Former @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social researcher shares their personal story of Israel's genocide in Gaza. m.independent.ie/irish-news/a...

Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, says UN inquiry

Today - along with colleagues from Ulster University UCU and regional @ucu.org.uk representatives - we had a productive meeting with @caoimhearchibald.bsky.social, the Minister for the Economy in the Executive, about a sustainable and accountable Higher Education sector for Northern Ireland.

For everyone else reading the news this morning about the Kent and Greenwich merger - it's been as big a shock for us too. Rumours always abound with constant cuts and redundancies, but they remained rumours until 7.45am this morning.

A disgusting lack of respect from the senior management of these universities.

Absolutely astounded that the UCU and Unison branches at Kent and Greenwich were not consulted, and that staff only found out about the merger this morning via BBC news and Kent Online. Solidarity to all colleagues.

Today is the first of 5 strike days by @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social #DefendEveryJob www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/welcome-week...

Busy @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social picket lines this morning at Edinburgh University with staff striking to defend jobs and oppose the biggest cuts seen in Scottish higher education #SaveHE #NoCompulsoryRedundancies #StopTheCuts

Pickets across @edinburghuni.bsky.social campus this morning opposing £140million cuts and up to 1,800 jobs going, including by compulsory redundancies #SaveHE #NoCompulsoryRedundancies #StopTheCuts

Our latest branch newsletter has just been published (you’ll have to sign into your QUB account to access): sway.cloud.microsoft/InbEyCsvRbWA...

Can’t help but reflect on the *5 years of strikes* we did to defend our pensions, on this, the day USS announce their £10 billion surplus.

This is likely not a very career savvy thing for me to post, but this rebrand also happens to be occurring at a time where departments are being told to reduce the amount spent on TAs because the finances are not deemed to have a sufficiently large surplus

LL Cool J: "There is absolutely no way I can perform across a picket line." ✊ www.nbcphiladelphia.com/entertainmen...

When our own voluntary severance scheme was announced, @newcastleucu.bsky.social were one of the first branches to get in touch with a message of support. We returned the favour with a donation to their strike fund. Thrilled to now see this monumental win! ✊🏻

A MASSIVE WIN AT NEWCASTLE UNI ICU

Better governance ‘could have avoided mass university job cuts’. Philip Augar proposes union representation on governing boards and vice-chancellor pay reforms. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

REMINDER: 1pm tomorrow - Wednesday 25th June 2025 - is our branch AGM. Check your emails for the Microsoft Teams link! We will be voting on motions so important that we have enough members present to be quorate.

🚨IT'S A WIN 🚨 Well done to every single @newcastleucu.bsky.social member 44 days on the picket line ZERO compulsory redundancies University bosses need to look at what our members have achieved in Newcastle & heed the warning: work with us or face disruption www.ucu.org.uk/article/1406...

UCU members at @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social are striking today over University of Edinburgh plans to make £140million in cuts and threaten jobs We're fighting against these reckless proposals Share to show your support ✊

✊🥂Huge congratulations to the whole @newcastleucu.bsky.social membership and team. Compulsory redundancies withdrawn. Sends a message to university management everywhere. Just shows what you can do with organisation, solidarity, and right on your side.

Essential reading.

The UCU Northern Ireland Regional AGM/Conference took place today. We were pleased to welcome the Gen Sec Jo Grady to @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social campus. Not surprisingly, the voluntary severance scheme and ongoing related issues were a key topic for discussion.

39 lecturers at Liverpool Hope face redundancy. “This will devastate our community, the university’s reputation, and the local economy.” Roberto Catello, branch secretary. #StopTheCuts #UCU www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Shameful and shameless. Solidarity with @cardiffucu.bsky.social nation.cymru/news/most-st...

Join a Union

Now, more than ever, it is important to: JOIN A UNION!

What about the research talent we already had but are losing due to the thousands of job losses in UK universities?

REMINDER: a Townhall in regards to the Voluntary Severance Scheme will start in ONE HOUR - Wed 7 May - David Keir Building, Room 0G/012 at 13:00

An update from the VC: www.qub.ac.uk/sites/StaffG... “For clarity, I want to assure you that we are not considering or planning any further redundancies.” Members can rest assured that we will hold the university to account.

www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/what-we-do/c... Grim reading - government inaction on the sector's failed funding model is drastically reducing student choice and impoverishing our research capacity. We can't cut ourselves into excellence. Real investment is needed now

Some of our members marched in the May Day parade yesterday, in recognition of International Workers’ Day!

We are in the midst of academic progression outcomes; remember we can try to offer support on appeals and you only have 20 working days after learning of your outcome so do get in touch with [email protected] as soon as possible. ✊🏻

We have arranged a number of Townhall events in the coming weeks: Tue 6 May: Online by Teams at 13:00 (link emailed) Wed 7 May: David Keir Building, Room 0G/012 at 13:00 Thu 8 May: Mathematics & Physics Teaching Centre/0G/017 at 13:00 Tue 13 May: Geography Building/0G/029 at 13:00

Solidarity with our UCU colleagues in Further Education in NI, who have overwhelmingly voted for industrial action over falling pay and rising workloads. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

louder. LOUDER. 👏🏻

UK universities are in crisis. Dave Hitchcock (@davehitchcock.bsky.social) on how the sector became 'broken' and why it must be approached as an interdependent system. www.historyworkshop....

UCU comment on the shocking news Dundee University cutting 632 jobs. Jo Grady: “This is a hammer-blow to hard working and committed workers at the university who are being made to pay the price for egregious management failure...” #SaveHE #StoptheCuts www.ucu.org.uk/article/1394...

Today, Shane O’Neill, our interim Principal announced the University of Dundee needs to cut 632 jobs to be financially sustainable. Also there are 237 vacancies (in part due to the recruitment freeze since Nov). That’s 870 colleagues from 3200. OVER A QUARTER! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Dutch universities go on strike - for the first time since anyone can remember. We protest the treatment and budget cuts of our extreme-right government. The strikers take turns - and Leiden university kicks off tomorrow. ✊🏼

On “bullshit jobs”, administrative bloat, and how universities are losing sight of their central purpose of teaching and research. The section on the costly insanity of the external university travel agent will be frighteningly familiar for our members… academic.oup.com/brain/articl...

Solidarity with our UCU colleagues at South West College.

A clear eyed view of where the sector is right now.

Incredible sights on the @newcastleucu.bsky.social picket line this morning. We will fight tooth and nail to protect jobs. The whole union is behind you. Solidarity ✊

#StopTheCuts Solidarity to branches fighting for jobs and taking action #HECrisis #UCU #R4today #CampusTradeUnions

Staff share fears of brain drain and shrinking research time as cuts blight UK universities Source: Research Professional News search.app/qoFj

👀👀👀👀👀👀

Solidarity with all of our colleagues in the world-leading Leverhulme Centre for Forensic Science who are facing redundancy. University managers have called our strike action premature. This shows how wrong they are. www.theguardian.com/science/2025...