After months of slow and frustrating pay talks, UNISON members have firmly rejected the University’s final pay offer for 2024/25 following a consultation in March. At a meeting this month, members overwhelmingly backed plans to move to a formal strike ballot. What happens next A formal strike ballot will open on Tuesday 3 June and…
The past year has been one of horror and tragedy for the people of Gaza, Palestine and Lebanon. It has been necessary for all activists, trade unions and those who defend humanitarian values to bring the attention of the world to this situation, and to use their voices within their institutions to reduce suffering and…
We are launching a Workplace Stress Campaign in response to alarming trends identified in our casework, with the first stage being a survey open to all professional services (non-academic) staff at the University. This campaign aims to shine a light on the critical challenges many staff at the University are facing, including shrinking teams, rising…
At 5am this morning, a squadron of bailiffs descended on the Green Heart and forcibly evicted our students from campus. This comes less than 48 hours after the Encampment has been served with a Possession Order, and represents an aggressive choice, clearly timed in order to punish and go unchallenged. Our unions strongly condemn this…
Updated Friday 21 June. After serious consideration by both the committee and members in our latest meeting on Friday 7 June, our consultation on the offer from the University is now open. You will receive your voting link by email, with a text voting link to follow shortly afterwards for those who would prefer to…
Joint statement from the UCU and UNISON branch committees We are writing in response to Adam Tickell’s message from the VC. He has announced that the university has decided to seek legal action against its own students based on their peaceful, disciplined and orderly protest. This protest asks us to not turn our gaze from…
Joint statement with Birmingham UCUWe have been made aware that students have set up an encampment at the University of Birmingham, as part of the global solidarity movement calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in the Gaza/Israel conflict, and calling for an end to all support for Israel in its attack and occupation of…
UNISON support staff at the University of Birmingham are due to take three days of strike action this week. At well attended meetings on Thursday, members unanimously backed the committee’s plans for action on the 20, 21 and 22 March. Members in the meeting expressed frustration at the University’s continuing refusal to engage in negotiations…
As we mentioned in our last post, the reballot for our dispute about pay and conditons at the University closed in February and our members made a clear decision to continue strike action, for the pay and terms and conditions we all deserve. In our most recent members’ meeting, members expressed very clearly that: We…
We’ve proven that we can do it, again! Huge congratulations to every one of our members for an outstanding result. On Wednesday we were notified that 92% of those voting in our reballot said yes in favour of taking further strike action, if we aren’t offered an improved offer from the University in our pay and conditions dispute. The…
