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pjcrowther.bsky.social
Peter Crowther
@pjcrowther.bsky.social
110 followers 190 following 45 posts
Work at Birmingham City University. BCU UCU Professional Services Rep, UCU West Midlands Regional Secretary and National ARPS Committee. Love Radio, Journalism, Technicians, Trade Unions, 3D Printing, Public Transport and Jet Lag: The Game.
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Reposted by Peter Crowther
strikemap.org
Strike Map @strikemap.org · 18d
Pay cuts are rubbish 🪧

We were proud to support the excellent Brum Bin Strike march & demo organised by @unitetheunion.bsky.social .

The support for this dispute is getting stronger.

Your move Keir Starmer

(c) 📷 @redhen90.bsky.social #StrikeMap

#Solidarity #BirminghamBinStrike
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Reposted by Peter Crowther
jbb92.bsky.social
Jack @jbb92.bsky.social · Sep 6
It's also really worth stressing that BCU is not loss-making and was profitable for the entirety of the five years I was there. Changes are being made solely because this is what this VC wants. He'll implement them, move on, and leave a diminished institution in a great city.
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Reposted by Peter Crowther
jbb92.bsky.social
Jack @jbb92.bsky.social · Sep 6
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/a-new-vice-c... This is an excellent piece. I was at BCU until April (left for another job, not part of either redundancy scheme), the atmosphere was garbage at the time and according to my colleagues has only gotten worse.
Backlash at BCU: the divisive reign of David Mba
The vice chancellor says he's bringing much needed change - and anyone who disagrees can get out of his way
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk
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Reposted by Peter Crowther
strikemap.org
Strike Map @strikemap.org · Jul 25
SHUT IT DOWN 2

Five sites, one day. Not a wheel turned.

Victory to the Brum Bin workers.

#Megapickets work, pass it on.

#StrikeMap
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pjcrowther.bsky.social
Peter Crowther @pjcrowther.bsky.social · Jul 25
A very early but very worthwhile start of the day supporting the Brum bin workers picket at the Birmingham Perry Barr Depot representing @bcu-ucu.bsky.social, we shut the place down! I’ll take that energy into meeting with management today as 342 staff are still at risk of compulsory redundancy.
Workers from an array of unions standing in front of the gates at the Perry Barr Bin Depot. A bin lorry unable to leave the depot is in the background. Workers in front of the Perry Barr bin depot preventing a bin lorry from leaving. They are holding flags, banners and placards.
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Peter Crowther @pjcrowther.bsky.social · Jul 22
“Warwick is distinctive because it’s real.” Using university funds to pay for an advertorial in Vogue Singapore where an executive is featured in a fashion photoshoot and discusses his legacy is possibly one of the most tone-deaf moves I’ve ever seen in UKHE and the bar was already incredibly high.
michae.lv
michael veale @michae.lv · Jul 22
I can't quite believe it, but, it appears that the person responsible for this at the University of Warwick has had a Vogue photoshoot about the rebrand, explaining his 'journey from the world of luxury [goods marketing] into higher education' vogue.sg/university-o...
Universities aren’t often spoken of as ‘brands,’ but Warwick leans into that idea. What does thinking of a university as a brand unlock—and what can it achieve when done well? Seeing a university as a brand unlocks coherence and confidence. A brand is about more than design, it’s about identity and consistency. When you align your values, your story and your impact, you become more than a place, you become a movement. At Warwick, brand isn’t just a communications tool, it’s a strategic asset. It helps us attract brilliant minds, forge global partnerships and create a distinctive space in a competitive world. When done well, a brand doesn’t limit, it liberates. What drew you to the world of higher education, and how do you see its role evolving in society today? My journey from the world of luxury into higher education has been one of purpose and transformation. After years of working with global brands, I was drawn to higher education as the next frontier of influence, a space where knowledge, identity, and opportunity intersect. Universities aren’t just places of learning, they are platforms for societal impact. Their role today is to be both anchor and catalyst: rooted in rigorous teaching and research, yet agile enough to respond to global challenges and cultural shifts. How has your background in the luxury sector shaped the way you approach storytelling and brand building at the University of Warwick? Working across premium and luxury sectors—fashion, real estate, travel and beyond—taught me the value of emotion, detail, and differentiation. In those worlds, a brand isn’t just a badge, it’s an experience, a feeling, a story that lives in people’s hearts. At the University of Warwick, I’ve brought that same mindset to higher education: crafting narratives that are both strategic and human.
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Peter Crowther @pjcrowther.bsky.social · Jul 22
As well as the copy that would also be the new inaccessible font designed to ‘provoke debate’.
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Peter Crowther @pjcrowther.bsky.social · Jul 22
Imagine how you’d feel if your employer launched a very similar brand to a uni down the road just weeks after them. A new brand that was also developed by external consultants, while 342 staff are at risk of compulsory redundancy.
Birmingham City University website with the tagline of the new brand “Beyonder”. It is presented like a dictionary definition. The definition is apparently “a person who doesn’t settle, follow or fit the mould. Someone who chooses to go further”.
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Reposted by Peter Crowther
bcu-ucu.bsky.social
BCU UCU @bcu-ucu.bsky.social · Jul 16
Professional Services rep and @ucu.org.uk negotiator @pjcrowther.bsky.social reads out a list of the areas affected by cuts and downgrades at our lunchtime lobby of the @mybcu.bsky.social governors today.

