ucucommons.bsky.social - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

There's still time to vote if you attach a first-class stamp to your ballot and post it today!

submitted 12 hours ago • 0 comments

And so the demise of research in higher education accelerates. Can't submit a great funding bid because half the Co-Is are under notice for redundancy. So all work grinds to a halt - even for those institutions/academics remaining. This is simply the devastation of higher education in the UK.

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

This thread is about Edinburgh. Which means if you're trying to parse their claim to need £140 MILLION saved, we need to think about covenants and capital expenditure decisions taken by very senior management behind closed doors, for years now. No accountability exists at the top of our sector.

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

As I’ve said several times, redundancies and precarious working conditions in our universities are not new so there’s no ‘turning into’ anything. It’s always been the reality for so many of us.

submitted 1 day ago • 4 comments

This has got way more views than any of our other posts so far. It's obviously being shared far and wide: keep it going! If you post your ballot tomorrow (Weds) or Thursday, make sure you attach a first-class stamp!

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

📰 Identical front page on every UK paper today, with homepage takeovers too. Only 2nd time this has happened. As editors and reporters, we fear for the future of quality journalism - with unlawful scraping of content (theft) by AI firms. #MakeItFair inews.co.uk/opinion/made...

submitted 2 days ago • 2 comments

Ben's report is brilliant - there is so much important work ahead for the UCU anti-cas committee. Also LAST SAFE POSTING DAY: get that ballot sent off now!!

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

Ben is my oldest friend in academia, and truly one of my favourite people. Really the best of us. I'm so pleased he's been re-elected to our NEC. He is kind, funny and exceptionally clever. Truly the best of us ❤️

submitted 2 days ago • 1 comment

🚨 New elections mailout! On the LAST SAFE POSTING DAY for ballots, Ben Pope, elected unopposed as Representative for Casualised Members (HE) to NEC, provides a report on UCU's annual Anticasualisation Conference which took place on Saturday 22 February. #UCU ucucommons.substack.com/p/introducin...

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

Reminder to all our members at Oxford Brookes and UCU members in general. Ballots for the NEC elections need to be completed and returned in the post. The last safe posting day is tomorrow. Candidate details and a recording of the online hustings can be found here: www.ucu.org.uk/article/1373...

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

Solidarity with our members on strike today at @ducuuo.bsky.social 👇 Fighting back against proposed job cuts. Three weeks of strike action start today ✊ The whole union is behind you. We can win this 🔥

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

👇👇

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

👇👇

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

I do a bit of analysis of what makes industrial action a useful tool and when it isn’t. I believe some people label the position “we should consider the material and power dynamics of a situation” “industrially pessimistic”. I prefer to be clear eyed.

submitted 3 days ago • 2 comments

Bijan is, as always, on point. Industrial action is the most powerful weapon we have, and it's important for it to be used wisely. Otherwise, our members view us as clueless amateurs & stop engaging. If you haven't yet voted in the UCU NEC election, what are you waiting for?

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

UCU is so lucky to have Bijan. He works extraordinarily hard for members and is always prepared to speak up and be accountable. We need him for a 3rd term on NEC!

submitted 3 days ago • 1 comment

Let’s go let’s go!

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

New elections mailout! As we enter the last week of the ballot, @bparsia.bsky.social reflects on the current crisis and on UCU's deep internal divisions over strategy. If you haven't yet voted, it's nearly your last chance! Last safe posting day is 25th February. open.substack.com/pub/ucucommo...

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

well reported piece on the Edinburgh finance situation www.edinburghinquirer.co.uk/p/why-are-th...

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

Sophia has written a brilliant mailout for us today! She is great and I would love to have her join NEC. Vote for Sophia as UK-elected rep, and the rest of our @ucucommons.bsky.social candidates!

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Sophia is an exceptional person in all ways and I miss working with her on the branch at Edinburgh - please read what she has to say and if you haven’t voted yet, do so today! #UCU

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Simply the best!!

submitted 6 days ago • 1 comment

Today's elections mailout is from @sophisteria.bsky.social - who talks about the need to overcome toxic rifts which prevent us achieving the best for our members: ucucommons.substack.com/p/introducin...

