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,

Welcome to your weekly newsletter. To mark this most important day, we have included half of our news updates in this email with the other half printed on a scroll and hidden somewhere in one of the buildings on the Castle Meadow Campus. You will be allowed to search for these important updates once the campus formally opens in… [transmission interrupted].

Please remember to get tickets for the inaugural Agnes Flues memorial lecture on Thursday 24th April at 6pm. The tickets are now available without an access code, so please share with people outside of UCU.

Read on for the following topics:

1. 1. Open Union Meetings for APM, O&F and TS Roles
   2. American and Canadian Studies – a sign of things to come?
   3. Make sure your colleagues know what’s happening at UoN
   4. Workload testimonials for Health and Safety Executive
   5. Know your rights – sickness absence
   6. Branch Committee meeting summary
   7. Local and national campaigning
   8. Joining link and further information

Open Union Meetings for APM, O&F and TS Roles

Please pass on the below invite to your colleagues (unionised or not) who are working outside of research and teaching roles.

OPEN TO ALL STAFF – MEETINGS TO DISCUSS;

• • Future Nottingham
  • Possible restructures
  • Financial position
  • Next steps

This is on behalf of all three University of Nottingham Unions and thus all job levels 1 – 7. Both dates will be online via Teams (Join using your UoN account): 

Today Tuesday April 1st 3pm-4pm
Thursday April 3rd 9.30am-10.30am

UCU, Unison and Unite

American and Canadian Studies – a sign of things to come?

With all undergraduate degrees already suspended for 2025/2026, colleagues in American and Canadian Studies (ACS) were informed that the degrees will remain suspended for 2026/2027 too. Understandably, colleagues are concerned whether there will still be a job for them in 2027/2028, when almost all current students will have completed their degree. Importantly, they are fighting back collectively, having tabled a constructive proposal for a way forward saving all jobs.  The committee is, however, concerned that this is just the start of Future Nottingham, with the suspension and eventual closure of many more courses to follow in due course. It indicates that our dispute over the VC’s failure to commit to no compulsory redundancies remains of utmost importance.

Make sure your colleagues know what’s happening at UoN

Help make colleagues aware of what’s really happening at UoN, from job cuts to vanity projects. Download our campaign poster, print it off and stick it to your office door or anywhere else people will see it.

This poster was developed by the Redundancy Working Group, which develops our strategy to combat the risk of redundancies and feeds back to the Branch Committee. If you are interested in joining, please contact uonucubranch@gmail.com.

Workload testimonials for Health and Safety Executive

Following reporting to HSE for UoN failure to meet legal obligations regarding stress prevention, the Workload Working Group has asked for a bespoke Workload/stress JNCC or equivalent to be created, so that this work can be addressed swiftly and efficiently. We will keep you posted on the University’s response to this request.

In the meantime, please fill out this form to help us gather testimonials regarding workload issues to submit to the HSE Inspector. All responses are anonymised.

Know your rights – sickness absence

UoN is sending out formal invitations to attend Long Term Absence Meetings while members are still signed off sick by their GP.  Please note that the UoN sickness absence management policy (section 5.1) states: “In all cases, contact should be approached sensitively and should be clearly focused on the employee’s health and wellbeing and their return to work”. UCU considers such requests insensitive and detrimental to health and wellbeing and advises you to not attend any meetings until you are fit for work.

Branch Committee meeting summary

Your Branch Committee met on Wednesday 27th March (despite power cuts preventing some members’ timely arrival) and discussed;

• • The previous day’s Vice Chancellor inaugural lecture,
  • Improving Branch Committee meeting efficiency as well as the roles and responsibilities of the various Working Groups,
  • The possibility of a Trade dispute with the Secretary of Education,
  • How to effectively reach out to non-unionised staff at UoN,
  • Plans for the upcoming AGM,
  • Strategy and timeline for combating the threat of APM redundancies,

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

Local and national campaigning

Gathering information on redundancy
At UoN UCU, we are determined to fight management’s cuts, especially when they put the job security of our members at risk.  In order to prepare for any future redundancies we are keen to find out more about what sort of cuts or suspicious changes are happening across the University. We’ve set up a google form for you to share this information with us.

