In response to the Vice-Chancellor’s refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies until at least 31st December 2027, and proposed changes to workload linked to altered staff-student ratios, UCU entered into a trade dispute with the University in December 2025. A series of dispute resolution meetings between UCU and the Vice-Chancellor began in January 2026, but the Vice-Chancellor was unable to make a commitment to avoid compulsory redundancies. A formal ballot of members on whether to take industrial action ran from 2nd March 2026 to 20th April 2026. Members voted overwhelmingly in support of strike action and action short of a strike, giving UCU a mandate to take strike action until April 2027.
On 6th May 2026, Council approved the draft business case for FN2. This was provided to UCU on 7th May where the scale of the proposed cuts was confirmed: the removal of just over 600 FTE posts, if necessary through compulsory redundancy in January 2027. The draft business case also proposed making some temporary course suspensions permanent, leading to the closure of the Departments of American and Canadian Studies, Modern Languages and Music.
The University’s governing Council meets to decide the final FN2 restructuring plans on 30th September and 1st October. Staff at the University of Nottingham will strike on those two days, and this will be followed by sustained strike action from 5th October to 11th December, alongside action short of strike.
UCU is fully committed to opposing these job losses, course closures and protecting members’ working conditions. To do this it is imperative that members support all industrial action called.
Last Updated on September 2, 2026 by Tom Coogan
