Someone at a Russell Group university was moved to almost-poetry by their Faculty Meeting… Can anyone do better?

This. On 3 particularly, I used to live five minutes from a hotel being used to house asylum seekers. Conditions were absolutely appalling, but the hotel owners were absolutely raking it in. *That's* the problem - legalised profiteering from other's misfortune.

Was really good to hear colleagues from other unions yesterday, talking about their own approaches to getting the vote out in what I understand to be the first multi-union balloting window in Durham since 1996. It's clear across the board just how badly "voluntary" severance has hurt us.

Solidarity!

We’re leading 5 days of industrial action at the University of Dundee. We’re calling on all our members to participate in this action. You can join us on the picket line or strike from home. You can legally join the strike if you aren’t a member of a union The people united will never be defeated.

Some of our grooviest colleagues are running a "How To Talk About Palestine" Workshop TOMORROW at 1pm, in the Calman Learning Centre. This will take place after tomorrow's walkout/demo in solidarity with the people of Palestine, taking place as usual at the Map opposite Whitechurch.

Starting now!

Calling all branch members: multi-union campus meeting 12:30-13:30 TODAY in The Ken Wade Lecture Theatre (Calman 203), to talk about our respective ballots and the ongoing state of affairs at our university.

Good afternoon, folks! Feeling in need of an afternoon pick-me-up? Why not get out and post your ballot! Nothing energizes quite like knowing you're contributing to the best chance we have to change HE! Celebrate with your choice of snack afterwards! #WeAreTheUniversity

Be like Lenka from UoN and Marek from @ducu.bsky.social! Cast your ballot in @UCU.org.uk's national industrial action campaign today!

What exactly *is* the Principal's job? Because you can't do that job properly if you've got failing leadership and ineffective oversight. Then you're just shouting at people without any rational thought or meaningful insight. Come to think of it...

The importance of voting YES in the UCU national ballot. 📢some reasons: The pay offer this year is a mere 1.4% but inflation is 3.8% which means our pay’s gone down since the recession of 2007-9 by 20-30% in real terms, depending on whether you use CPI or RPI measures.

Most UK HE VCs simply do not care about research, full stop. Some care about the REF and/or other metrics, but they believe academics are easily replaceable in terms of their role in gaming those metrics.

Ric gets it.

Jamie gets it

Ballot papers are on the way and landing tomorrow! 📬 Don’t wait, vote early, vote YES to defend jobs, pay and the future of our colleges and universities. 🗓️ Ballot open: 20 Oct ⏰ Closes: 28 Nov

Happening now UCU members :D (just outside A04, since it's nice and cosy there :) )

We have signed a joint union statement standing against rising anti-migrant and racist rhetoric. We stand in solidarity with our international workforce and migrant communities. Read the full statement: https://bit.ly/42BLbKk

Durham UCU members! Free this afternoon/evening? We're having a Welcome Drop-In for new members, and it'd be great to see some more established faces there too! We'll be in A04 in Dunelm House from 3pm to 5pm then we're off to the Half Moon for a social. Hope to see plenty of you there!

The VC of Leicester has been announced as the new Chair of UCEA. He's been VC of Leicester since 2019. He's the one responsible for forcing out scholars in ways that employment tribunals showed was not permitted. The the kind of guy UCEA values. www.collectiveinkbooks.com/zer0-books/o... #UKHE

We were there too! Hugely inspiring to see the city turn out to reject hate. Top speech by @newcastleucu.bsky.social's Matt Perry, too. #ourtoon

BREAKING: Our members at the University of Sheffield have voted overwhelmingly for strike action against the University Executive Board’s ongoing campaign of job cuts, and the threat to staff workload and wellbeing that they represent.

I guess it's technically true that "live out-of-college... or forfeit University accommodation" constitutes a choice, but only in the same way that "eat a meal you don't want or go hungry" constitutes a menu. www.palatinate.org.uk/emails-revea...

