Former Tory MP Penny Mordaunt’s claims that trade unions are “openly antisemitic” are false, dangerous and deeply irresponsible.
Trade unions have long stood against antisemitism and all forms of hate and continue to fight for equality, fairness and solidarity for all working people.
UCU is horrified by the appalling attack at the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester during Yom Kippur.
Our deepest condolences go to those who lost loved ones, and our solidarity to our Jewish members and the wider community.
www.ucu.org.uk/article/1421...
"[S]hould private capital be allowed to profit from and control the direction of a British university?"
Guy Standing: How financialisation is corroding education in the UK
#UKHE
#HigherEd
www.opendemocracy.net/en/private-e...
Sorbonne University withdraws from the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.
#HigherEd
www.sorbonne-universite.fr/en/news/sorb...
Universities are under attack. By defending ourselves, we are defending the whole sector.
Vote YES.
#WeAreTheUniversity
Our members at @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social have voted for industrial action in a dispute over pay and conditions
Imperial can afford to pay its staff a fair wage and must do the right thing
www.ucu.org.uk/article/1418...
One does wonder why so many rich people seem so keen on buying universities if they're in as huge a financial pit as declared...
Almost as if, for some, none of this is about innovative research and critical education anymore?
UK university staff: have any of your employers issued a formal communication (either by exec or line management) or any message to staff concerning the far-right protest on Saturday in London?
(feel free to DM if you'd rather not elaborate on main, also "yes/no" is enough)
Strike action is ON!!!
Next week will be the first of 4 weeks of striking from our members as we continue to say NO to the compulsory redundancies forced on us by the university for their poor financial choices.
#StopTheCuts #SaveHE
In the 1950s-60s, British fascists, such as Oswald Mosley, were invited to speak at various university campuses. They used these invitations to portray themselves as part of a legitimate debate (while also courting infamy), but their speeches were often opposed.
hatfulofhistory.com/2021/06/06/w...
Solidarity to Leicester UCU in the fight to save jobs and stop course closures! An injury to one is an injury to all!
QMUCU branch committee statement. We learnt with dismay about UCU Senior Managements’ threats of 100% pay deductions for Actions Short of Strike against Unite UCU members.
We oppose these threats in the strongest of terms. They breach union policy voted on in congress. They replicate the worst employers' practice. They contravene our legal work challenging ASOS deductions.
We express our solidarity with Unite UCU and call on UCU senior management to revoke these threats, protect all workers from disproportionate deductions, and negotiate with Unite UCU without preconditions.
As a union, we have been fighting employers’ attempts at making 100% pay deductions for ASOS legal since 2019. As a branch, we’ve been at the forefront of that fight since 2022.
Our own union going against our policies, workers’ interest, and legal cases hurts.
Letter: qmucu.org/2025/09/12/l...
'"You can’t have hobbyist research that’s unfunded going on in institutions. We can’t afford it.”'
Such a badly formulated phrasing of the issues, so open to so many misinterpretations. If this is the level of thinking about research among sector leaders and policy-makers, be very afraid.
All UCU branch committees should consider supporting this statement.
Solidarity to Unite UCU.
No university staff should be left anxious and in the dark.
We stand with @ucukent staff demanding reassurance and protection for jobs.
Show your support to colleagues at Kent ✊
An unwelcome boost to our ongoing @sheffielducu.bsky.social industrial action ballot as our VC announces more work areas to be targeted by cuts.
It is unclear that this has much to do with finances, but is more an ideological push to change the University's "size and shape".
We're striking to stop budget cuts and mass redundancies and standing up for the future of our students' education. There is no deficit.
At #TUC2025, UCU President Maria Chondragianni challenged Labour on higher education:
“The Tories introduced a failed, marketised model across education. This has been disastrous.”
✊ We will keep holding Labour to account.
#ucu #WeAreTheUniversity
This is the best thing anyone working in UK Higher Education can do today, particularly if you're at Kent or Greenwich.
As a union we're stronger together.
Support your local branch.
There is no trade-off between pay and jobs. Don't let the employers fool you otherwise. This dispute is on three things:
1.Pay uplift = at least RPI+3.5% or £2,500, on all pay points
2.Protection of national agreements on T&C's
3.A national agreement to protect jobs & subjects
#WeAreTheUniversity
We've had a staff briefing at Kent from our acting VC and we don't really know any further than has been reported. This is the beginning of a process that we've been told will be transparent.
There were lots of questions but no answers yet.
Talk to your colleagues. We are stronger together.
What they said! 👇 We are stronger together (but in a 'solidarity' way, of course) - so have a coffee and a chat with colleagues & invite them to join UCU if they haven't already www.ucu.org.uk/join
Kentwich may have come without any (required?) consultation of staff and trade unions, but that isn't stopping branches from getting to work and ensuring staff gets represented and acts together. 🫶
Sending much solidarity to the excellent people @ucugreenwich.bsky.social & @ucukent.bsky.social!
We hope that #TUC2025 is asking union leadership to not replicate the union-busting tactics used by our worst employers? In particular @unitetheunion.bsky.social might want to have a word with @ucu.org.uk senior management, but this affects the entire @tuc.org.uk.
A disgusting lack of respect from the senior management of these universities.
BREAKING 🚨 @drjogrady.bsky.social on Greenwich/Kent “merger”:
“This isn’t a merger, it’s a takeover. Severe financial pressure is driving this & staff & students are left overlooked, overworked & ignored.
Govt must intervene before the crisis in HE worsens.”
www.ucu.org.uk/article/1417...
What does this merger, decided without any consultation with campus unions or communication with colleagues and students more broadly, tell us about the state of governance structures across our universities today?
No democracy. No accountability. No credibility.
We sent solidarity to our colleagues at Kent and Greenwich, we are stunned that the news broke to them this morning at the same time as the rest of us