Workload group drop ins
The Workload Group is organising drop-in sessions to support members to fight against unsustainable workloads. The next sessions will take place online;
Tuesday 1st April 3:15-4:15 pm. REDACTED

Call for delegates to hybrid congress – either in-person or online 
Lisa Rull and Gertjan Lucas, Equality Officers, had been nominated as delegates to the annual UCU congress. With four positions available, they have been elected unopposed. Nominations will remain open until a sufficient number of delegates is reached, so if you are still interested do get in touch by emailing the branch.

‘Green Futures’ newsletter
UCU’s Climate Ecological Emergency Committee are now releasing a quarterly newsletter. Read all about them and their work. Interested in this topic? Please email the branch at uonucubranch@gmail.com so we can direct you to more information on UCU’s Climate and Ecological Emergency work.

Solidarity with university boycotts and democratic protests in Turkey!
In response to academic and political repression, widespread protests and academic boycotts are taking place across Turkey against the anti-democratic practices of the government. Read here for more information and to sign a petition in solidarity with Turkish students, academics and protesters.

Solidarity with Unison healthcare assistants in Nottingham
Hundreds of healthcare assistants have voted YES to strike action with a majority of 94%. This comes after the employer’s refusal to improve an offer on back-pay to compensate workers performing clinical duties outside their job description during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Please support your fellow workers by paying a visit to their picket lines at QMC and City Hospital on the 10th, 11th, 17th, 22nd, and 28th of April. Pickets will be in place from 6:30 am – 2:30 pm each day.

UoN complicity with Gaza genocide
On Wednesday, 26th March the local UCU branch held a seminar on UoN’s complicity in genocide in Gaza with a speaker from the encampment students, outlining key findings from their research report in this respect. This included links between UoN and arms manufacturers as well as UoN and Israeli institutions of Higher Education. Rachel Rosen from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign at UCL also addressed the meeting, speaking about their experiences with engaging wider staff and management at their university, thereby providing food for thought re the BDS campaign at UoN. The recording of the event is now available here.

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! 

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,

Eid Mubarak to all those celebrating on monday. 

We are happy to announce that tickets for the Inaugural Agnes Flues memorial lecture, given by RMT Secretary-general Mick Lynch on Thursday 24th April at 6pm, are now available. Please use code ‘UONUCU’ when booking. Celebrate the life of Agnes and the movement that she worked so passionately and tirelessly for. All money raised will go to the hardship fund and the running of the event.

Read on for the following topics:

1. 1. Sound the alarm on redundancies
   2. University reported to Health and Safety Executive
   3. Your Union needs you!
   4. Branch Committee meeting summary
   5. Local and national campaigning
   6. Focus on Equality
   7. Joining link and further information

Sound the alarm on redundancies

Help make colleagues aware of what’s really happening at UoN, from job cuts to vanity projects. Download our campaign poster, print it off and stick it to your office door or anywhere else people will see it.

This poster was developed by the Redundancy Working Group, which develops our strategy to combat the risk of redundancies and feeds back to the Branch Committee. If you are interested in joining, please contact uonucubranch@gmail.com.

University reported to Health and Safety Executive

As communicated in the email from Jenny Elliot on Friday, UCU Branch Committee have made the decision to report UoN to HSE for workload and stress health and safety breaches. This follows repeated unsuccessful requests for the University to provide the legally required stress risk assessments and business unit stress risk assessments. Your branch considers that there is substantial unmitigated risk to workload-related health across the University. We will keep you updated with the news from HSE.

Your Union needs you!

If you’re a member in any of the below listed areas, we would love to talk to you about what it means to become a Rep or, if that sounds daunting, an area contact for the branch. If you think it could work for you and you’re curious to hear more, then email our reps coordinators, Ella (REDACTED) and Michaela (REDACTED)

• • Archeology & Classics
  • Bio Sciences
  • Counselling 
  • Cultural, Media & Visual Studies
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Engineering Research
  • External and International Relations
  • History
  • Law
  • Mechanical
  • Materials and Manufacturing Engineering
  • Medicine
  • Music
  • Pharmacy
  • Registrar’s department

Branch Committee meeting summary

Your Branch Committee met on Wednesday 19th March and discussed

• • Arrangements for e-ballot towards industrial action,
  • Materials and actions for responding to – and informing staff of – University financial mismanagement,
  • Arrangements for event in solidarity with Palestine,
  • UCU UoN presence at the Staff information Fair,

Lopa Leach and Gertjan Lucas also reported back from their meeting with members of Parliament as part of a delegation from UCU.

