Birmingham UCU
@birminghamucu.bsky.social
💥 Join our active, growing branch and be part of the campaign for a safer, fairer university: ucu.org.uk/join · birminghamucu.org
💰 Did you know you can claim tax relief on your UCU subscription?
Members can offset 67% of their union subs against tax paid.
You have up to 4 years to claim back for previous tax years, so there could be money waiting for you!
Full details:
Members can offset 67% of their union subs against tax paid.
You have up to 4 years to claim back for previous tax years, so there could be money waiting for you!
Full details:
UCU - Tax relief on subscriptions
Welcome to UCU’s Membership Portal where you can join the union, manage and update your personal information and find answers to the most frequently raised questions relating to Membership, Employment or the Legal Scheme.
my.ucu.org.uk
February 19, 2026 at 4:37 PM
💰 Did you know you can claim tax relief on your UCU subscription?
Members can offset 67% of their union subs against tax paid.
You have up to 4 years to claim back for previous tax years, so there could be money waiting for you!
Full details:
Members can offset 67% of their union subs against tax paid.
You have up to 4 years to claim back for previous tax years, so there could be money waiting for you!
Full details:
General Members Meeting at 1pm today
bham-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/8956359352...
Agenda:
1. Workload principles
2. UKRI Funding changes
3. PDR changes
4. Redundancies
5. Casework
This is your opportunity to have your say in how the branch responds to these pressing issues
bham-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/8956359352...
Agenda:
1. Workload principles
2. UKRI Funding changes
3. PDR changes
4. Redundancies
5. Casework
This is your opportunity to have your say in how the branch responds to these pressing issues
Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise cloud communications.
bham-ac-uk.zoom.us
February 19, 2026 at 12:48 PM
General Members Meeting at 1pm today
bham-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/8956359352...
Agenda:
1. Workload principles
2. UKRI Funding changes
3. PDR changes
4. Redundancies
5. Casework
This is your opportunity to have your say in how the branch responds to these pressing issues
bham-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/8956359352...
Agenda:
1. Workload principles
2. UKRI Funding changes
3. PDR changes
4. Redundancies
5. Casework
This is your opportunity to have your say in how the branch responds to these pressing issues
🚨 The University has imposed changes to PDR without agreement, breaching our recognition agreement.
Key issues:
Removed opt-out option (a negotiated right)
No space for structural issues like workload
Links to BACF promotion criteria
We cannot allow UoB to ignore its agreements.
Key issues:
Removed opt-out option (a negotiated right)
No space for structural issues like workload
Links to BACF promotion criteria
We cannot allow UoB to ignore its agreements.
February 19, 2026 at 8:09 AM
🚨 The University has imposed changes to PDR without agreement, breaching our recognition agreement.
Key issues:
Removed opt-out option (a negotiated right)
No space for structural issues like workload
Links to BACF promotion criteria
We cannot allow UoB to ignore its agreements.
Key issues:
Removed opt-out option (a negotiated right)
No space for structural issues like workload
Links to BACF promotion criteria
We cannot allow UoB to ignore its agreements.
Our next General Members Meeting is tomorrow at 1pm on Zoom bham-ac-uk.zoom.us/j...
This is your opportunity to have say on how the branch does next on redundancies, workload and stress.
This is your opportunity to have say on how the branch does next on redundancies, workload and stress.
Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise cloud communications.
bham-ac-uk.zoom.us
February 18, 2026 at 7:13 PM
Our next General Members Meeting is tomorrow at 1pm on Zoom bham-ac-uk.zoom.us/j...
This is your opportunity to have say on how the branch does next on redundancies, workload and stress.
This is your opportunity to have say on how the branch does next on redundancies, workload and stress.
⏳ On a fixed-term contract? 4+ years at UoB? You're entitled to apply for permanent status. (Not that HR will tell you this) #EndCasualisation
February 18, 2026 at 10:10 AM
⏳ On a fixed-term contract? 4+ years at UoB? You're entitled to apply for permanent status. (Not that HR will tell you this) #EndCasualisation
Tomorrow - Lunchtime social
Step away from your desk and have lunch with other BUCU members.