No to redundancies, no to downgrading, no to cuts to student support!
Professional Services rep Pete reading a list of areas affected by cuts at lobby
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Reposted by Peter Crowther
bcu-ucu.bsky.social
BCU UCU @bcu-ucu.bsky.social · Jul 10
🚨 Lobby the BCU governors! 🚨

On Wed 16th BCU governors are meeting for an update on the current review, which has put 342 staff at risk of redundancy & cuts student support in multiple ways.

Join our lobby: 1pm outside Parkside Building

Bring your solidarity and your sun cream! #SaveBCU
UCU members outside BCU
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pjcrowther.bsky.social
Peter Crowther @pjcrowther.bsky.social · Jul 8
Please support @bcu-ucu.bsky.social and sign our petition to stop the threat of compulsory redundancy for 342 staff. chng.it/nKTdm2RCZ7

@ucu.org.uk branches we need your support!
Sign the Petition
Stop redundancies and cuts to student support at Birmingham City University
chng.it
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Peter Crowther @pjcrowther.bsky.social · Jul 7
They flew out the door! I’ll hopefully have more time do them again in future.
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Peter Crowther @pjcrowther.bsky.social · Jul 7
Production underway for the next batch of Join UCU fidget toys for @bcu-ucu.bsky.social’s recruitment push as we battle the threat of compulsory redundancy with 342 colleagues put at risk.
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Reposted by Peter Crowther
warwickuniucu.bsky.social
warwickuniucu.bsky.social @warwickuniucu.bsky.social · Jul 4
when you and your bestie* accidentally show up in a matching outfit

* and by you and your bestie we mean universities prioritising branding and vibes over students and staff
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Peter Crowther @pjcrowther.bsky.social · Jul 4
Mama said don’t cross picket lines. ✊
ucuatqub.bsky.social
UCU @ QUB @ucuatqub.bsky.social · Jul 4
LL Cool J: "There is absolutely no way I can perform across a picket line."

