New on the blog: a post before tomorrow's Emergency General Meeting, outlining plans for a discussion about how to seek to engage with SMT over the coming term, and a motion for the Equalities Conference:

Don’t miss the branch’s Emergency General Meeting on Wednesday 17th September

We hope that everyone has been able to take some leave over the summer and that we are all looking forward to a new academic year. Sadly, the lack of widespread clarity on Clearing numbers and the …

royalhollowayucu.wordpress.com

🎓To all students getting results today - congratulations on your hard work and achievements. Whatever your next step, we’re fighting for a fairer, properly funded education system where all students can thrive without debt or hardship.

*internal anti-casualised screaming*

Ethan Landes@ethanlandes.bsky.social · 12mo ago

New circle of UK academic job market hell just dropped: a 3 month .8 temp cover

This. The government has created those conditions but they are then described as though"that's just the way it is".

Dr Dave Hitchcock@davehitchcock.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Lastly: "Universities operate in a competitive and resource-constrained environment with high variability in reputation and associated reward" YES. But that environment's contours are a public policy CHOICE. It's not a sui generis natural development, hell it is barely ten years old!

As we move into the next phase of the admissions cycle with results on Thursday, and the inevitable implications of that for 2025-26 institutional budgets, we strongly encourage everyone to keep a close eye on how those budgets are being managed in their institutions...

University and College Union (UCU)@ucu.org.uk · 12mo ago

"The figures simply don’t add up." Tuition fees are rising, staff are underpaid, and universities are in crisis but politicians still won’t face the truth. Thanks to Zoe Williams for highlighting the crisis in The Guardian today. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The results of our Vote of No Confidence are now out. Members voted in favour of a VONC, with a very strong preference for expressing no confidence in both the VCP and SMT. Find out more on the blog, and watch out for an invitation to an EGM in September.

Vote of No Confidence Result

In our Annual General Meeting in June, following a lengthy discussion over whether to hold a vote of no confidence (VONC) and in whom, we concluded to hold a vote and to ask members to indicate who…

royalhollowayucu.wordpress.com

Now up on the blog: a reflection on the urgency of developing a sustainable strategy in order to preserve the College's legacy.

Preserving Royal Holloway’s Legacy: A Call for a Sustainable Strategy

Royal Holloway, University of London, is one of the most striking educational institutions in the United Kingdom. Founded through the extraordinary vision and philanthropy of Thomas and Jane Hollow…

royalhollowayucu.wordpress.com

...I mean, we'd hope this might prompt some reflection on value for money from consultants, but we know that's far too optimistic.

Martin Paul Eve@eve.gd · 12mo ago

The University of Warwick has paid a lot of money, I'm guessing, for their internet banner ads on the Guardian and elsewhere. But they can't spell "curiosity". This isn't a US-UK variant. They just, genuinely, have a massive spelling error in their banner ads.

The results of our Vote of No Confidence are now out. Members voted in favour of a VONC, with a very strong preference for expressing no confidence in both the VCP and SMT. Find out more on the blog, and watch out for an invitation to an EGM in September.

Vote of No Confidence Result

In our Annual General Meeting in June, following a lengthy discussion over whether to hold a vote of no confidence (VONC) and in whom, we concluded to hold a vote and to ask members to indicate who…

royalhollowayucu.wordpress.com

Are you involved in preventing harassment and sexual misconduct in higher education? Ever wondered about how to reach postgraduate research students with your work? We've just launched a toolkit to help! ukcge.ac.uk/assets/resou...

Members have been e-mailed this morning about a Vote Of No Confidence. Please do check your inboxes for details and the voting link.

Members have been e-mailed this morning about a Vote Of No Confidence. Please do check your inboxes for details and the voting link.

We are pleased that at the Townhall with University staff and in an interview with The Courier, Prof. Nigel Seaton confirmed that “There’s no plan to have redundancies afterwards [after VS]. There’s no secret plan B where we might have redundancies.” www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/politics/...

New Dundee University boss says he wouldn't have paused retirement for any other job

In an exclusive sit down with The Courier, interim Dundee University principal Nigel Seaton sets out how he plans to win back trust and stabilise the troubled institution.

thecourier.co.uk

Please sign to halt outsourcing plans 👇 University of Surrey proposes to employ all new Professional Services staff through a subsidiary company on lesser T&Cs. This is an existential threat to our university & sector. speakout.web.ucu.org.uk/operate-surr... @ucu.org.uk

Operate Surrey - Halt Outsourcing Plans at University of Surrey

The University of Surrey proposes to employ all new Professional Services staff through its subsidiary company: Operate Surrey: Operate Surrey - Jobs at the University of Surrey. This constitutes outs...

speakout.web.ucu.org.uk

The results of the De Montfort university UCU branch's formal No Confidence ballot have now been confirmed: a resounding 90% voted no confidence in the VC and the ULB This is the fourth significant No Confidence vote passed during the current round of proposed redundancies

Huge congratulations to our comrades at @ducuuo.bsky.social - an absolutely outstanding result, and one that hopefully indicates a new way of collaborating with the incoming management team picking up quite a lot of pieces.

