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Reposted by Bournemouth University UCU

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

With just over a week to go until the ballot opens, @dyfrigjones.bsky.social had a message to UCU higher education members at last night’s Live.

Speak to as many people as possible, speak to your branch, speak to colleagues, get the message out there.

Vote early. Vote YES

#WeAreTheUniversity

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

At last night's UCU Live, colleagues outlined some reasons to vote YES in the HE ballot ✊

❎It's now or never
❎We’ve passed the point of crisis
❎The only way to change it, is to be part of the change
❎If you want your voice to count, you have to shout

#WeAreTheUniversity

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

BBC Breakfast news covered our analysis of the shocking cuts at universities across the UK

It’s time to stand up and fight for our sector ✊

Vote YES in the ballot

#WeAreTheUniversity

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uculondonoffice.bsky.social @uculondonoffice.bsky.social · 4d

Everybody out! Solidarity across unions @imperialucu.bsky.social

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University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 3d

Rewarding themselves while creating chaos for staff and students?

Vice Chancellor pay in Higher Education is out of control and must be stopped

Join us live tonight at 7pm as we expose the hypocrisy

UCU Live: youtube.com/live/rZRbCP0...

#WeAreTheUniversity #VoteYes

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University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 3d

£2.5 billion in assets. £81 million surplus.
Still cutting pay. Still ignoring equalities.

Imperial staff have had enough.
They’re on strike for fair pay, respect and real negotiations. ✊

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uculondonoffice.bsky.social @uculondonoffice.bsky.social · 3d

Universities risk ‘creeping death’ from unsupervised mergers www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers...

Universities risk ‘creeping death’ from unsupervised mergers

Specialist institutions could be subsumed without high-level oversight of sector consolidation, MPs warned

www.timeshighereducation.com

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Bournemouth University UCU @bournemouthucu.bsky.social · 2d

Nice to have a personalised message from Dr Jo Grady (General Secretary of @ucu.org.uk about the #wearetheuniversity campaign! Balloting starts October 20. #fairpay #termsandconditions #jobsecurity #stopcoursecuts #ukhe #unilife #highered #academia #bournemouthuni
youtu.be/gYOPsiOTe94?...

We Are The University, a message from Dr Jo Grady (UCU General Secretary)

YouTube video by Bournemouth University UCU

youtu.be

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QM_UCU @qmucu.bsky.social · 5d

UCU, Unite, and Unison out together! Frustrating that it has to come to this, but buoying that all staff is sticking together in the fight for the soul of hte university.

Sending much solidarity to all three there @imperialucu.bsky.social!

uculondonoffice.bsky.social @uculondonoffice.bsky.social · 5d

Solidarity @imperialucu.bsky.social @ucu.org.uk

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Mike Sowden @mikeachim.bsky.social · 5d

Damn. This is amazing. £325 per week, paid monthly, for 3 years - and the result was a profit for the Irish economy:
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...

Post from Threads user rodneyowl: "Ireland has declared the Basic Income for Artists scheme permanent. This will be officially announced in tomorrow’s budget. Details to follow. Congratulations to all who fought for it and the present and future artists of all sorts in Ireland. That includes me 👌We’re just comin to the end of a 3 year pilot scheme. It’s been a roaring success. For every €1 paid out to the 2000 participants, the government got €1.46 back. Can’t argue with that. Other countries are already taking note."

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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 10d

ICYMI on Tuesday, here's my *new* and *free* short-form summary of what's gone wrong in our universities. This is something of a last word really, because unless the Budget and White Paper do something really radical, the fate of much HE is already sealed.
politicalquarterly.org.uk/blog/where-n...

Where now for Britain’s Universities?

UK higher education now faces a very bleak future, retreating in the face of little public sympathy and limited political interest.

politicalquarterly.org.uk

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Bournemouth University UCU @bournemouthucu.bsky.social · 5d

www.youtube.com/live/rZRbCP0...

LIVE: Exposing Vice Chancellors across the UK - VOTE YES #WeAreTheUniversity

YouTube video by UCU - University and College Union

www.youtube.com

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University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 9d

Great to have Justin Madders MP standing with UCU members 💪

As we get ready to ballot, solidarity like this matters.

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UCU University of Kent branch @ucukent.bsky.social · 10d

10,000 redundancies so far.

Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 10d

ICYMI on Tuesday, here's my *new* and *free* short-form summary of what's gone wrong in our universities. This is something of a last word really, because unless the Budget and White Paper do something really radical, the fate of much HE is already sealed.
politicalquarterly.org.uk/blog/where-n...

Where now for Britain’s Universities?

UK higher education now faces a very bleak future, retreating in the face of little public sympathy and limited political interest.

politicalquarterly.org.uk

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QM_UCU @qmucu.bsky.social · 18d

*bump*

We need more thorough analysis like this: connecting the dots across the complex financial & governance structure in #UKHE.

QM_UCU @qmucu.bsky.social · 19d

A brilliant piece in the FT about the human and institutional cost of overreliance on international student fees. Managers are making our most vulnerable students pay the price of a failing funding model and are skewing the purposes of university in their pursuit of fees.
www.ft.com/content/3f49...

Page argues franchising — where students are disproportionately from poorer backgrounds — has been oversold as a means for widening participation. In reality, he says, it often leaves students behind, with outcomes “taking down our overall metrics”.