✊

www.nbcphiladelphia.com/entertainmen...
LL COOL J drops out of Wawa Welcome America concert because of union strike
LL COOL J said that he is not going to perform at Wawa Welcome America on July 4th in light of the AFSCME District Council 33 strike in Philadelphia.
www.nbcphiladelphia.com
pjcrowther.bsky.social
Peter Crowther @pjcrowther.bsky.social · Jun 28
A beautiful day in the Black Country today for the Women Chainmakers’ Festival. Privildged to carry the @bcu-ucu.bsky.social with our wonderful Branch Chair @illdoitanyway.bsky.social in the march remembering the courage of the Cradley Heath Chainmakers.
The march which is the culmination of the festival. On the left of the picture is a banner for the Birmingham District of the National Education Union. In the centre is a red banner for Birmingham City University UCU. It reads “Knowledge is Power. Unity is Strength”. A photograph of me holding the BCU UCU banner in the march along Cradley Heath High Street. BCU UCU Chair, Rhiannon Lockley, sat behind a table with a microphone in front of her. She is part of a panel of women discussing women’s rights.
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bcu-ucu.bsky.social
BCU UCU @bcu-ucu.bsky.social · Jun 27
BCU UCU members 📢

Branch meeting Monday 1pm. Check your email for your link. Come along to build our collective fight-back!
BCU UCU members in sunshine with banner at strike rally
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Reposted by Peter Crowther
newcastleucu.bsky.social
UCU Newcastle University @newcastleucu.bsky.social · Jun 27
A MASSIVE WIN AT NEWCASTLE UNI ICU
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Reposted by Peter Crowther
illdoitanyway.bsky.social
Rhiannon Lockley (she/her) is on ASOS @illdoitanyway.bsky.social · Jun 25
Rhianwen Roberts, @ucu.org.uk FE policy officer, opens her keynote at the BCU FE conference with a message of solidarity for @bcu-ucu.bsky.social & all affected by the 340 potential redundancies announced. Calls on leadership to take them off the table & to negotiate with the branch.
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Peter Crowther @pjcrowther.bsky.social · Jun 24
Phenomenal work from @ducuuo.bsky.social. They’ve worked tirelessly to save jobs amidst a crisis not of their own making.

Surely BCU can see the light and take compulsory redundancy off the table when our finances are in good order? @bcu-ucu.bsky.social
ducuuo.bsky.social
Dundee UCU @ducuuo.bsky.social · Jun 24
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.
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pjcrowther.bsky.social
Peter Crowther @pjcrowther.bsky.social · Jun 20
Absolute legends! ✊ Great to see this as we start a fresh struggle @bcu-ucu.bsky.social
ucu.org.uk
University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · Jun 20
🚨IT'S A WIN 🚨

Well done to every single @newcastleucu.bsky.social member

44 days on the picket line

ZERO compulsory redundancies

University bosses need to look at what our members have achieved in Newcastle & heed the warning: work with us or face disruption

www.ucu.org.uk/article/1406...
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pjcrowther.bsky.social
Peter Crowther @pjcrowther.bsky.social · Jun 13
Please sign this petition for @ucusurrey.bsky.social.

We’ve already lost our new professional services colleagues to a subsidiary @bcu-ucu.bsky.social with a weaker pension provision and no union representation.

This needs to be resisted at every institution!
ucusurrey.bsky.social
ucusurrey @ucusurrey.bsky.social · Jun 12
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
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Peter Crowther @pjcrowther.bsky.social · May 26
Awful to see the great city of Liverpool suffer on what was such a joyous day. I was in town until early this afternoon for @ucu.org.uk Congress and the atmosphere building was wonderful and friendly. The community they showed today in celebration will get them through this horrible ordeal. #YNWA
Reposted by Peter Crowther
ucu.org.uk
University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · May 26
#UCU2025 Congress has voted to raise a trade dispute with the government.

@drjogrady.bsky.social On BBC Radio 4 this morning our general secretary @drjogrady.bsky.social lays out the stark reality of the crisis facing our sector
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Reposted by Peter Crowther
illdoitanyway.bsky.social
Rhiannon Lockley (she/her) is on ASOS @illdoitanyway.bsky.social · May 26
#YNWA #FreePalestine
Not a football or sport person, never felt so safe and uplifted around fans as the crowds I am stuck in today! Liverpool ❤️
Father and daughter showing me their Palestine Liverpool flags on their backs
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