Right. My students working two part time jobs and/or having an hour and a half commute to uni because they have to live at home due to the cost of student accommodation lack drive and vigour. Sure thing, Peter. The UK Govt still haven't a clue about the realities of universities today.

A reminder that members have until 12 noon TODAY to vote!

Solidarity with the Birmingham bin strikers who have just been told that Birmingham City council are going to make them redundant if they don't take a massive pay cut. @cllrjohncotton.bsky.social where are you??? Shame on you and Labour. This is an essential service and you are leaving it to ruin.

Universities are made up of hard working staff who care about their institutions and in recent years have seen little reward for their efforts. That is why we urge members in vote in the HE pay consultation and to reject the outrageous 1.4% that is being imposed on us. www.unison.org.uk/hepay2526/

The higher education pay consultation closes at 12pm on Friday 11 July - don’t miss the chance to have your say on your pay. Most universities have the money to pay staff more, let's make it happen 💜 www.unison.org.uk/hepay2526 @UNISONinHE

Are you in UNISON, work in HE and want to have your say about our measly 1.4% pay offer? Well, you can! UNISON's consultation on the 25/26 pay offer is open now and we urge all members to not only vote but to reject this derisory real terms pay cut. www.unison.org.uk/hepay2526

A really important email went out to members today with information on strike pay and the 2025/26 pay consultation. Members, check your emails!

1. Starmer was warned and warned that his benefits cuts were not just cruel and unfair, but a political disaster. He dismissed the warnings, even this week, as no more than "noises off". Now, as the disaster materialises, he's desperately backtracking. Here's an idea: how about listening? 🧵

Pickets done and dusted for the week. Thank you to all members who have struck and picketed and to everyone who came down to lend solidarity.

When you’re giving us a real terms pay cut, this is who you’re giving a real terms pay cut to :(

It’s day 1 of the strike at Rainchester Wetropolitan University! Obviously being northern we’re made of sterner stuff so the drizzle won’t put us off in our fight for fair pay!

Picket essentials all packed and ready for tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday including new reversible bucket hats! Perfect for members who got tickets for Oasis next month.

🔍 We're on @strikemap.org ! 🔍 For anyone who wants to come down and lend us some support this coming week. We're taking strike action on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday against low pay. strikemap.org/strikes/396779

Our sector is being failed by poor leaders who make us, the university workers, pay for their failings. Their answer is to cut our services to the bone and impose insulting pay offers that fall far below inflation. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

So we’ve been a bit busy recently and we haven’t had a chance to tell you all…. UNISON at Manchester Met will be on strike next week against low pay from our employers! Tuesday 24 June Wednesday 25 June Thursday 26 June Pickets will run from 6:00 - 10:30 Let’s go!

Our delegation to National Delegate Conference and some other HE delegates got up early to visit and support striking workers at the University of Liverpool. Unite and UCU are taking industrial action over the way their employer has imposed conditions around hybrid working with no consultation

As well as voting on motions at this year’s Conference, yours truly is also writing and laying out the North West region’s news sheet each day! Make sure you give it a read on the conference app.

📢 UNISON’s 2025/26 higher education pay consultation opens today 📢 You should receive an email with the link to participate and have your say on this years pay offer. Check out the campaign page to see how to spread the word and encourage your colleagues to have their say

We’re in Liverpool at UNISON’s National Delegate Conference this week. We will be voting on motions from branches, groups and regions that will shape our policies and the work our union does.

We've had two brilliant general meetings for our members so far this week with one more to come tomorrow on Microsoft Teams. If you work at Manchester Met a link to the meeting will have been sent to the email we have on file for you on Monday.

Union member and long-time school inspector Andy Hewston was sacked by Ofsted for gross misconduct. Over six years, UNISON helped him fight back – and win. magazine.unison.org.uk/2025/06/04/u...

UNISON takes the campaign to save Higher Education to parliament www.unison.org.uk/news/article...

Our Branch Secretary @lykarar.bsky.social met with Salford MP and MMU alum @rebeccalongbailey.com at the @unisoninhe.bsky.social parliamentary lobby yesterday to talk about the crisis enveloping our universities.