Dundee UCU@ducuuo.bsky.social · last yr.

NO REDUNDANCIES at the University of Dundee. Fantastic news in our fight to save jobs, as interim Principal Prof Nigel Seaton confirms that there will be no redundancies. A massive victory for everyone who has supported us. Looking forward to receiving the removal of Section 188 in writing.

Question: does NOUS simply not do contracts? That’s a whole lot of money to spend without a contract, especially since all the other consultancies (Deloitte: £600,000; QS: £250,000) in that same Freedom of Information request did draw up paperwork. #UKHE www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/educati...

DMU has made it back into Private Eye's latest edition thanks to the legal situation around its Dubai campus. As noted by @privateeyenews.bsky.social the apparent lack of due diligence on this matter is deeply troubling.

Members should check their inboxes for what looks like an interesting @ucu.org.uk CPD session on Divestment, Reinvestment, and Ethical Finance Training on 8th July - given the proposed restructuring plans currently in development, this is a great chance to get more familiar with university finances.

Amazing work by @newcastleucu.bsky.social - shows what can be done with solidarity and persistence!

Northumbria UCU Branch@ucunorthumbria.bsky.social · last yr.

✊🥂Huge congratulations to the whole @newcastleucu.bsky.social membership and team. Compulsory redundancies withdrawn. Sends a message to university management everywhere. Just shows what you can do with organisation, solidarity, and right on your side.

This is what happens when SMT's refuse to be transparent with or accountable to the community they serve www.bbc.com/news/article...

Dundee University bosses quit after damning report into financial collapse

A report into Dundee University says its financial crisis was caused by a "self-inflicted" failure of its oversight system.

bbc.com

Standing behind what our co-president has named "The Wall Of Lost Staff". We're striking because we need to know that the wall isn't going to get any longer.

Our tribute to our former colleagues, lost to a "voluntary" severance process under the shadow of compulsory redundancy. Each figure is a colleague gone, each door a vacancy closed to rehiring.

The previous VC had 'an "overbearing leadership style" and a dislike of potentially awkward confrontations or questioning'. #UKHE 'leadership' has GOT to learn that the only way forward is through conversation not diktat. Stop depicting people asking questions as attackers; they're *helpful*.

Paul Langley@paullangley.bsky.social · last yr.

"Set the university up for failure". It would be good for UK university managers to read this report very carefully, before they once again set heroic income targets (and excessive capital expenditure plans) for the future. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Today I am ON STRIKE. I'm striking because the University of Edinburgh has claimed the need for 'savings' in staff costs amounting to £90 million. The Union estimates this to be more than 1000 staff. (Not because of everyone being on 90k+, but because of the attendant 'savings' from mass layoffs)

It's our open day today and I'm on strike with @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social. Management plans to cut £140 million are opportunistic, misguided and wrong, and will harm the future of the university. Read our Joint Unions Financial Working Group blog: www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/2eppzf7...

Dire Financial Straits at UoE? NO! — UCU Edinburgh

Are things really as bad as they say? Find out the truth behind the numbers!

ucuedinburgh.org.uk

The @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social picket at Edinburgh Futures Institute is assembling

In light of the catastrophic failings of governance and financial management at the University of Dundee, we continue our fight to save jobs. We’re asking for a commitment to no compulsory redundancies and the removal of the currently active Section 188. #SaveDundeeUni #SaveHE

Now 99 universities officially making redundancies, and I've heard of a few more to take us over the 100 mark. If I were a student, I'd be 'shocked and offended' by that more than anything else. Still nothing is done. qmucu.org/qmul-transfo...

UK HE shrinking

a live page of all the redundancies and restructures happening across UK Higher Education. Page is updated regularly.

qmucu.org

"The university needs to look at the election of a leadership that staff can get behind and which is committed to resolving the current situation without the use of compulsory redundancies.” @carloucu.bsky.social @ducuuo.bsky.social www.heraldscotland.com/news/2525296...

University of Dundee staff resign following damning report into financial crisis

Three senior members of the University of Dundee, including its principal, have resigned in the wake of a damning report into its financial crisis

heraldscotland.com