Joint statement with Birmingham UCU on RAAC at University of Birmingham
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Joint statement with Birmingham UCU on RAAC at University of Birmingham

You can also view this statement on Birmingham UCU’s website. We are pleased the University has now updated staff and students on its review of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete on campus. According to the University, of the 200+ buildings across campus, part of one building, the roof extension of the Arts building, may contain some RAAC….

A rally at the station
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Branch committee call for further strike action – ball is in University’s court

Strike action announced on 21 and 22 September Following our very successful strike day on the 17 August, the committee is now calling for more strike action on the 21 and 22 September. This will be during welcome week, when new and returning students are arriving at the University for the new academic year.  The…

Solidarity to Birmingham City Council members
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Solidarity to Birmingham City Council members

Birmingham city council has recently declared effective “bankruptcy” with most news articles tracing the issues back to massive equal pay liabilities at the council. This does not tell the whole story though, and could worryingly give the impression that workers are to blame for the sorry state of council finances. Following repeated court judgements including…

Photograph of picket line in front of the Guild with people wearing purple bibs, carrying placards and two dogs.
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How it felt to be at the picket lines, from our members.

“A good day where we saw our colleagues from different buildings and showed our collective resolve.” The day wasn’t as warm as expected, the sun only really came out as we gathered for the rally- though compared to Friday the gods were clearly on our side. I picketed at North Gate as I had no…

Thursday is strike day – picket plans and more info
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Thursday is strike day – picket plans and more info

At meetings on Monday, members unanimously confirmed that Thursday’s strike should go ahead. The first and most important thing we ask all support staff to do is not go to work. Picket lines We’d love it if you could come along to our picket lines in the morning – this will help keep morale high and…

Strike action called for Thursday 17 August
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Strike action called for Thursday 17 August

The UoB UNISON committee has decided to call a strike day for Thursday 17 August. This is A-level results day and when the University will be undertaking “clearing” activity related to student recruitment. This was not a decision we take lightly. We’ve expanded on our reasoning below and you can read more about all of…

Strike ballot result – you voted yes!
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Strike ballot result – you voted yes!

We announced the result of our ballot on pay spine changes earlier this week. On an impressive 54.99% turnout, the yes vote to strike action was 89.63%. UK law around strike action is designed to make it as difficult as possible to get a result, by insisiting on a minimum turnout of 50% and that all votes have to…

Strike ballot opens on Friday – negotiations and the one off payment
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Strike ballot opens on Friday – negotiations and the one off payment

Strike ballot opens on Friday As agreed by members in our meeting on 11 May, our strike ballot over pay spine reform, and University management’s insistence on linking it to terms and conditions, opens this coming Friday (26 May).  If you are a UNISON support staff member at the University of Birmingham, you should receive…

NEC elections – make sure you use your vote
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NEC elections – make sure you use your vote

UNISON’s National Executive Council elections open on Monday 17 April. All UNISON members who joined before the 17 January are eligible to vote and you should expect to receive a voting pack to your registered home address, including details of the candidates and a prepaid return envelope.  We’d encourage all members to vote in this very important set of elections…

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UNISON members reject support staff pay proposals

What is going on with pay reform at the University?  Staff at the University of Birmingham will have seen the news that union members have rejected the University’s latest offer on support staff pay reform. There is a lot of misinformation about why this decision was made and where the responsibility lies if the negotiations…