All welcome
12-1pm Cafe Aroma, 1st floor, staff building.
Step away from your desk and have lunch with other BUCU members.
All welcome
12-1pm Cafe Aroma, 1st floor, staff building.
February 17, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Tomorrow - Lunchtime social
Step away from your desk and have lunch with other BUCU members.
All welcome
12-1pm Cafe Aroma, 1st floor, staff building.
Step away from your desk and have lunch with other BUCU members.
All welcome
12-1pm Cafe Aroma, 1st floor, staff building.
UoB Professional Services - you make student success happen. Join Birmingham UCU to fight for fair workload and recognition.
UCU - Join UCU Today
Welcome to UCU’s Membership Portal where you can join the union, manage and update your personal information and find answers to the most frequently raised questions relating to Membership, Employment or the Legal Scheme.
join.ucu.org.uk
February 17, 2026 at 12:12 PM
UoB Professional Services - you make student success happen. Join Birmingham UCU to fight for fair workload and recognition.
Southampton Solent UCU members are back on strike tomorrow to stop management forcing staff out of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme via a sham subsidiary company and threatening those who refuse with notice without pay. Solidarity from Birmingham UCU ✊
February 16, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Southampton Solent UCU members are back on strike tomorrow to stop management forcing staff out of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme via a sham subsidiary company and threatening those who refuse with notice without pay. Solidarity from Birmingham UCU ✊
🎓 Academic life isn’t meant to feel like survival mode. Join Birmingham UCU for a university that values people, not metrics.
UCU - Join UCU Today
Welcome to UCU’s Membership Portal where you can join the union, manage and update your personal information and find answers to the most frequently raised questions relating to Membership, Employment or the Legal Scheme.
join.ucu.org.uk
February 16, 2026 at 10:50 AM
🎓 Academic life isn’t meant to feel like survival mode. Join Birmingham UCU for a university that values people, not metrics.
From Essex over job cuts and the Southend closure, to Northumbria over attacks on TPS, and action at Strathclyde, Durham and London Met, disputes are spreading across UK HE. Different local issues, same underlying crisis of cuts, casualisation and pension attacks.
February 15, 2026 at 5:22 PM
From Essex over job cuts and the Southend closure, to Northumbria over attacks on TPS, and action at Strathclyde, Durham and London Met, disputes are spreading across UK HE. Different local issues, same underlying crisis of cuts, casualisation and pension attacks.
📣 Fed up with “doing more with less”? So are we. Join Birmingham UCU - collective action makes us stronger
UCU - Join UCU Today
Welcome to UCU’s Membership Portal where you can join the union, manage and update your personal information and find answers to the most frequently raised questions relating to Membership, Employment or the Legal Scheme.
join.ucu.org.uk
February 15, 2026 at 8:24 AM
📣 Fed up with “doing more with less”? So are we. Join Birmingham UCU - collective action makes us stronger
The HSE has confirmed that UoB is in material breach of health and safety law over work‑related stress – the first enforcement action of its kind at a Russell Group university.
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February 14, 2026 at 7:49 PM
The HSE has confirmed that UoB is in material breach of health and safety law over work‑related stress – the first enforcement action of its kind at a Russell Group university.
1/2
1/2
We’ve secured some important wins: 30–40% protected research time for academics on R&E contracts, recognition that union reps should not face detriment for union work, and a commitment to improve health and safety governance. Join UCU today to make UoB a fairer, safety workplace
UCU - Join UCU Today
Welcome to UCU’s Membership Portal where you can join the union, manage and update your personal information and find answers to the most frequently raised questions relating to Membership, Employment or the Legal Scheme.
join.ucu.org.uk
February 13, 2026 at 9:01 AM
We’ve secured some important wins: 30–40% protected research time for academics on R&E contracts, recognition that union reps should not face detriment for union work, and a commitment to improve health and safety governance. Join UCU today to make UoB a fairer, safety workplace
Job cuts and campus closures anywhere threaten post-16 education everywhere.
