University and College Union (UCU)

Further and higher education are in crisis. The government can no longer afford to look away. This Budget must deliver fair pay, sustainable funding and a future for post-16 education. Education is a public good. It’s time to treat it like one.

What does it mean to be working-class in higher education? Join our webinar exploring the experiences of working-class staff, collective power and equal opportunities. Friday 4 December | 12–1pm Register now: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

“Can we really call our system fair when people who came here under one set of rules now face a retrospective change?” Abtisam Mohamed MP raises concerns in Parliament about the impact of proposed settlement rule changes on academics and other international workers.

Organising and hard graft is spot on! Get yourself geared up for Nov 20th!

Education is a public good, not a commodity. As Andy Burnham calls for greater public control of essential services, UCU general secretary Jo Grady asks: where is that ambition for post-16 education? Universities and FE need proper funding and long-term planning. www.ucu.org.uk/article/1469...

There are no shortcuts to building a stronger union. As UCU vice president Mark Pendleton explains, real change takes sustained organising, both locally and across the UK. In episode 2 of No Shortcuts, we discuss how we build the collective strength needed to fight back and win.

Whether you're on strike, balloting or facing the threat of cuts, another UCU branch is facing similar challenges. Through Education. It's ours., we're connecting branches across the UK to share experiences, learn from each other and build solidarity. Get involved via the website.

Up and down the UK our members are angry and they are mobilising. It is vital every University sees protests, rallies and events for our National Day of Action on November 20th.

“The word is carnage, it is carnage what they are doing now – at the local level and also at the national, senior management level in the UK. Why are they thinking about the destruction of higher education?” www.theguardian.com/education/20...

The UCU National Day of Action in every University on Friday 20th November is shaping up to be huge. Start the conversations locally and build your plan.

Solidarity with Palestine means taking action in our workplaces. Join PSC updates on Saturday 14 November in London for Workers Organising for Palestine, a trade union conference focused on building effective boycott and divestment campaigns. Register: palestinecampaign.org/events/worke...

How do we turn the tide on the crisis facing higher education? The second episode of UCU’s No Shortcuts podcast explores the fight to defend jobs and courses, the power of collective action, and how we build a united movement for the future of higher education. Watch now: youtu.be/OeGb94pWRKw?...

Education. It is OURS. WE are the Universities. We are the Colleges. We are the Adult Education classes. We are Prison Education. It's OURS. Join @ucu.org.uk Support Education.

Education. It's ours.

“Like many of you, I spent most of this summer at risk of redundancy.” UCU vice president Mark Pendleton explains why members’ experiences are vital to changing the narrative around higher education. Share your story: educationisours.org.uk

91% of UCU members who voted at INTO Manchester backed entering a formal dispute over pay and workloads. Despite making almost £9m in profit last year, management has frozen pay and cut almost half of teaching posts in 2 years. UCU & UNISON members are demanding fair pay and manageable workloads.

On Friday 20 November, UCU members at universities across the UK will come together for a national day of action. With jobs, courses and the future of higher education under threat, we’re coming together to fight back. Campaign packs will be arriving in early November to help you get ready.

Universities in Northern Ireland face a £21 million funding cut, with both Queen’s Belfast and Ulster University already facing financial deficits. More cuts could mean fewer student places and courses. Higher education needs investment, not further cuts. Education. It’s ours.

This Friday, join UCU’s Black Members’ Standing Committee for a Black History Month webinar exploring race and lived experience through poetry and prose. Featuring contributions from Dave Neita and Claire Hynes. Friday 23 October | 1–2.30pm | Online Register now: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Start the conversation, build industrial strength - the foundation of change.

Staff at Lakes College in Cumbria have had enough. UCU members have declared a formal dispute over excessive workloads, stress + disruptive timetabling changes. Management must take meaningful action to protect staff and students or face potential industrial action. www.ucu.org.uk/article/1468...

Spot on Laurence. The hypocrisy from senior leaders in higher education is something to behold.

This.

Ulster University spent £800,000 on a project that was then abandoned. They are now proposing up to 450 staff redundancies. We have to expose the hypocrisy and incompetence of many of those leading the higher education sector in 2026. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Stronger branches. More members. More power. Our new Building Membership toolkit has practical tips on recruiting colleagues, starting conversations and growing your UCU branch. It starts with one conversation. Download it: educationitsours.org.uk

Our members at Dundee University have exposed cuts to disability and welfare student services. They are striking against vicious job cuts. They are fighting to protect an institution at the heart of the community in Dundee. Show them your solidarity. www.thenational.scot/news/2663890...

