UCU Commons newsletter #27, 23 September 2026

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Welcome to the UCU Commons newsletter, a curated set of links and information about what's happening in UCU Commons, our union, and our sectors more generally. As always, we welcome any feedback you may have on this or any other matter.

In today's issue:

What UCU Commons has been doing

Results are in for the casual vacancy elections which took place over the last month and we are delighted to report that our member Madeleine Moore will serve as UK-elected representative (HE) to NEC until the end of Congress 2027, with a final vote count of 3,581. Madeleine says, “It is an honour to be elected to serve on NEC for the coming year. As we all know this is a challenging time for HE and FE across the UK and I look forward to helping forward UCU strategy for fighting back. As someone who has worked extensively in equalities in UCU and more broadly, it is crucial that this strategy is for all members and I will centre that in my approach”.

Mark Pendleton, as Vice President and Chair of HEC, was part of UCU’s delegation to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) annual congress in Brighton, 13–16 September. Mark seconded motion C01, from UCU and Unite, on the new powers and rights given to union equality reps and especially in relation to the EHRC Code of Practice on ‘single sex’ spaces. You can see a video of Mark’s speech below.

News from UCU

UCU’s annual Equality Groups Conference takes place from 26–28 November 2026 in a hybrid format, with the in-person element taking place in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Each of the five strands – women, Black, LGBTQ+, migrant and disabled – have a half-day conference with a plenary session open to all on the second day. Any member identifying with a given strand can register to attend the session in question at no expense (travel and meals are refunded and accommodation is pre-booked with registration). Registered attendees at each conference will be eligible to elect standing committee members from nominations submitted either by branches or local associations, or by candidates who have obtained the signatures of at least ten UCU members (with a maximum of five from any one branch). This important change was steered through the committees and NEC by members of UCU Commons so that the standing committee nomination process is aligned with that for NEC. We strongly encourage members to nominate to relevant committees as contested elections are healthy for union democracy.

The new Employment Rights Act allows electronic balloting for union business, marking an end to years of expensive and exclusionary postal voting. This is much welcome, but one caveat is that email addresses owned by employers cannot be used for this. Therefore, it is important you register a non-work email in MyUCU to be able to vote in union elections and industrial action ballots. 

UCU’s LGBTQ+ committee is organising a trans, non-binary and intersex inclusion webinar on 15 October at 10am. Tilly Fitzmaurice, LGBTQ+ rep (HE) on NEC, says, “following the invaluable guidance for branches published by UCU and updated after the publication of the EHRC Code of Practice, the LGBTQ+ committee is delighted to be providing this vital support for members. Although the updated, and unworkable, EHRC Code of Practice came into effect in August 2026, this does not give licence to post-16 education institutions to act in ways that risk unlawful discrimination. Branches can – and should – continue to defend the welfare of trans, nonbinary and intersex staff and students, by escalating concerns through the normal regional and national channels. This webinar will provide expert advice, support and space for branch reps to share developments and actions across branches”. Register at the link.

UCU’s Climate and Ecological Emergency Annual Meeting takes place online, 11 December 2026. Any member with an interest may register to attend by 2 December, and delegates at the meeting will also elect four members to the committee for a period of two years. Those who wish to stand need to be nominated by their branch or local association at a quorate general meeting. The deadline for nominations is 27 November.

In our sectors

A recent piece in Wonkhe by two employees of Liverpool John Moores University argues that students are not less engaged as much as they are adapting to a ‘thinner university’ experience, i.e., one that is simply focused on teaching. Matt Barnard says, “This sombre and thought-provoking piece hit me at the right time, as I’ve recently taken over programme leadership of the degree I myself studied nearly two decades ago, pondering what has been retained and what has been lost to time. The authors are right to warn against indulging in nostalgia and making the assumption that students are simply disengaged, but may be responding ‘rationally’ to the ‘symbolic curriculum’, or subliminal expectations we communicate by constructing an education that treads more lightly on their lives”. 

In July, Susan Smith, President of the British Academy (BA), the national society for humanities and social sciences, issued a warning about the crisis in the Higher Education sector. It was therefore disappointing to see Science Minister Chris McDonald say at the Universities UK annual conference in early September that science degrees offer the most value to the nation, which provoked a worried response from many in attendance. Concerns were raised about the minister’s understanding of his own brief, and the lack of an evidence-based approach to solving the crisis we face. However, the day after the publication of these concerns, the Chief Executive of the BA, Hetan Shah, reported on his Bluesky account that a successful meeting had taken place between the BA and the minister, so hopefully McDonald now understands that his brief extends beyond STEM. We can only wait and see.

A recent open letter from academics in support LGBT+ activists in Türkiye reached over 1,250 signatures. These activists, including academics and researchers, were arrested en masse on the morning of 13 September and are being held on trumped-up narcotics and morality charges. Signatories include feminist philosopher Judith Butler as well as various UK academics and UCU members. One signatory was commoner Madeleine Moore, who says, “It is important to acknowledge that the assault on LGBTQ+ people and their rights is a global issue. The open letter is a valuable message of solidarity with activists in Türkiye, helping to shine a light on their appalling treatment by a regime flailing for a distraction from its own failings”.

We hope you have enjoyed this round up. Want to get involved? Join UCU Commons and work with us towards a more effective union for post-16 education here. 

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