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

Local and national campaigning

Call for delegates to congress
Lisa Rull and Gertjan Lucas, Equality Officers, had been nominated as delegates to the annual UCU congress. With four positions available, they have been elected unopposed. Nominations will remain open until a sufficient number of delegates is reached, so if you are still interested do get in touch by emailing the branch.

UoN complicity in genocide in Gaza
With the genocidal onslaught by the Israeli war machine against Gaza and across the Westbank in full swing again, our Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign here at the University of Nottingham remains of utmost importance.

Join us tomorrow, Wednesday, 26 March from 4 to 5.30 p.m. for a Zoom meeting (details below) on UoN’s complicity in genocide, hear from our fabulous encampment students about Nottingham’s co-operation with arms manufacturers and Israeli universities, and learn from the BDS campaign at UCL.  

REDACTED

Gathering information on redundancy
At UoN UCU, we are determined to fight management’s cuts, especially when they put the job security of our members at risk.  In order to prepare for any future redundancies we are keen to find out more about what sort of cuts or suspicious changes are happening across the University. We’ve set up a google form for you to share this information with us.

Workload group drop ins
The Workload Group is organising drop-in sessions to support members to fight against unsustainable workloads. The next sessions will take place online;

Wednesday 26th March 3:00-4:00 pm. REDACTED
Tuesday 1st April 3:15-4:15 pm. REDACTED

Focus on Equality

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Today, Tuesday 25th March marks the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and UCU will be hosting a special webinar that day, 6:00-7:00 pm entitled “Education, reparations and justice: the legacy of slavery in post-16 learning”. Keynote speech will be given by Dr Leona Vaughn, academic and researcher in the field of equalities and social justice, and the webinar is hosted by UCU president Maxine Looby. Please click here to register

‘Green Futures’ newsletter
UCU’s Climate Ecological Emergency Committee are now releasing a quarterly newsletter. Read all about them and their work. Interested in this topic? Please email the branch at uonucubranch@gmail.com so we can direct you to more information on UCU’s Climate and Ecological Emergency work.

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! 

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 newsletter is coming out slightly late due to Scott and Will being on leave. We will resume the regular Tuesday mailings from next week. 

At UoN UCU, we are determined to fight management’s cuts, especially when they put the job security of our members at risk.  In order to prepare for any future redundancies we are keen to find out more about what sort of cuts or suspicious changes are happening across the University. We’ve set up a google form for you to share this information with us.

Read on for the following topics:

1. 1. Members strike back!
   2. Solidarity with casual workers! SIGN the Open Letter in support of Language Centre staff
   3. Know your rights – are you an “Employee” or a “Worker”?
   4. Branch Committee meeting summary
   5. Departmental Reps meeting summary
   6. Local and national campaigning
   7. Solidarity with Palestine
   8. Focus on Equality
   9. Joining link and further information

Members strike back!

As reported by email from Lopa Leach (branch President), the last members meeting on Wednesday 12th March sent a resounding message that UoN UCU will not accept compulsory redundancies. As a result of the approved motion means that we have now  formally declared an industrial dispute and can prepare for industrial action if necessary.

The dispute has also been reported in the Nottingham Post, alongside details of the University’s financial management. See the AFS 2.0 for the branch’s proposals on how the University could manage its finances to prevent job losses and save the University.

No compulsory redundancies!

Solidarity with casual workers! SIGN the Open Letter in support of Language Centre staff 

Casual staff at the Language Centre convene, deliver, and assess undergraduate modules and/or teach evening classes. Some have worked full-time equivalent hours for years. Yet, like casual workers across the University, casual staff at the Centre face serious challenges, including late and incorrect payments, poor communication, and cumbersome administrative processes. Casual engagements also offer lower pay, fewer benefits, and less job security compared to fixed-term or permanent contracts. The introduction of Unicore has made a bad situation worse, leading some staff to borrow money for essential bills due to delayed wages. The resulting stress has been immense. 

Please sign the open letter to support casual workers at the Language Centre in their call for more secure contracts and a robust system to ensure timely payment for their work.

Know your rights – are you an “Employee” or a “Worker”? 