This article completely exposes the cruel and shortsighted cuts that are being made to creative courses at Edinburgh University and elsewhere. UCU are fighting for every working class student to have the right to create and inspire. Make a stand. news.stv.tv/east-central...

85% voted YES to strike action at the University of Lincoln. After around 500 staff departures, members are demanding an end to compulsory redundancies. Staff are an asset, not a drain on resources. Solidarity with Lincoln UCU!

£8 million in planned savings. Jobs at risk. Vital research under threat. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine management must come clean on its cuts plans, rule out job losses and work with unions. Staff, students and world-leading research deserve better. www.ucu.org.uk/article/1468...

Ulster University plans to cut 450 full-time equivalent posts around 15% of its workforce. UCU’s Norman Hagan explains what’s at stake for staff and students. Solidarity with everyone fighting these cuts.

BREAKING: University of Sunderland staff have declared a formal industrial dispute over plans for sweeping cuts. Management wants to slash £40m from its budget, putting jobs and students’ education at risk. Staff are ready to fight back. www.ucu.org.uk/article/1467...

The crisis in post-16 education is being raised in Parliament. The UCU Parliamentary Group has tabled a motion demanding urgent action on job cuts, pay and funding, and backing striking UCU members. Get your MP on board! edm.parliament.uk/early-day-mo...

Universities are tearing apart the humanities, arts and social sciences. Courses are closing, jobs are disappearing, and students and staff are paying the price. At Exeter, 85% of proposed job cuts targeted these disciplines. We need university leaders who will defend education mot destroy it.

How do we make change happen in education? Join our UCU Briefs webinar on Friday 20 November, 12:30pm. Register now: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

University of Brighton management is threatening to tear up longstanding agreements protecting staff rights, working conditions and trade union recognition. UCU branch chair Ryan Burns explains what’s at stake and why members are fighting back.

Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali is backing our fight for the future of education. Across the UK, staff and students are standing up against cuts to jobs, courses and funding. Find out what’s happening, show solidarity and get involved. Visit educationitsours.org.uk

Our members at Goldsmiths are months into strike action. They are fighting to save vital jobs. Share this picket like speech from our GS and send your solidarity.

Over 30,000 jobs and 4,000 courses cut in three years. Higher education is in crisis. UCU general secretary Jo Grady sets out why we’re fighting for a properly funded sector that puts people before profit. Education. It’s ours. tribunemag.co.uk/2026/10/educ...

Nottingham is cutting paediatric nursing. These are the nurses who care for sick children. The university trains them. The region relies on them. Labour MP Amanda Hack says these cuts will bite across the East Midlands. She's right. Staff are on strike to stop it. Stand with them.

Universities contribute £6.3 billion a year to the East Midlands economy. But at the University of Nottingham, hundreds of jobs and vital courses are under threat. “Students suffer as much from this restructuring as staff.” This fight is about protecting jobs and education for future generations.

Show your solidarity by changing your profile picture and help spread the word. Head to our campaign website to access campaign resources, download materials and find out how you can take action to defend education. Education. It’s ours. Let’s fight for it. educationitsours.org.uk

Brilliant effort. Join UCU.

Despite disruption, students overwhelmingly back striking staff at Nottingham. UCU members are fighting job cuts, course closures and the future of higher education. Stand with them: educationitsours.org.uk/map/ Video: Al Jazeera

Building solidarity. Strengthening our movement. Fighting for education for all. Philip Proudfoot, researcher at the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex, explains why UCU members should explore our new Education. It’s Ours campaign website.

Education systems cannot do more with less. A new report from Education International highlights the urgent need for fair pay, secure jobs and sustained investment in further & adult education. The findings reflect what UCU members have been saying for years: education needs investment, not cuts.

LSBU wants to sack 66 academics and rehire them on worse contracts before Christmas. That's fire and rehire. Our members rallied on campus today. LSBU has now agreed to talks at ACAS. Management needs to come ready to listen.

On the latest episode of No Shortcuts, UCU general secretary Jo Grady reflects on Jane McAlevey’s legacy and why mass participation and grassroots organising are key to building union power. There are no shortcuts to winning. Listen now!