UCU

UCU members at Newcastle University have backed strike action in defence of jobs: 83% of members who voted did so in favour of strike action in a ballot with a turnout of 64%. 

Management is making over £35m in cuts, has cancelled promotions, restricted travel and has opened a voluntary severance scheme. It has also refused to rule out compulsory redundancies.

At the same time as making these huge cuts at home the university is looking to open a campus in India.

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13903/Newcastle-University-staff-vote-to-strike?utm_source=Mastodon

#UCU #UKHE #HigherEducation

An overwhelming 82% of University of East Anglia (UEA) UCU members have voted in favour of strike action. The ballot resulted in the highest turnout UEA UCU has ever achieved, reaching 67%.

Management has threatened to cut over 190 staff members to meet continued budget shortfalls, including at least 30 staff in the faculty of medicine & health sciences, 25 in the faculty of science, 22 in the faculty of arts & humanities, and at least 90 from departments across professional services.

UEA now needs to begin meaningful negotiations to prevent compulsory redundancies if it wants to avoid industrial unrest.

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13898/Staff-overwhelmingly-back-strike-action-at-University-of-East-Anglia-over-brutal-cuts?utm_source=Mastodon

#UCU #UKHE #HigherEducation

Another blow to adult & community education (ACE) in an FE Week report that budgets set to be cut. ACE transforms lives delivering vital skills & opportunities that society needs.

We need a #NewDealforFE

Read our response.

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13900/Threat-to-cut-adult-education-funding-an-act-of-self-sabotage-that-flies-in-face-of-Labours-missions?utm_source=Mastodon

#UCU #AdultEducation #ACE

Our statement on the government's changes to the Higher Education 'Free Speech' act.

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13814/Labour-should-dispense-with-Tory-culture-war-bill-altogether-says-UCU?utm_source=Mastodon

#UCU #UKHE #HigherEducation

A strike ballot has opened at the University of East Anglia (UEA) after almost one in six staff were put at risk of redundancy because of continued budget shortfalls.

This follows over 400 staff leaving the university in 2023 due to management's projected £40m deficit in that year.

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13812/Strike-ballot-opens-at-University-of-East-Anglia-over-swingeing-job-cuts?utm_source=Mastodon

#UCU #HigherEducation #UKHE

Staff threatened with a restructure by Sunderland University management have been told they cannot tell colleagues they are at risk of losing their jobs.

"It is outrageous for staff who have been threatened with the sack to effectively be gagged by the university and prevented from telling their colleagues."

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13810/Staff-under-redundancy-threat-at-Sunderland-University-gagged-by-management?utm_source=Mastodon

#UCU #HigherEducation #UKHE

🚨 Strike ballot at Newcastle University 🚨

£35m of cuts have left our members suffering.

Staff should not pay the price for management’s financial mismanagement.

Huge cuts across the institution include cancelling promotions, restricting travel, and asking staff to quit the institution via a voluntary severance scheme. The university has also refused to rule out compulsory redundancies.

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13809/Strike-ballot-to-open-at-Newcastle-University-over-the-impact-of-35m-cuts?utm_source=Mastodon

#UCU #HigherEducation #UKHE

Northumbria University has withdrawn its business with French and business with Spanish undergraduate degrees with immediate effect.
The university emailed impacted staff last week to tell them students accepted onto the programmes will now be unable to enrol and current students will be 'taught out'.

The news comes just a month after the university's vice-chancellor told all staff 'there are no planned programme closures or redundancies'.

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13779/Northumbria-University-to-close-business-and-language-courses?utm_source=Mastodon

#UCU #UKHE #HigherEducation

Staff at Sheffield Hallam University will strike in defence of jobs and employment conditions from 23-26 September. 

The university has pushed ahead with expensive building projects and satellite campuses while launching a wholesale attack on staff and students through an unprecedented cuts programme, severely breaching the post-92 contract and national Framework Agreement, and destroying working conditions.    