Staff at UoN can have two types of employment status in line with UK labour law. They may be ‘employees’, meaning that they are directly employed by the University on fixed-term or permanent contracts. Alternatively, they are ‘workers’ and casually engaged. Workers have fewer rights than employees, and at UoN, their pay is generally lower and administered differently (i.e. through the more cumbersome and error-prone submission of time-sheets). 

The UCU-affiliated Anti-Casualisation (Anti-Cas) Network has long campaigned for the elimination of casual engagements at UoN. In 2023, as a direct consequence of the 2022 MAB, UCU and UoN jointly agreed Principles for Casual Engagements, which should see many casual workers moved onto more secure employment contracts. As of December 2024, the Principles were extended to all job families at UoN. 

Despite these gains, implementation of the Principles is still lagging.

Action you can take: 

• • Sign! Sign the open letter in support of casual workers at the Language Centre
  • Report! If you are yourself a casual worker and believe the Principles entitle you to a direct employment contract, get in touch with Anti-Cas: anticasuon@gmail.com

Branch Committee meeting summary

The Branch Committee met on Wednesday 12th March. After hearing an update from the Workload Campaign Group. We also discussed;

• • A draft open letter to the University concerning implementation of policies for casual engagement,
  • Solidarity between our branch and UK institutions facing redundancies,
  • Arrangements for the Agnes Flues Lecture,
  • Contingency plans for delivery of this newsletter in the absence of communications officers,
  • Gathering information on Redundancies at UoN.

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

Departmental Reps meeting summary

Your Departmental Reps met on Tuesday 11th March and discussed;

• • The University’s policy on responsible use of research metrics,
  • The nature and implications of protected conversations,
  • Getting involved in formal meetings in our areas as Departmental Reps,

There was also a call by Gertjan Lucas (Equalities Officer, Business School Rep) for nominations for delegates to the annual UCU congress.

The Departmental Reps meeting occurs approximately monthly to provide space for Reps to feed back comments and concerns from members in their areas. 

The Reps network extends across most academic Schools and professional services, however there are a number of academic and professional services departments still needing Reps. If your department has no Rep, and this role interests you please email uonucubranch@gmail.com. New Reps are well supported by the Branch Committee and the rest of the Reps network.

Local and national campaigning

Workload group drop ins
The Workload Group is organising drop-in sessions to support members to fight against unsustainable workloads. The next session will take place online tomorrow Thursday 20th March 1:30-2:30 pm. Meeting Link

Call for delegates to congress
Lisa Rull and Gertjan Lucas, Equality Officers, had been nominated as delegates to the annual UCU congress. With four positions available, they have been elected unopposed. Nominations will remain open until a sufficient number of delegates is reached, so if you are still interested do get in touch by emailing the branch.

Climate lecture
Join us for the third and final ‘Democracy at the Crossroads’ lecture with Alan Simpson. Today, 19 March Alan will speak on “Rebuilding from the base: the ‘me’ and the ‘we’ of democratic renewal” in A39 in the Sir Clive Granger Building, University Park from 2 to 4 pm. 

Solidarity with Palestine

In light of Israel’s breaking of the ceasefire and murder of 100s of Palestinians, this section highlights some local ways to get involved with solidarity with Palestine.

Policy of Deceit: Britain and Palestine 1914-1939
Tonight, Wednesday 19th March at 7:30 pm Peter Shambrook will discuss his book on the betrayal of the Palestinian people by the British state. The talk will take place in the Mary Seacole Room, Queen’s Walk Community Centre, Nottingham NG2 2DF. No booking necessary. Hosted by Nottingham PSC and Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Labour History Society.

Silent March for Palestine
On Saturday 22nd March at 3:30 pm Nottingham PSC is organising a silent march starting from Forest Recreation Ground. If attending, please wear black. The march will finish by 5:00 pm to allow those observing Ramadan to return home for iftar. More details here.

Save-the-Date – UoN complicity in genocide in Gaza
On Wednesday 26 March, 4:00 to 5.30 pm UCU will organise a public Zoom seminar on UoN complicity in genocide in Gaza. Our main speaker will be from the student encampment, presenting key findings of their research report on UoN complicity. A UCU representative will speak about our own BDS campaign here at UoN, leaving us with ample time to discuss what we can do at our own workplace to stop the genocide. Zoom details will follow in due course.

