UCU Commons newsletter #7, 14 January 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’re delighted that Mark Pendleton has been nominated for election to the role of Vice-President (Higher Education) of UCU (to become President in 2029–30). He’s running alongside a team of excellent candidates from across HE and FE, including fellow Commons members Matthew Barnard, Gillian Jack and Alex Prichard. His campaign will launch shortly, but do get in touch if you can help out in any way. Encouraging your fellow members and friends to vote will be key to driving up voter turnout and enable a lay leadership that better reflects your views.

A motion to open up the nomination process to UCU’s five equality standing committees (Women, Black, LGBQ+, Migrant and Disabled) has been added to the agenda of each of these committees for their January meetings. If most or all pass the motion, it will be tabled at February’s Equality Committee meeting and March’s NEC, where it will need a simple majority to pass. Jo Edge, the motion’s author, says, “for too long, the requirement for a branch nomination has been an unintended barrier to many minoritised members wishing to stand for advisory committees, and created unnecessary work for branch officers and administrators. Every year we see a number of co-option spaces for these committees because not enough nominations have been received, which then creates even more work to get committees filled. Casualised workers such as myself are even more disadvantaged since many of us do not even have branches while we wait for the next role to come along. This motion proposes that we bring the nomination process to our standing committees in line with that for our NEC, whereby a branch nomination or ten signatures is required. We very much hope this uncontroversial motion will pass through relevant committees and make things easier for members and branches in future”.

News from UCU

FE members of UCU at 25 branches are striking this week on 14, 15 and 16 January, with a rally on Friday 16 at the Emmanuel Centre, 9-23 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 3DW. We encourage all members who can attend the rally to do so in support of our FE colleagues, who are fighting for manageable workloads, parity of pay with school teachers and a robust national bargaining framework.

UCU is holding its annual Holocaust Memorial Day event on 27 January. This year’s webinar by Professor Eve Rosenhaft of the University of Liverpool is on the Roma genocide. More information on this, and details on how to register, are at the link.

In our sectors

Trans scholars have warned they are being pushed out of academic life in the UK (with a content warning for transphobia in the comments). A trans member of UCU Commons, whose desire to remain anonymous speaks volumes, says, “the uncertainty created after last April's Supreme Court ruling and the subsequent fallout regarding the now-withdrawn Equality and Human Rights Commission interim guidance has meant institutions are unsure of what they must do to obey the law, while also respecting the rights and privacy of their staff. This uncertainty has been passed on to trans staff and this article highlights various ways in which this has increased stress and anxiety, intensified workload burdens and hindered workplace collegiality. This stress has been compounded by the fallout of the Office for Students fine of the University of Sussex and the new guidelines issued last summer regarding the Freedom of Speech Act. It has become difficult for institutions to navigate inclusion and support in the chilling climate created by these developments. It is welcome to see these issues discussed publicly, as it is important that we support our colleagues in this difficult environment”.

The SNP government in Scotland has begun a much-welcome review of HE funding in Scotland. Sophia Woodman, President of UCU Edinburgh, says, “‘with local disputes underway at multiple Scottish universities over proposals for staff cuts, this review will be an important opportunity to address the funding issues that underlie some of the problems in the sector. So far, the SNP government has been wary of intervening in these issues, citing university autonomy, but it has come under pressure to act, including from constituents whose jobs are at risk. NUS Scotland has also launched a campaign on funding for FE and HE in Scotland. The fact that this review will start in advance of the May 2026 Holyrood elections puts the question of higher education on the agenda”.

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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