as the capacity of the Branch Committee in general and Communications Officers specifically, these newsletters may be sent fortnightly rather than weekly. 

Read on for the following topics:

1. 1. A credible alternative to job cuts
   2. Casework update
   3. HSE takes action on our workload and work-related stress concerns
   4. Know your rights: The Right to Protest
   5. Branch Committee meeting summary
   6. Protect University jobs here and across the country
   7. Local and national campaigning
   8. Joining link and further information

A credible alternative to job cuts

As communicated by email on Friday 4th July, our branch has created and submitted to management a counterproposal to Phase One of Future Nottingham. The counterproposal builds on our Alternative Financial Strategy (AFS) 2.0, which in turn is informed by the predictive power of the original AFS 1.0 published in 2021. 

The counterproposal sets out a clear and credible set of financial and strategic alternatives to compulsory job losses. It is grounded in robust evidence, sector norms, the University’s own financial data, and insights from staff working within units affected by management’s plans under Phase One. 

The counterproposal demonstrates that viable alternatives to mass redundancies exist. What is needed is not more cuts, but the courage to change direction. Download and read the full counterproposal here. The Executive Summary (pp. 4-8) sets out the key, practical alternatives to the University’s destructive plans.

This was a collaborative and consultative effort with the whole membership – thank you to all who contributed!

Casework update

It’s been a busy year so far for the casework team! Our team has dealt with twice the number of support requests compared to normal. This increase has mostly been down to members needing help with redundancy and protected conversations, but we’ve also seen many more payroll issues. Branch members who volunteer as caseworkers have helped members achieve some significant wins, including:

• • Getting a statutory flexible working request actioned that was being disregarded,
  • Getting reasonable adjustments put in place that had stalled,
  • Securing redundancy pay that hadn’t been forthcoming,
  • Challenging an employment contract that wasn’t actually ‘subject to underlying funding’ as was stated by management.

Two of our caseworkers are unfortunately moving on from UoN over the summer, so we are looking for volunteers who want to contribute to providing practical solidarity to members. Please do get in contact with the branch at uonucubranch@gmail.com if you are interested.
  – Andrew Renault (Casework coordinator) 

HSE takes action on our workload and work-related stress concerns

As yesterday’s email to members from the UCU Workload Group explained, following our formal report to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regarding the University’s failure to meet its legal duties on work-related stress prevention, the HSE has issued a letter to the Vice-Chancellor confirming that our concerns warrant further scrutiny. This calls into question how the current redundancy programme fits into Health and Safety law.

Know your rights: The Right to Protest

Despite the recent proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, your right to protest is still protected by law. Proscription applies to membership and active support for a listed group—not to expressing political opinions, attending protests, or showing solidarity with causes like Palestinian rights.

• • You have the right to protest peacefully, as protected under the Human Rights Act 1998 (Article 10: Freedom of Expression and Article 11: Freedom of Assembly).
  • You can legally attend protests supporting Palestinian rights, provided they are not organised by a proscribed group and you do not carry out acts that could be seen as ‘support’ for the group as defined under the Terrorism Act 2000.
  • Trade union activity is protected by law—we have a proud history of standing in solidarity against injustice.

If you’re unsure about what is and isn’t allowed, get informed before attending a protest. Civil liberties organisations like Liberty, Bindmans LLP, Netpol and Green & Black Cross offer helpful guidance. And if you’re ever questioned or contacted by police about protest activity, you have the right to remain silent and the right to legal advice—use them.

UCU stands for academic freedom, free speech, and the right to protest.

Branch Committee meeting summary

Your Branch Committee met on Wednesday 25th June and Tuesday 1st July and discussed:

• • The development of the branch’s counterproposal to the University’s Phase 1 “restructuring.”
  • Membership of the Joint Negotiation and Consultation Committees,
  • Upcoming University Council elections,
  • Industrial action strategy,
  • The July 9th branch meeting,
  • The ongoing campaign to protect the language centre.

The Committee also heard an update from the Casework Coordinator, Andy Renault.

The Branch Committee meets weekly. If you would like Committee to discuss a particular topic please email the details to: uonucubranch@gmail.com

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:

• • Save University of Nottingham Jobs,
  • Save Language Centre Casuals and language learning in Nottingham,
  • Stop the redundancies at the University of Derby,
  • End unnecessary redundancies at Newcastle University.

Local and national campaigning

Open letter to UCU Trustees and National Executive Committee
There is an ongoing dispute between employees at UCU head office represented by Unite and UCU as an employer. In June 2024, a branch meeting of UoN UCU passed a motion expressing solidarity with Unite UCU and calling for swift resolution to the dispute. 

As the dispute continues, the branch committee has agreed to share with members and ask them to sign this open letter, which calls on UCU Trustees and elected members of the National Executive Committee to examine the handling of this dispute. 

Call on Nottinghamshire County Council to divest from apartheid
Nottingham Palestine Solidarity Campaign is leading a movement to demand Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) divests its Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) from companies and organisations complicit in the genocide in Palestine. Currently the LGPS holds £170 million in shares in genocide-complicit companies. In line with the branch’s BDS motion and solidarity with Palestine motion the branch has given official support to the campaign.

We encourage all members resident in Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County to sign the petition here.