I can *just* see our Branch Sec's head poking out at the back but good to see so many made it to the lobby today. We need action to save our sector, a sector that provides so much to society yet has been burdened with a funding model that is inherently unstable.

Higher Education plays a vital role in local, regional & national economies & in people’s lives in ways that cannot be counted or reduced to a narrow financial calculus. But our work is not valued at all. Just another big pay cut for all of us alongside the irreparable damage of cuts & job losses

Another year, another below inflation pay offer. Our pay is also rapidly being left behind by the public sector too.

Yesterday we stood alongside colleagues from UCU to call for an immediate ceasefire in Palestine as part of Nakba Day and the TUC-backed workplace day of action for Palestine.

Are you a disabled member of UNISON? The union wants to hear from you about how the governments changes to PIPs (Personal Independence Payments) will affect you. Read more here: www.unison.org.uk/news/article...

The Higher Education crisis is spreading into the NHS, with nursing education being cut by two thirds of universities. Still want an unplanned system now? www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-eve...

'The right-wing parties aren't pro working class.'

Happy birthday to one of our greatest alumni. Sylvia Pankhurst studied at Manchester School of Art before winning a scholarship to the Royal College of Art.

Have you voted yet in the elections for UNISON's National Executive Council? You decide 🫵 No ballot pack? ☎️ Call 0800 0 857 857 Vote closes 21 May

May Day returns to Manchester this year on Monday 5 May with a march starting in St Peter’s Square at 3pm followed by an event at Niamos in Hulme from 4:30pm. With the rise of Reform and the far right it's more important than ever to show strength from our movement.

NEC ballot papers are dropping on doormats and it's another lovely day, perfect for a walk to your nearest postbox and take part in our union's democratic processes. A reminder that these are the nominations made by our branch.

Ballot papers should be arriving with members for the 2025 NEC Elections. The branch committee are backing these candidates as we feel they can deliver real change and work towards us being a union that believes in organising workers first and for members being the most important voice in UNISON.

We stand with all of our LGBT+ colleagues and workers across the country after the High Court's recent disgraceful decision.

We hope everyone had a great Easter break. It’s back to work today supporting members, working on comms and organising for industrial action! There’s a lot coming up so members keep your eyes peeled.

If you are around in Manchester tomorrow (Thursday) please come along

A really productive special branch committee meeting today to discuss our next steps after winning our strike ballot. Next step will be going out to members to debate actions. As a democratic member-led branch, the final decision will be with them.

The collective wealth of the world's 3,028 billionaires now exceeds the total GDP of all the countries in the world put together (excluding US and China). Such an extreme concentration of wealth is a threat both to living standards and democracy. www.forbes.com/sites/chasew...

Solidarity to our fellow workers across the pond fighting Trump's attack on workers rights and collective bargaining.

A new campaign from UNISON's Higher Education Service Group has been launched called Fund Our Future. It is calling for fundamental changes to the way that HE is funded and will be supporting branches in their local fights against cuts. Find out more www.unison.org.uk/he-fund-our-...

A great, yet grim, summing up of just how our sector has got into the mess it is in. Spoiler - it wasn't the workers' fault!

April is stress awareness month. Work-related stress is the biggest driver of sickness absence, accounting for 49% of work-related ill health. Information and resources on stress – including UNISON's work-related stress charter – can be found on UNISONS's website www.unison.org.uk/unison-healt...

And it's a hat trick! For the third ballot in a row we have beaten the turnout threshold and branch members have returned a mandate for strike action over pay.

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! Happy St David’s Day!

The deadline for our strike ballot is looming large on the horizon! A strong mandate for action demonstrates our strength and gives us the tools we need to fight for better pay in our sector.

Our strike ballot closes in less than a week! All ballots must be returned by 4 March for them to be considered valid. If you still have your envelope sitting unopened at home then don't delay and get it posted today!

Our aggregate Annual General Meetings are starting next week. Every year our AGM gives members the chance to elect officers and representatives to the Branch Committee. There will also be reports from branch officers on a big year for the sector.

Out meeting prospective members with @manmetucu.bsky.social at the uni's Welcome Event.