No Shortcuts - A UCU Podcast🎙️ Every month we will bring you the latest industrial, political, and campaigning news. Crucially we will hear from branches, representatives and members. Episode One covers the launch of the #EducationItsOurs campaign. youtu.be/5ZaeM0jLCZM

No Shortcuts - A UCU Podcast | Episode 1

YouTube video by UCU - University and College Union

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No Shortcuts - A UCU Podcast🎙️ You can listen wherever you get your podcasts. 🎙️Acast: shows.acast.com/noshortcuts 🎙️Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/35Oh... 🎙️Apple Music: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/n...

No Shortcuts - A UCU Podcast

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Hi, #UCU. UCU's Anti-casualisation committee are running an Equality & Anticas webinar on 23rd September, at 12.30pm and 5pm. Come and hear from chair Ben Pope, and speakers Suzi Toole, Andy Ward and Kevin Daws. Links to register and more info in linked post. Please share and pass to contacts!

Our very own @markpendleton.bsky.social talking to Times Radio about the HE crisis #UCU #UKHE

University and College Union (UCU)@ucu.org.uk · 2mo ago

To the new government: post-16 education cannot wait. Universities are cutting jobs and closing courses. College lecturers are still £10,000 behind schoolteachers. UCU vice president Mark Pendleton told Times Radio ministers must get a grip.

Here's the update on the #UCU website: www.ucu.org.uk/article/1458...

Dr Matilda Fitzmaurice@matildaf.bsky.social · 3mo ago

#UCU members: a crucial email went out from Jo Grady today providing an update on the HE campaign. If you usually don't open those emails, please open this one, as it contains an important breakup of the union's plans for summer campaigning activities.

Labour won by 20 points and net immigration is down by over 80% in two years. But sure write your column again.

Excellent piece by @matildaf.bsky.social on climate change and the attack on HE. ucucommons.org/we-shouldnt-...

‘We shouldn’t mourn those who are not dead’: A reply to Lorna Finlayson’s ‘Irreversible’

By Matilda Fitzmaurice There is no arguing with many of the facts stated up front in Lorna Finlayson’s ‘Irreversible’, published in the New Left Review’s ‘Sidecar’ on 29th May. Climate change is irre...

ucucommons.org

Once I have a few spare minutes, I’m going to jot down some thoughts about the @ucu.org.uk Congress that was held last week. But in the meantime, please read this, which is a lovely reflective piece.

UCU Commons@ucucommons.org · 4mo ago

NEW on the UCU Commons blog: Michael Bartlett, a first-time Congress attendee, reflects on the similarities and differences between UCU's annual Congress and the yearly meeting of Quakers Britain. A great read! #UCU26 ucucommons.org/comparing-th...

Are you at @ucu.org.uk Congress? Don’t have plans on Wednesday night? The Campaign for UCU Democracy is having a social at Cold Bath Brewing, 44 King’s Road, Harrogate HG1 5JW. Starting at 7:30z Come have a drink with us!

I'm so proud of our Congress bulletin! Please share with your branch delegates. #UCU

UCU Commons@ucucommons.org · 4mo ago

Newsletter #18 just dropped! A #UCU Congress special with a message from @markpendleton.bsky.social (incoming VP), details of what to expect at Congress, info on social events, advice on motions and recommendations on voting for elected positions. Please share! ucucommons.org/congress26-n...

All are very welcome to come along (whether a Congress delegate or not), and do drop us an email (ucucommons.org/contact-us/) if you have any access or dietary needs that would be useful for us to know about in advance. Please share! 2/2

Contact us

There are lots of ways you can stay in touch and keep up to date with the work of UCU Commons. Join us Find out how to join UCU Commons on our 'Join' page. Subscribe Please hit the subscribe but...

ucucommons.org

For all attending #UCU Congress 2026! On Tuesday 26th May, 7–10pm, we are hosting an informal social event upstairs at North Bar, 2d Cheltenham Parade, Harrogate, HG1 1DA. The first few arrivals can enjoy a drink (alcoholic or otherwise) on us, and there will be pizza available (also on us). 1/2

Coincidentally, the number of staff currently at risk of redundancy (2700) at the University of Nottingham is the same as the number of jobs at risk at British Steel. Yesterday, the govt said they aren't neutral on job losses & so pledged to save those steel jobs. Watch as they blithely ignore HE.