Staff were never comfortable with the franchise-heavy model, he says. “Voices were raised about their concerns, the things they saw and practices that didn’t align with our values, but they weren’t listened to,” he adds. “Now we live or die by our own work. We’re not going to be reliant on other organisations. I would advise any other university with large franchise numbers to do the same.” Buckinghamshire cut ties earlier this year with five of its former private franchise partners.

Even so, other universities are continuing to explore franchise models. For Queen Mary’s new “International Year One” in business and management, for example, it will outsource the teaching and recruitment for the programme to Kaplan International College, a for-profit group offering pathway courses into higher education.

Taught at Kaplan’s centre in London Bridge, the one-year course will enable foreign students to move straight on to the second year of Queen Mary’s business management undergraduate degree. Kaplan’s tuition fee is about £9,000 cheaper and requires lower entry grades and English language qualifications.

Queen Mary academics fear the Kaplan pathway, billed as the only one of its kind leading to a London Russell Group university, will not improve the academic preparedness of students.

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University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 19d

Thanks to @pcsunion.bsky.social
for backing UCU members as we prepare to ballot!

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University of Nottingham UCU branch @uonucu.bsky.social · 18d

A MASSIVE thank you to the multiple members of @leicesterucu.bsky.social for showing up and showing solidarity on the first day! Not to mention the snacks!

✊ ✊ ✊

A photograph of a man holding up a fist on the street

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UCU University of Kent branch @ucukent.bsky.social · 18d

UK Universities desperately need support from our government.
Education should be free for everyone.
Education is not a business.
Education is key for a strong economy.
Education is important for everyone's life and well-being.
#Solidarity with @uonucu.bsky.social

University of Nottingham UCU branch @uonucu.bsky.social · 18d

Another fantastic days of pickets across the university! We will continue tomorrow with a final day of pickets from 8-11:30 and then make our way to the Trent building for a rally in support of our fight against compulsory redundancies. We'll see you there!

#StopTheCuts #SaveHE

A photograph of a person kneeling to pet a dog in front of two strike posters.

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University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · Sep 8

VCs don’t run universities.

We do.

After another real terms pay cut, UCU is launching a UK-wide strike ballot.

Ballot opens October.

Vote YES.

#WeAreTheUniversity

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University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 24d

NEW: Our members at the University of Bradford will begin 10 days of strike action on Monday in a fight to protect jobs.

Time for management to listen to staff, rethink the cuts and rule out compulsory redundancies.

www.ucu.org.uk/article/1418...

University of Bradford staff announce further strike dates job cuts row

University of Bradford staff will down tools for 10 days in a fight to save jobs, announced the University and College Union (UCU) today.

www.ucu.org.uk

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QM_UCU @qmucu.bsky.social · 24d

Want to know which consultancy has been pushing the 'too many things' (because Nous does that for programmes & modules, at least).

Humans are complex. Societies are complex. You're taking the future hostage in denying reality and claiming we only need a couple of bits of profit-generating knowledge

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 25d

'In terms of choosing which areas to prioritise, [Kieron] Flanagan said this would be inherently political, as there is “no conclusive data and evidence…that will answer that question”.'

It's striking that almost no one is asking what evidence the "too many things" argument rests on. Start asking.

John Morgan @johnmorgan3.bsky.social · 25d

Nice to have Ian Chapman, UKRI's new chief exec, writing exclusively for @resprofnews.bsky.social.

Here's analysis of his comments on UK research "trying to do too many things", calling for focus on world-leading areas, by @robinbisson.bsky.social.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

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University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 24d

Sheffield Hallam management: There's no money, we're going to have to axe hundreds of staff.

Also, Sheffield Hallam management: We're spending £140m on a new campus.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

New Sheffield Hallam University campus opens - BBC News

Buildings are eco-friendly but university has been criticised over redundancies and pay freezes.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Jo VanEvery @jovanevery.bsky.social · 27d

Or, hear me out, we could just provide all institutions with guaranteed research funding without having to prove excellence. Just because research is a core function of universities. You know, like we did before the creation of RAE which later morphed into REF.

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 27d

Possible changes being mooted 'include a “twin or multi-track” REF, with smaller institutions—which often face proportionally higher costs when submitting to the exercise—given access to core funding without having to complete a REF return.' 1/3

Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 27d

Two-tier REF causes concern amid rumours of ‘radical’ changes.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Sep 12

'"You can’t have hobbyist research that’s unfunded going on in institutions. We can’t afford it.”'

Such a badly formulated phrasing of the issues, so open to so many misinterpretations. If this is the level of thinking about research among sector leaders and policy-makers, be very afraid.

Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · Sep 12

Ministers ‘want to shift funds away from low-quality research’ .

Universities UK president says institutions cannot afford “unfunded hobbyist research”.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Ministers ‘want to shift funds away from low-quality research’ - Research Professional News

Universities UK president says institutions cannot afford “unfunded hobbyist research”

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

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Bournemouth University UCU @bournemouthucu.bsky.social · 29d

For more on what's going on at #bournemouthuni, see our updates here: ucubournemouth.uk/2025/09/12/a...

Meanwhile we do what we can to support each other and our students. We're aware many branches and unis are going through similar, if not worse, things--solidarity! ✊🔥

#bournemouth #ucu #highered

Actions & concerns, September 12 2025

We’re still in a trade dispute, but we’re hoping that prompt University response to our concerns and request for ACAS conciliation will help to avert strike action.

ucubournemouth.uk

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