We keep saying this - and keep being ignored by our own union's management - but if a university tried to treat its staff the way UCU is treating its people, we'd be discussing how best to burn the place to the ground. 1/2

😍🐶

Solidarity to Nottingham UCU.

Bangor gets it.

In case anyone was still in any doubt about government’s complete lack of understanding about the realities of those working and studying in #UKHE. And why we need to make sure they talk to someone who’s not in a thinktank of consultancy, for once.

Disastrous. Our @ucu.org.uk members in prison education do amazing work. What even is this government doing.

Our members have no confidence in the VC & CFO, as they pursue the same failed cuts they used against @leicesterucu.bsky.social Spending £1.4 million of additional Welsh Gov funding on unplanned spend while making staff redundant was a disqualifying lack of judgement nation.cymru/news/bangor-...

NEW: Our members at the University of Bradford will begin 10 days of strike action on Monday in a fight to protect jobs. Time for management to listen to staff, rethink the cuts and rule out compulsory redundancies. www.ucu.org.uk/article/1418...

Every decent politician should be ‘disturbed’ by Tommy Robinson’s fascist march in London and Musk’s calls for violence on our streets. Every decent politician should stop claiming this horror is an expression of ‘free speech’. It’s vicious, racist incitement. DO something about it.

Sometimes solutions are easy @drjogrady.bsky.social & @ucu.org.uk Let’s sit down and talk without conditions or threats that damage everyone. It’s time to resolve this dispute. Our statement, with support from the following branch committees:

The ballot is *NOT* just on pay. It is on: 1. A national agreement to protect jobs & subjects 2. Protect national T&Cs agreements 3. Pay uplift: at least RPI+3.5% or £2500 on all pay points @ucu.org.uk @unitecommunity.bsky.social @unison.org.uk @gmb.org.uk @eisunion.bsky.social @ducu.bsky.social

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.

This situation is an extreme case, of course - and full solidarity to Claire & every other colleague in Kent and Greenwich - but I feel Claire's post is a perfect encapsulation of a very broad problem: it's so hard to do your best work for people who regularly show they hold you in utter contempt.

Kentwich was an insult Marlowe used in one of his plays

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.

"Edinburgh Uni lecturers walk out on first of five days of industrial action"

Drafting a more extensive response, but for now we think that (1) @uniteucu.bsky.social rock [branch position, voted on in motions], (2) that this is no way of treating staff [union position, voted on in Congress], and (3) everyone should read this blog: uniteucu.wordpress.com/2025/09/04/u...

As the branch gears up for a new term, we're also preparing for the steady flow of warnings about teams in crisis following the "voluntary" severance scheme for PS colleagues to become a flood. Seems like a good time to remind everyone that university spending is determined by political choices.

More pictures of our determined picket lines! Keep them coming! #UCU #StopTheCuts

On strike with a great turnout at eca. I am on strike as a result of University of Edinburgh’s refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies. @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social

100% deductions for ASOS is inhumane and destructive. We thought we had the backing of our own national union on this point. To see them implement what is a draconian policy (and not yet fully tested in the courts) against the colleagues who keep our branches running is devastating.

Enjoy Pride, Ric!

Why is our trade union emulating the worst behaviour of our employers towards UCU staff? How many of our letters, motions, attempts to bring motions from lay members pressing for resolution have been ignored now? Solidarity with all @uniteucu.bsky.social #UnionStrong #ReclaimUCU

We are calling on the UK Government to not introduce a levy on higher education provider income from international students, reduce visa costs to attract global talent, and to review higher education funding to create a sustainable model www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/58...

This is completely unacceptable intimidation. Every visa holder is already nervous about their visa, every university. is already draconian about visa compliance. This is just harming students to score headline points with the far right. Stop playing games with our students.

Graph showing how adjustment to the local @ducu.bsky.social subscription rates makes trade union membership fairer for all salary bands.