Our own UMUCU organiser is one of the Unite members taking strike action.

Unite members at the Manchester protest in St Peter’s Square

Unite members protesting in Liverpool

UCU Unite will be holding a lunch time picket 12-1pm on Tuesday 15th April, next to the Emmeline Pankhurst statue at St Peter’s Square, Manchester.

We’re asking all members, UCU reps and UCU members to come along and show solidarity.

If you have kids off school, bring them along and make a day of it.

We’ll be just across from Central Library, where you can visit the reading room. Manchester Art Gallery is a short walk away and the Manchester Museum is just up the road.

Why are UCU employees going on strike?

The observance of IWMD allows millions of people around the world to reflect on those who have lost their lives at work or because of the work they do. It is also an opportunity to keep worker safety on the agenda with a particular focus on prevention, campaigning and education. Activities include vigils, readings, music, stalls and processions. The event started in North America in 1986 and has been supported by Greater Manchester Hazards Centre (GMHC) every year.

Where is it held?

As in previous years, GMHC along with partners and affiliates will coordinate the IWMD event in Manchester. There will also be activities and events at the Working Class Movement Library (Salford) and the Peoples History Museum (Manchester).

Date: 28th April 2025

Time: 11.45am – 1.30pm

Location: Lincoln Square, Manchester M2 5HX

We are pleased to announce that the Know your rights! session #2 ‘Broken relationships: ACAS and the Employment Tribunal process’ on Wednesday 02 April from 12:30-13:30! This topic was the most popular choice of the participants in the first session. Organised by UoM’s UCU, it is open to any staff at UoM, be they in a union or not, whether they are academics, professional support staff, researchers, administrative staff, etc. Join us, share widely, invite your colleagues to join or even set up a get-together lunch and attend as a group! See attached flyer and feel free to print it out and put it somewhere that you colleagues can see.

Register here to get the link for the session: https://tinyurl.com/KnowUrRights2 [tinyurl.com]

In this second session, Sarah Murphy from Greater Manchester Law Centre, will give us an overview of what your options are, once we have exhausted all internal methods of complaint at work. She will provide guidance on how to approach Early Conciliation with ACAS [acas.org.uk]-the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service- and then on taking a claim to the Employment Tribunal [gov.uk]. She will set out what practical considerations we need to bear in mind and give tips on how to maximise your chances of success. While the Union may be able to support you through these processes, it is always useful to know what to expect and how to best prepare ourselves.

Education–and the UCU members who power it–has a crucial role to play in society and the national renewal we so desperately need.

We are holding our annual education policy conference ‘Cradle to Grave’ on Saturday 29 March 2025, in London or online via Zoom. This annual conference is a chance for members to discuss some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the sectors where we organise.

The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Education for liberation: building progressive post-16 education policy’ [list.mercury.ucu.org.uk], and the confirmed keynote speaker is Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds East. We also have sessions on social partnership, international solidarity, decolonising the curriculum, and decarbonisation and our role in the green skills agenda.

This is an important opportunity for UCU members to get together and explore the issues that matter to us. The conference is free to attend; please register as soon as possible [list.mercury.ucu.org.uk]. The deadline for registration is Thursday 13 March.

The UK-wide annual meeting of staff on casualised contracts will take place on Sat 22 Feb in London, with a hybrid attendance option: https://www.ucu.org.uk/cascontractsmeeting. We encourage all casualised members (e.g. GTAs, fixed-term or finite-funded staff) to self-register for the meeting. We will nominate representatives at the next members’ meeting. Self-registered delegates have the same status and voting rights at the annual meeting. Please get in contact with the Exec if you require financial support in order to attend. It would be great to see as many of our casualised members there as possible.