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/

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,

This Thursday, 26th June is the last safe posting date for our current ballot. 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:

1. 1. Open meetings on Future Nottingham and developing a counter proposal
   2. The struggle for the language centre continues
   3. Know your rights
   4. Workload campaign update
   5. Open meetings on Future Nottingham
   6. UoN UCU at Trans Pride
   7. Branch Committee meeting summary
   8. Protect University jobs here and across the country
   9. Local and national campaigning
   10. Joining link and further information

Open meetings on Future Nottingham and developing a counter proposal

Thank you to the approximately 1,500 people who have attended one of our open meetings discussing Future Nottingham from a trade union perspective in the last month. 

Most recently, open meetings took place in the Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences, Social Sciences, and Engineering. With earlier meetings held in Arts, Sciences, and two non-faculty events for all staff. Thanks also to our colleagues in Unison and Unite for making these a successful inter-union project.

The frustration of staff with Future Nottingham has been evident at these meetings; as has the solidarity and care for colleagues and students that so many staff make central to their working lives. Comments, questions and suggestions for possible elements of a counter-proposal were raised and discussed. 

Following these meetings, the branch secretary Nick Clare has emailed members to ask for your thoughts on the University’s proposals for restructuring numerous business units. See email re:‘Finalising the Phase 1 counterproposal.’

Please email the redundancy working group (REDACTED) directly as soon as possible this week with any contributions or reflections you would like considered as part of UoN UCU’s counterproposal.

The struggle for the language centre continues

On Wednesday 18th June approximately 200 staff, students, and members of the community attended an enthusiastic and impassioned rally to say NO to the catastrophic cuts to the Language Centre. During the rally UCU members and Language Centre staff presented the open letter with over 1,100 signatories to University management. We will continue to fight against this unnecessary and shortsighted decision. Click here for ways to stand in solidarity with your colleagues.

Michaela Collord spoke to BBC on behalf of the branch and the anti-casualisation network, joined by staff at the Language Centre affected by these cuts. Listen here from 1:40.

Know your rights 

We are aware that some members have been told that they ‘can’t complain about students’. We are lucky that the majority of our students are a delight to work with. However, there are rare times when unfortunately we may be on the receiving end of disrespectful, harassing and bullying behaviours from students. In these instances, please refer to the university’s Student conduct – The University of Nottingham, which allows for disrespectful behaviours to be challenged in a formal way. Additionally, on some courses this can be addressed through Fitness To Practice processes.

Workload campaign update

Two members of the Workload Campaign are now on the university’s JNCC (Joint Negotiation and Consultation Committee) Workload and Work-Related Stress Task and Finish group, which has its first meeting on Monday 7th July. We are aiming to achieve the following within the Task and Finish Group:

• • An ongoing commitment to limiting workloads to a 100% maximum across the university
  • Establishing working groups within each Business Unit to monitor for potential ‘shrinkflation’ of workload within Workload Models, and ensure Workload Models are reviewed annually in transparent and co-created ways. 
  • Ensuring that all Business Units have Workload Models (e.g. Engineering and other schools don’t currently have one) for EDI and equity purposes.
  • Ensuring that there are transparent workload adjustments for carers and disabled colleagues.
  • Re-working the Organisational Stress Risk Assessment, so that it reflects key issues from our members.
  • Ensuring all Business Units have completed Business Unit Stress Risk Assessments, together with their union reps, for transparency and equality purposes.
  • Ensuring the ongoing review and updating of all Business Unit Stress Risk Assessments for employer accountability.

We would love to get your feedback on the Organisational Stress Risk Assessment. Please read through the document (noting that we were NOT involved in its draft), and email REDACTED with any comments and suggestions of how it needs to be revised so that it fully reflects our experiences and needs. We will take your ideas and suggestions to the first meeting. Thanks so much for your input. 

UoN UCU at Trans Pride

On Saturday, members joined thousands of others to march through the city at Nottingham Trans Pride holding high our branch’s banner. Following the march there was a series of speakers from various local organisations including our committee member and department rep Ella Guerin, who shared our commitment as a union to enabling transgender, non-binary and intersex workers and students to live with respect and dignity.

Branch Committee meeting summary

Your Branch Committee met on Wednesday 18th June and discussed:

• • An update on our current ballot and ‘get the vote out’ work,
  • The campaign to support casualised staff at the Language Centre,
  • Planning for Faculty Open Meetings Meetings on Future Nottingham in Engineering, Medicine and Health Sciences, and Social Sciences.
  • The branch’s ongoing affiliation to and support for Nottingham Citizens,
  • The dispute between UCU head office and staff represented by Unite (see open letter below).

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.

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:

• • Save University of Nottingham Jobs,
  • Save Language Centre Casuals and language learning in Nottingham,
  • Stop the redundancies at the University of Derby,
  • End unnecessary redundancies at Newcastle University.

Local and national campaigning

Open letter to UCU Trustees and National Executive Committee
There is an ongoing dispute between employees at UCU head office represented by Unite and UCU as an employer. In June 2024, a branch meeting of UoN UCU passed a motion expressing solidarity with Unite UCU and calling for swift resolution to the dispute. 

As the dispute continues, the branch committee has agreed to share with members and ask them to sign this open letter, which calls on UCU Trustees and elected members of the National Executive Committee to examine the handling of this dispute. 

Call on Nottinghamshire County Council to divest from apartheid
Nottingham Palestine Solidarity Campaign is leading a movement to demand Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) divests its Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) from companies and organisations complicit in the genocide in Palestine. Currently the LGPS holds £170 million in shares in genocide-complicit companies. In line with the branch’s BDS motion and solidarity with Palestine motion the branch has given official support to the campaign.

We encourage all members resident in Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County to sign the petition here.

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 tomorrow, Wednesday 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/