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13703/Staff-at-Sheffield-Hallam-University-set-to-strike?utm_source=Mastodon&utm_medium=Social

#UCU #UKHE #HigherEducation

In case you missed it, please see this message from our General Secretary and President sent to UCU members earlier this week:

“As a union, our duty is to take the fight against racism and fascism into every workplace and community we have a foothold in. There will always be those who organise–from above and from below–to divide us and sow hatred. As educators and trade unionists, we will work tirelessly to defeat them." 

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13701/UCU-response-to-far-right-riots?utm_source=Mastodon&utm_medium=Social

#UCU #TradeUnions #AntiFascist

Goldsmiths senior management plan to sack over 90 academics despite having tens of millions in cash reserves. We need a full, independent audit of the institution's finances.

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13702/UCU-accuses-Goldsmiths-management-of-burning-down-its-own-house-calls-for-independent-audit?utm_source=Mastodon&utm_medium=Social

#UCU #UKHE #HigherEducation #BoycottGoldsmiths

Statement on St Andrews University attack on freedom of speech

#UCU #UKHE #HigherEducation #AcademicFreedom

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13695/Statement-on-St-Andrews-University-attack-on-freedom-of-speech?utm_source=Mastodon&utm_medium=Social

Our members must not be left to suffer from the inequalities and degraded living standards they experienced under Tory rule.

Labour must invest in the further education workforce.

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13684/Government-needs-to-invest-in-further-education-to-achieve-missions?utm_source=Mastodon&utm_medium=Social

#UCU #UKFE #FurtherEducation

Sexual violence against students and staff has been allowed to become rife on campus, and action to push universities and colleges to properly tackle this issue is long overdue. Read our response to the Office for Students plans.

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13687/UCU-response-to-OfS-actions-to-tackle-sexual-violence?utm_source=Mastodon&utm_medium=Social

#UCU #UKHE #HigherEducation

UCU members at Goldsmiths University of London have voted to take continuous strike action from 23 September in defence of jobs. Management must think again, cancel the cuts and work with us to safeguard Goldsmiths' future. If not they face long term disruption

Over 90 members of staff at risk of losing their jobs before the start of the next academic year in September.

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13686/Continuous-strike-action-announced-at-Goldsmiths?utm_source=Mastodon&utm_medium=Social

#UCU #UKHE #HigherEducation #Goldsmiths

The University of Portsmouth's attempt to create a two-tier workforce by blocking access to TPS & attacking jobs is unacceptable.

From 1 August the university intends to employ all new staff through a wholly owned subsidiary company which will deny them access to the Teacher's Pension Scheme and enrol them on a drastically inferior scheme instead.

This comes just months after the university put 597 staff at risk of redundancy.

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13673/University-of-Portsmouth-to-prevent-staff-accessing-Teachers-Pension-Scheme?utm_source=Mastodon&utm_medium=Social

#UCU #UKHE #HigherEducation

UCU responded to the King's Speech by calling on the government to ensure that workers are prioritised, and its New Deal for Working People is not diluted.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said the commitment to phase out zero-hour contracts is welcome, adding 'thousands of staff members working in post-16 education on precarious contracts will want to see this enacted as quickly as possible.'

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13662/University-and-College-Union-response-to-Kings-Speech?utm_source=Mastodon&utm_medium=Social

#UCU #UKHE #HigherEducation #Casualisation

Fewer than four in ten postgraduate researchers (PGRs) with non-visible disabilities are happy with the support they receive from their university, according to a new UCU report 'Non-visibly Disabled PGR Experiences of Studies and Careers'.

The report finds that PGRs face challenges accessing help as they are both students and employees, but support systems are primarily designed for undergraduate students.

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13637/Report-shows-universities-are-failing-disabled-postgraduate-researchers?utm_source=Mastodon&utm_medium=Social

#UCU #UKHE #HigherEducation #PGRs

As we launch our 2024 election manifesto, we urge the next government to replace Ofsted inspections, make employers pay towards to the costs of building a skilled workforce, and help improve the pay and conditions of further and higher education workers.

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13619/UCU-manifesto-calls-for-employers-to-help-fund-education?utm_source=Mastodon&utm_medium=Social&campaign=GE2024

#UCU #HigherEducation #FurtherEducation #PrisonEducation AdultEducation