Looked at another way: Leave/Right bloc: 47% ; Remain/Left bloc 51% But Remain/Left bloc more evenly split despite being bigger, so Leave/Right bloc does better under FPP. As in 2019 with Johnson's Leave coalition. But that could change if left bloc vote coalesces nationally or locally

Teimlo’n falch, ac am y tro cyntaf ers amser maith, yn obeithiol. Diolch, @plaidcymru.bsky.social

Extremely gracious speech from First Minister Eluned Morgan on losing her seat, chwarae teg. Acknowledging that "Wales has rejected the Labour Party", calling Labour to change course and return to being the party of the working class, warning against feeding division and wishing Plaid Cymru well.

Well fuck me backwards I never thought I'd see the day, but that's it, whatever happens it's a Plaid-lead government and a step towards And whisper it with me Independent Tropical Walesssss

Yesterday in the media we saw £millions leeching out of UK universities to management consultants. Today it is student agents delivering international students to the highest bidding universities. This is where marketization and commercialization leads. www.theguardian.com/education/ng...

‘I see it as trafficking’: the brutal reality of life as a foreign student in the UK

The long read: Universities in Britain rely on overseas applicants paying full fees, which has given rise to some unscrupulous recruiters and left many hopefuls and their families deep in debt

theguardian.com

Management consultants are ruining UK universities ft.trib.al/0LelZP9 | opinion

Management consultants are ruining UK universities

Relentless off-the-peg commercial rewiring has undermined British higher education

ft.trib.al

I for one am shocked that the same guy who tried to waste union resources on a plausibly legalistic but doomed hail mary in the courts then also wasted union resources defending against his vexatious allegation of rule breaches after he lost an election.

The Certificiation Officer has now ruled on the complaint against UCU bought by @ewanmg.bsky.social and @vickyblake.bsky.social. A summary of the decision can be found by following this link: www.ucu.org.uk/media/15693/...

GIVEAWAY OF GOOD STUFF!!!! We’re trying to add 100 premium @hyperfixedpod.bsky.social subscribers by the end of April. If we manage to do it, 5 of you will get free hyperfixed swag! I mean look at this stuff! Hyperfixedpod.com/join

Today, Plaid Cymru launched our Senedd election campaign to offer new leadership for 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Leadership which offers hope, new ambition and ideas - and always fights for our communities ✊ Join Plaid Cymru today to help us change Wales for the better 💚 🔗 partyof.wales/join

I have decided to be a lot more shameless about promoting my work because what good is being ashamed of my work? I am very proud of it! Please check out @hyperfixedpod — documentary audio journalism where I solve problems for listeners who write in. Here are some of my fav eps!

UCU NEC election results were published a few weeks ago. Some people have asked what this means for the factional make-up of the Higher Education Committee (HEC), so I've put together this short blog breaking down the results. open.substack.com/pub/dyfrigjo...

UCU Commons newsletter #12 just landed! Election results, ARPS & Anticas conference reports, Women’s TUC, opposing the Iran war, Equality Research conference, @alanlester.bsky.social on defamatory attacks & Adam Tickell punching down on tuition fees #UCU #UKHE ucucommons.org/ucu-commons-...

UCU Commons newsletter #12, 11 March  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 a...

ucucommons.org

The #UCU election results are quite good overall. We could use more good people running. The turnout, unsurprisingly was worse than the baseline though I’m gonna have to dig out all the numbers again. However having @markpe as chair of HEC is a relief for me.

Delighted to announce I have been elected UCU Vice President from the FE sector. I am honoured by all those who voted for me and endlessly thankful to everyone who supported my campaign. I pledge to listen to members and fight for our sector with fierce energy and integrity. Let's do this 💪

If you're a USS member of @ucu.org.uk , then you've probably heard some talk of Conditional Indexation. It'll likely be on the agenda at this year's HE Sector Conference, and I've written a very basic primer for anyone that's interested. open.substack.com/pub/dyfrigjo...

What is Conditional Indexation?

A very quick guide for UCU members who are interested in the USS pension scheme

open.substack.com

What else is there to say but: these people were warned and warned and warned again about this, going back well over ten years and further, and their constant response was: absolutely fuck you, you are all idiots and we are the smart, Sensible people whom understand what the public like and want.

Steve Chambers@planningtransport.co.uk · 7mo ago

Nationally, Labour is losing twice as many voters to Greens and Lib Dems as they are to Reform. (John Curtice on BBC)