Solidarity with staff and students at Essex fighting job losses and the closure of Southend campus – including 7 days of strike action from today.
Solidarity with staff and students at Essex fighting job losses and the closure of Southend campus – including 7 days of strike action from today.
‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university?
When Essex University’s Southend campus opened, it was a message of hope for a ‘left behind’ UK seaside town. Its closure will be felt far beyond its 800 students, some of whom will not get their degrees
www.theguardian.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Job cuts and campus closures anywhere threaten post-16 education everywhere.
Solidarity with staff and students at Essex fighting job losses and the closure of Southend campus – including 7 days of strike action from today.
Solidarity with staff and students at Essex fighting job losses and the closure of Southend campus – including 7 days of strike action from today.
The HSE has been clear: UoB’s current arrangements for managing work‑related stress are inconsistent, ineffective, and developed without meaningful consultation with staff.
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February 11, 2026 at 12:38 PM
The HSE has been clear: UoB’s current arrangements for managing work‑related stress are inconsistent, ineffective, and developed without meaningful consultation with staff.
1/2
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HSE guidance is clear: universities must tackle the causes of stress by redesigning work, involving staff, and monitoring risk – not by individualising the problem.
#HSEStressBreach
#HSEStressBreach
February 10, 2026 at 2:51 PM
HSE guidance is clear: universities must tackle the causes of stress by redesigning work, involving staff, and monitoring risk – not by individualising the problem.
#HSEStressBreach
#HSEStressBreach
TODAY
BUCU Lunchtime Social
Cafe Aroma, 1st Floor, Staff House
12:00 - 13:00
Ask questions about the work of the branch, off load about work or just connect with fellow members and even pick up a bit of union merchandise.
BUCU Lunchtime Social
Cafe Aroma, 1st Floor, Staff House
12:00 - 13:00
Ask questions about the work of the branch, off load about work or just connect with fellow members and even pick up a bit of union merchandise.
February 10, 2026 at 9:20 AM
TODAY
BUCU Lunchtime Social
Cafe Aroma, 1st Floor, Staff House
12:00 - 13:00
Ask questions about the work of the branch, off load about work or just connect with fellow members and even pick up a bit of union merchandise.
BUCU Lunchtime Social
Cafe Aroma, 1st Floor, Staff House
12:00 - 13:00
Ask questions about the work of the branch, off load about work or just connect with fellow members and even pick up a bit of union merchandise.
HE disputes aren’t isolated – they’re everywhere.
Right now members are fighting redundancies, pensions attacks and worse at Solent, London Met, Durham, Strathclyde, Aberdeen, Heriot-Watt, Leicester, Stirling and more. Our struggles are linked – and so is our solidarity.
Right now members are fighting redundancies, pensions attacks and worse at Solent, London Met, Durham, Strathclyde, Aberdeen, Heriot-Watt, Leicester, Stirling and more. Our struggles are linked – and so is our solidarity.
February 9, 2026 at 7:15 PM
HE disputes aren’t isolated – they’re everywhere.
Right now members are fighting redundancies, pensions attacks and worse at Solent, London Met, Durham, Strathclyde, Aberdeen, Heriot-Watt, Leicester, Stirling and more. Our struggles are linked – and so is our solidarity.
Right now members are fighting redundancies, pensions attacks and worse at Solent, London Met, Durham, Strathclyde, Aberdeen, Heriot-Watt, Leicester, Stirling and more. Our struggles are linked – and so is our solidarity.
Work‑related stress at UoB is not an abstract issue – between 2020 and 2024 there were over 17,000 days of stress‑related absence. Behind every data point is a colleague whose health has been put at risk.
occupationalhealthas...
#HSEStressBreach
occupationalhealthas...
#HSEStressBreach
HSE investigates University over stress claims | Occupational Health Assessment
A University faces an HSE investigation after claims that work-related stress was not being managed within the workplace.
occupationalhealthassessment.com
February 9, 2026 at 1:17 PM
Work‑related stress at UoB is not an abstract issue – between 2020 and 2024 there were over 17,000 days of stress‑related absence. Behind every data point is a colleague whose health has been put at risk.
occupationalhealthas...
