UCU Commons newsletter #14, 8 April 2026

Dear subscriber

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 have been doing

We are delighted that our members Jo Edge (University of Hertfordshire) and Ben Pope (University of Manchester) have been elected co-chair and vice-chair respectively of UCU UK’s Anticasualisation Committee (ACC). Jo will co-chair with Pat Roche (Blackpool and The Fylde College) for one year. Jo and Ben’s priorities for the year ahead are building engagement between branches and ACC, opening up the nomination process in line with our equality standing committee rule change motion, facilitating greater buy-in from non-casualised members, producing guidance and informing policy development (especially around the work we have been doing on teaching staff, with a motion to HESC due to be debated at Congress), and building on ACC’s long-standing joining-up of casualisation and equalities campaigns. The first meeting of this committee takes place on 14 April. 

Vivek Thuppil, representative of Migrant Members (non-EU) on NEC, represented UCU at a parliamentary briefing at Westminster organised by Reunite Families UK on 18 March, regarding the government's proposed changes to settlement timelines and requirements. Vivek says, “It is clear that there is a sizeable backbench rebellion who oppose the government’s changes to settlement timelines, especially retrospective change for migrants who are already in the UK and that concessions may be won from the government on this issue. The Migrant Members Standing Committee will discuss this issue at its April meeting and decide on how UCU can work with other trade unions and civil society groups to pressure the government to U-turn from their desperate and self-defeating efforts to out-Reform Reform”.

Chris O’Donnell chaired UCU Scotland’s annual Congress on 27 March, where he also gave the presidential address. Chris says, “this time of year is so important for our union. We move into congress sessions where we reflect on the year's success and the challenges still ahead of us. As UCUS president, I chaired Scotland’s congress, where we saw a range of important motions that will shape our immediate future and the post-election landscape for Higher education in Scotland for years to come. In my speech, I tried to celebrate all of the magnificent things we’ve done, to have us reflect on when the world is watching and how we’ve not always been seen as a force for good. I finished up by reflecting on the challenges ahead. I hope you can find a few minutes to read my speech!”.

Laura Chuhan Campbell and Tilly Fitzmaurice attended the Northumbria UCU rally on 25 March. Tilly says, “the turnout at the rally was excellent and it was wonderful to see UCU members and supporters fill some of Newcastle’s most cherished public spaces, including the Civic Centre and Grey’s Monument. It was fantastic to provide strong, unified backing for Northumbria UCU, who have been so resolute in defending their members’ pensions, and therefore their futures”.

News from UCU

The last fortnight has seen two decisions handed down by the Certification Officer (CO) for cases brought against UCU alleging rule violations. The first, Farwell vs UCU, found no breach had taken place around the 2023 branch elections at Southampton Solent UCU. The second, McGaughey and Blake vs UCU, which alleged several serious rule breaches during the General Secretary election of 2024, also found no contraventions of the rules, save a technical breach relating to part of one complaint. The CO found that in all cases, including the technical breach, there was no effect on the election result. Thus the GS election is deemed fair and valid and there will be no rerun. UCU has also released a five-page summary of the proceedings which is linked to here.

UCU has issued an important survey on members’ experiences of racism (which can also be completed by anyone witnessing racism). We urge all members to complete this important survey in order to inform important anti-racist work within our union.

In our sectors

Our friends in the Australian National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) have been waging a multi-year campaign on university governance, corporatization and the use of parasitic consultants in universities. It's been bearing fruit with inquiries in federal and state parliaments, with concrete recommendations for change, and now a feature documentary by the national broadcaster. Incoming UCU vice-president for higher education, Mark Pendleton, is in Australia visiting friends and family and this week will meet with NTEU national president Alison Barnes to discuss their campaign successes. Mark says, “Learning from our Australian siblings is not just something nice to do, but essential given the revolving door of senior managers and consultants across the two systems. The NTEU’s successes in getting governance failure and corporate infiltration into universities on the national agenda in Australia demonstrates what is possible with a focused campaign. I will report back on what we can learn from Australia with the aim of developing similar focused campaigns here that seek to address the rot at the heart of university management in the UK”.

The UK government’s inhumane approach to immigration continues, with a ban introduced on visas for students from Afghanistan, Sudan, Cameroon and Myanmar, due to the likelihood of students from these countries attempting to seek asylum once their period of study is over. Rob Clarke says, “Once again the UK government has put education on the front line of its far-right-appeasing immigration policy. Thanks to Starmer, Mahmood et al, Afghani women who are banned from participating in education at home (following failed British and American foreign policy interventions) are, amongst others, now banned from participating in education in the UK, too”.

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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