Focus on Equality

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Tuesday 25th March marks the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and UCU will be hosting a special webinar that day, 6:00-7:00 pm entitled “Education, reparations and justice: the legacy of slavery in post-16 learning”. Keynote speech will be given by Dr Leona Vaughn, academic and researcher in the field of equalities and social justice, and the webinar is hosted by UCU president Maxine Looby. Please click here to register

Pride and Prejudice in Education 2025
UCU is updating the Pride and Prejudice in Education report about LGBT+ experiences in FE and HE (2016). They are inviting you to complete a survey by the deadline of Friday 21st March. Please do share the survey as it is for all LGBT+ FE and HE staff and students/learners. The chief investigator is Dr Kieran Higgins based at Ulster University.

‘Green Futures’ newsletter
UCU’s Climate Ecological Emergency Committee are now releasing a quarterly newsletter. Read all about them and their work. Interested in this topic? Please email the branch at uonucubranch@gmail.com so we can direct you to more information on UCU’s Climate and Ecological Emergency work.

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! 

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,

Happy Holi to all those celebrating this Friday! Remember the all members’ meeting on tomorrow Wednesday 12th March at 1:00 pm to discuss and vote on declaration of dispute with our employer, in order to defend jobs at UoN. In addition we will be making preparations for the 2025 UCU national congress. 

Read on for the following topics:

1. 1. Alternative Financial Strategy 2.0
   2. Know your rights – workload
   3. TUC Women’s Conference report – Lisa Rull
   4. Branch Committee meeting summary
   5. Local and national campaigning
   6. Focus on equality
   7. Joining link and further information

Alternative Financial Strategy 2.0

As the Vice Chancellor has refused to rule out compulsory redundancies during the current and next academic year and there is talk about a 20 per cent cut in activities across the university, the branch has released the second version of the Alternative Financial Strategy (AFS 2.0). Undoubtedly, there are sector-wide financial pressures and UoN is not alone in facing redundancies. However, there has also been drastic UoN specific financial mismanagement especially around the Castle Meadow Campus, which significantly aggravates our local situation. 

In the AFS 2.0, we specify what can and should be done in order to continue performing the educational and research role of the University. This includes an urgent review of all planned infrastructure investments as well as the establishment of better accountability procedures for management decisions. 

Know your rights – workload

There are two main pieces of health and safety law which cover work-related stress:

• • Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 – this puts a ‘duty of care’ on employers to protect their employees from the risk of stress at work
  • Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 – this requires all employers to make a ‘suitable and sufficient assessment’ of the risks to the health and safety of their employees at work

Taken together, this means that by law employers must:

• • Identify any risks to their employees’ health, for example by carrying out a risk assessment,
  • Take steps to prevent or reduce work-related stress

Employers must also make sure they’re following the law on working time rules (for more information see Working Time Regulations 1998). This is because working long hours without regular breaks can be a cause of work-related stress.

TUC Women’s Conference report – Lisa Rull

UCU sends a delegation to the TUC Women’s Conference each year, of which our own Lisa Rull (UCU UoN Equality Officer) formed part of the delegation. This year she spoke on Composite 8: Menopause, highlighting the need for both employer and union support and policies for those experiencing menopause (including premature, peri- and post- symptoms).

Lisa also attended last year and moved Motion 11: End intimate police searches.

The conference also marked the formal launch of UCU’s extensively revised and updated poster marking International Women’s Day – suitable to promote all year round!

Branch Committee meeting summary

Your Branch Committee met on Wednesday 5th March and discussed

• • Strategy for outstanding and further protected conversations
  • Developments in other branches to challenge the government over Higher Education funding
  • Concerns about the ways in which the Research Excellence Framework (REF) is being used across the University.

The Committee also heard updates from the Redundancy and Palestine Solidarity Working Groups.

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

Local and national campaigning

Workload group drop ins
The Workload Group is organising drop-in sessions to support members to fight against unsustainable workloads. The next session will take place online on Thursday 20th March 1:30-2:30 pm. Meeting Link

Climate lecture
Join us for the third and final ‘Democracy at the Crossroads’ lecture with Alan Simpson. On Wednesday 19th March Alan will speak on “Rebuilding from the base: the ‘me’ and the ‘we’ of democratic renewal” in A39 in the Sir Clive Granger Building, University Park from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. 