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Isn't it a positive thing to see different perspectives? If you want to keep up on the UCU Commons substack @ucucommons.bsky.social follow the link to subscribe

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Subscriptions to our mailing list have rocketed in the last few weeks, so just a reminder that if you want to keep up with what we're doing, you can sign up here. #UCU ucucommons.substack.com/p/coming-soon

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

This is such a well written piece by @markpendleton.bsky.social about UCU, and why he’s standing for NEC. Couldn’t have put it better myself.

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

Blunt and yet still so generous from Mark.

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

Today's elections mailout is from @markpendleton.bsky.social - who writes honestly and passionately about why we can and must build a better union: ucucommons.substack.com/p/our-union-...

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

First post on the upcoming election.

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

This form is now closed! A huge thanks to everyone who signed.

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

This isn't something to scoff at in any way. Well done, guys.

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

Welsh government have found an additonal £19m for HE. It isn’t enough, and comes with conditions, but it definitely helps. This is thanks to the hard work done by UCU Cymru, massive thanks to all the members who have pushed, as well as our amazing staff. www.gov.wales/19-million-s...

submitted 9 days ago • 3 comments

Very last push on this! It will be closed at close of play today. Please take this opportunity to sign if you haven't already!

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

'The chair of the All-Party Parliamentary University Group has expressed worries about a possible “doom loop” for universities unless the current funding crisis can be resolved—saying any decline in R&D output could significantly damage the reputation of UK higher education.' 1/2

submitted 9 days ago • 3 comments

Going to stick my neck out here and agree that first you defend the jobs, and then later you argue the case for better pay. But first you defend the jobs.

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

I've just received an invitation from my university's events team to lead a bid to host an international conference. I note that there was not mention of payment for my work in bringing this income to the university. #academicsky

submitted 9 days ago • 2 comments

Absolutely obscene

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

If, like me, you are a UCU member and agree the union should stop wasting time and effort on a fruitless round of pay strikes at a time when tens of thousands of academic jobs are at risk, then please consider signing this open letter (link early on the document): ucucommons.org/2025/02/13/m...

submitted 9 days ago • 4 comments

many of you will have probably seen me posting this already on my human account, but in case not!

submitted 9 days ago • 1 comment

If I worked in Scotland I would vote for Chris! He's super kind, super committed and super hardworking!

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

Amazing vid from @choochod.bsky.social. One of the hardest working, most humble and insightful people I know. Here, he demonstrates deep knowledge of the particular circumstances of Scottish HE that he would bring to the role of UCU Scotland President. And vote for @anngow.bsky.social as Hon Sec!

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

💥New elections mailout! Today, we're hearing from @choochod.bsky.social, who is running for UCU Scotland President. UCU Scotland has huge potential and Chris is the one to take it forward. Vote for him if you work in Scotland! open.substack.com/pub/ucucommo...

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

This will be open a bit longer but please do continue to sign and share. #UCU

submitted 10 days ago • 0 comments

Attention, #UCU members in HE! We are bringing this motion to defend jobs and call off a ballot for IA over last years' pay to this Wednesday's emergency HEC. We will keep it open as long as we can but do not delay - sign and share today! 👇👇👇

submitted 11 days ago • 0 comments

We urgently need local ballots over job cuts, not an expensive and poorly-supported national ballot over pay. & FYI for anyone not following UCU activities closely: the current misguided plans doomed to failure are coming from UCU Left.

submitted 12 days ago • 1 comment

Hmmn. I found this proposal (see second half) a really interesting read - raising lots of questions on the practicality (i.e. three campus unions seems to be a complicating factor) but even more for what we COULD be doing as a union if we made space for discussions of substantive policy.

submitted 10 days ago • 1 comment

HE is a mess, but Kemi Badenoch is still scared of us. So we must be getting something right.

submitted 10 days ago • 1 comment

Signed this with mixed feelings - industrial action may be the only tool we have to focus the minds of government, but it would require much grassroots work to achieve member buy-in

submitted 10 days ago • 2 comments

We're almost at 180 signatures now! Thanks everyone for signing. Please keep signing and sharing with your networks!

submitted 10 days ago • 0 comments