#HSEStressBreach
occupationalhealthas...
#HSEStressBreach
University management has been formally found in material breach of health and safety law over work-related stress; staff need more than glossy promises and generic paperwork from the University's action plan.
#HSEStressBreach
#HSEStressBreach
February 8, 2026 at 7:34 PM
University management has been formally found in material breach of health and safety law over work-related stress; staff need more than glossy promises and generic paperwork from the University's action plan.
#HSEStressBreach
#HSEStressBreach
Work‑aligned learning is the new language of HE policy – but for UCU members it means: extra design/admin, more employer partnerships, and higher regulatory risk, often with no extra time or pay.
This week on Wonkhe: University study has never been more focused on labour market outcomes and local economic needs. Phil Power-Mason, Helen Charlton, Fran Walker-Martin and Sarah Bloomfield think through the vocabulary
Talking about contemporary higher education means talking about work-aligned learning
University study has never been more focused on labour market outcomes and local economic needs. Phil Power-Mason, Helen Charlton, Fran Walker-Martin and Sarah Bloomfield think through the vocabulary...
buff.ly
February 8, 2026 at 12:26 PM
Work‑aligned learning is the new language of HE policy – but for UCU members it means: extra design/admin, more employer partnerships, and higher regulatory risk, often with no extra time or pay.
In response to the HSE finding UoB in breach of the law, management say they will:
Focus on strengthening how they identify, manage, and support staff to manage work‑related stress, across the University working closely with employees and trade unions.
Let's hold them to account
#HSEStressBreach
Focus on strengthening how they identify, manage, and support staff to manage work‑related stress, across the University working closely with employees and trade unions.
Let's hold them to account
#HSEStressBreach
February 7, 2026 at 7:03 PM
In response to the HSE finding UoB in breach of the law, management say they will:
Focus on strengthening how they identify, manage, and support staff to manage work‑related stress, across the University working closely with employees and trade unions.
Let's hold them to account
#HSEStressBreach
Focus on strengthening how they identify, manage, and support staff to manage work‑related stress, across the University working closely with employees and trade unions.
Let's hold them to account
#HSEStressBreach
UoB has now published* their response to the HSE finding the University in breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
*deposited in the darkest recesses of the staff intranet.
Go to bham.sharepoint.com/... and keep scrolling until you get to the very end.
#HSEStressBreach
*deposited in the darkest recesses of the staff intranet.
Go to bham.sharepoint.com/... and keep scrolling until you get to the very end.
#HSEStressBreach
February 6, 2026 at 7:19 PM
UoB has now published* their response to the HSE finding the University in breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
*deposited in the darkest recesses of the staff intranet.
Go to bham.sharepoint.com/... and keep scrolling until you get to the very end.
#HSEStressBreach
*deposited in the darkest recesses of the staff intranet.
Go to bham.sharepoint.com/... and keep scrolling until you get to the very end.
#HSEStressBreach
Poor political decisions, a broken funding model, managerial leadership, and metric‑driven governance, which together are transforming the sector into something barely recognisable as a public university system by Constantinos Alexiou and George Saridakis
blogs.lse.ac.uk/impa...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/impa...
Why are UK universities failing? - LSE Impact
The HE sector in the UK faces the prospect of a university going into administration. How have universities fallen so low and is change possible?
blogs.lse.ac.uk
February 6, 2026 at 1:44 PM
Poor political decisions, a broken funding model, managerial leadership, and metric‑driven governance, which together are transforming the sector into something barely recognisable as a public university system by Constantinos Alexiou and George Saridakis
blogs.lse.ac.uk/impa...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/impa...
The HSE has issued the University with an enforcement notice over work-related stress, citing breaches of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The University must now improve its stress policy and risk assessments in consultation with staff and unions.
February 5, 2026 at 3:25 PM
The HSE has issued the University with an enforcement notice over work-related stress, citing breaches of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The University must now improve its stress policy and risk assessments in consultation with staff and unions.