Focus on equality

Pride and Prejudice in Education 2025
UCU is updating the Pride and Prejudice in Education report about LGBT+ experiences in FE and HE (2016). They are inviting you to complete a survey by the deadline of Friday 21st March. Please do share the survey as it is for all LGBT+ FE and HE staff and students/learners. The chief investigator is Dr Kieran Higgins based at Ulster University.

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Tuesday 25th March marks the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and UCU will be hosting a special webinar that day, 6:00-7:00 pm entitled “Education, reparations and justice: the legacy of slavery in post-16 learning”. Keynote speech will be given by Dr Leona Vaughn, academic and researcher in the field of equalities and social justice, and the webinar is hosted by UCU president Maxine Looby. Please click here to register

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! 

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,

Welcome to your weekly newsletter. Please don’t forget to attend the general meeting on Wednesday 12th March at 1:00 pm to discuss and vote on declaration of dispute with our employer, in order to defend jobs at UoN. In addition we will be making preparations for the 2025 UCU national congress. Further details (including the text of the motions) can be found in the email from Nick Clare (Branch Secretary) on 3rd March. 

Read on for the following topics:

1. 1. Been called in for a “protected conversation”?
   2. Know your rights – redundancy
   3. Branch Committee meeting summary
   4. Local and national campaigning
   5. Focus on equality
   6. Joining link and further information

Been called in for a “protected conversation”?

Many members have been called in for “protected conversations”. The prospect of this can be frightening and intimidating, but your Branch will support you if you are an eligible member. Please submit a casework request here using the blue tab at the right of the screen.

An FAQ for protected conversations can be found on the branch website.

Know your rights – redundancy 

There is growing concern about compulsory redundancy at UoN affecting permanent members of staff. However, many staff on fixed-term contracts or with fixed-term underlying funding routinely face redundancy as their contracts approach their end date. Staff also take these redundancies as inevitable. 

Never assume redundancy is inevitable or fair simply because your contract is expiring. This is especially true for staff with permanent contracts subject to fixed-term underlying funding. As of autumn 2024, HR has conceded that this contract type should not exist. You are permanent, period. 

An employer who has provisionally selected an employee for redundancy must write to them warning of the risk of redundancy and invite them to an individual consultation meeting. You have a right to be accompanied to this meeting by a union caseworker. Make sure to take advantage of this! Contact the casework team and ask to discuss the circumstances of your redundancy. 

Branch Committee meeting summary

Your Branch Committee met on Wednesday 26th February and discussed

• • Recommendations from the UCU East Midlands Regional Office on potential dispute and industrial action.
  • The details of the motion to be voted on at the members’ meeting on 12th March
  • Motions for UCU congress
  • “Protected Conversations” as they pertain to Administrative, Professional and Managerial (APM) colleagues.

We also nominated and approved Andrew Armstrong as the delegate for the annual UCU Academic-Related, Professional Services meeting.

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

This week’s meeting was followed by a meeting with the Redundancy Working Group and Branch Committee to discuss strategy to oppose redundancies.

Local and national campaigning

Workload group drop ins
The Workload Group is organising drop-in sessions to support members to fight against unsustainable workloads. The next two sessions will take place online:

• • Wednesday 5th March, 2:00-3:00 pm. REDACTED
  • Tuesday 11th March 9:30-10:30 am. REDACTED

Focus on equality

International Women’s Day
Join UCU in celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD) this Saturday 8th March. This year’s campaign theme is Accelerate Action and UCU has produced a new wall chart depicting women’s fight for equality since the first International Women’s Day. 

Pride and Prejudice in Education 2025
UCU is updating the Pride and Prejudice in Education report about LGBT+ experiences in FE and HE (2016). They are inviting you to complete a survey by the deadline of Friday 21st March. Please do share the survey as it is for all LGBT+ FE and HE staff and students/learners. The chief investigator is Dr Kieran Higgins based at Ulster University.

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Tuesday 25th March marks the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and UCU will be hosting a special webinar that day, 6:00-7:00 pm entitled “Education, reparations and justice: the legacy of slavery in post-16 learning”. Keynote speech will be given by Dr Leona Vaughn, academic and researcher in the field of equalities and social justice, and the webinar is hosted by UCU president Maxine Looby. Please click here to register

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! 

Yours sincerely,

L Scott Blankenship and Will Paterson-Bassett, Branch Communications Officers, on behalf of UoN UCU Branch Committee

Branch website: https://uonucu.org/