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uniteucu.bsky.social
Unite UCU
@uniteucu.bsky.social
750 followers 76 following 250 posts
Unite branch (LE127) for employees of the University and College Union. unite.le127@gmail.com | https://uniteucu.wordpress.com | https://union.place/@UniteUCU
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uniteucu.bsky.social
ASOS which is "work in the same way you’ve done for years" is not irresponsible. It's protecting our members until a fair & equitable hybrid policy is agreed.

UCU SMT then deducting 100% of daily pay from staff taking ASOS & undermining its own policy?

Now that’s irresponsible.
Photo showing an article from the latest Private Eye on the Unite dispute which exposes UCU management's hypocrisy, in particular highlighting a quote from an SMT member that strongly suggests our action short of a strike (ie, continue doing your job but office attendance remains voluntary as it has done over the last five years) is somehow irresponsible.
November 3, 2025 at 9:47 AM
uniteucu.bsky.social
Fifty branches, representing over 36% of UCU members, have now called for @drjogrady.bsky.social to enter unconditional negotiations & remove the threat of punitive deductions against staff.

Unite's repeated requests for such talks have had no response. Will she now listen to @ucu.org.uk members?
We call on Jo Grady and UCU SMT to: • Enter negotiations with Unite UCU without preconditions. • Stop the threat of punitive deductions for ASOS - this breaches UCU and TUC policy and only serves to undermine all of us, not least those UCU members currently involved in legal test cases against punitive deductions after taking lawful industrial action. Signed, 25, no 37, no 46, no 50 UCU branch committees (and still counting)
October 2, 2025 at 9:48 AM
uniteucu.bsky.social
Do you want to know how UCU senior management has responded to UCU branches calling on them to remove their threat of deductions? This is how.

How would you react?

uniteucu.wordpress.com/2025/09/12/u...
Screenshot of email from UCU management which reads: ASOS Attendance Form - New Weekly Survey Starting Monday 22 September, all staff will receive an email with a link to the new ASOS attendance form. This short weekly survey is mandatory for all staff, whether you were on ASOS or not. Please make sure to complete it each week, failure to do so may result in pay deductions. The cut off each week will be Friday at 5pm.
September 22, 2025 at 3:32 PM
uniteucu.bsky.social
With another 9 @ucu.org.uk branches now calling on UCU to do the right thing we wonder if @drjogrady.bsky.social is listening to her members.
We call on Jo Grady and UCU SMT to: • Enter negotiations with Unite UCU without preconditions. • Stop the threat of punitive deductions for ASOS - this breaches UCU and TUC policy and only serves to undermine all of us, not least those UCU members currently involved in legal test cases against punitive deductions after taking lawful industrial action. Signed, 25, no, 37, no, now 46 UCU branch committees (and still counting)
September 19, 2025 at 1:19 PM
uniteucu.bsky.social
Another 12 more UCU branches have signed (so far) today!

uniteucu.wordpress.com/2025/09/12/u...

We'd like to send special solidarity back to @ucukent.bsky.social and @ucugreenwich.bsky.social for their support following their own worrying news from this week.
We call on Jo Grady and UCU SMT to: • Enter negotiations with Unite UCU without preconditions. • Stop the threat of punitive deductions for ASOS - this breaches UCU and TUC policy and only serves to undermine all of us, not least those UCU members currently involved in legal test cases against punitive deductions after taking lawful industrial action. Signed, 25, no, 37 UCU branch committees (and counting)
September 12, 2025 at 5:20 PM
uniteucu.bsky.social
Sometimes solutions are easy @drjogrady.bsky.social & @ucu.org.uk

Let’s sit down and talk without conditions or threats that damage everyone. It’s time to resolve this dispute.

Our statement, with support from the following branch committees:
We call on Jo Grady and UCU SMT to: • Enter negotiations with Unite UCU without preconditions. • Stop the threat of punitive deductions for ASOS - this breaches UCU and TUC policy and only serves to undermine all of us, not least those UCU members currently involved in legal test cases against punitive deductions after taking lawful industrial action. Signed, 25 UCU branch committees (and counting)
September 12, 2025 at 7:41 AM
uniteucu.bsky.social
🚨 Third consecutive vote for industrial action 🚨

✅ strike action: 76%
✅ action short of a strike (ASOS): 80%
✅ turnout: 77%

ASOS begins today with @ucu.org.uk threatening staff: "We'll deduct your wages."

Double standards and vindictive attacks undermine us all.

#ReclaimUCU
Jo Grady calling Queen Mary management "vindictive" for making deductions from UCU members taking action short of a strike: Jo Grady, UCU's general secretary, said Queen Mary's senior management had "launched a vindictive attack" on its members, "punishing them for taking part in lawful industrial action" and "cementing its reputation as the worst university employer in the UK" She said: "It is wrong to do this at any time and all the more deplorable as staff struggle to make ends meet in a cost of living crisis." Screen shot of the article from The Guardian about Queen Mary ASOS deductions in which Jo Grady is quoted
September 4, 2025 at 2:41 PM
uniteucu.bsky.social
Then making sure the ballot gets posted.
Sweep puppet posting a ballot paper
August 7, 2025 at 3:02 PM
uniteucu.bsky.social
Sweep doing his bit for GTVO by supporting another yes & yes vote.

#ReclaimUCU
August 7, 2025 at 3:01 PM
uniteucu.bsky.social
Happy staff don’t vote for action. More yes & yes votes hit the postbox.

#ReclaimUCU
Ballot paper being posted Another ballot paper being posted And another ballot paper being posted Postal pooch! Another ballot being posted while walking the dog.
August 6, 2025 at 10:18 AM
uniteucu.bsky.social
🎵 ‘Solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong.

Yes and yes’.
August 5, 2025 at 10:45 AM
uniteucu.bsky.social
More members voting YES & YES for a Safe & Professional Workplace.
Another yes/yes ballot paper being posted And another yes/yes ballot paper being posted
August 4, 2025 at 9:35 AM
uniteucu.bsky.social
Yes and Yes votes in our campaign for a Safe & Professional Workplace hitting the postbox already.

Vote yes, vote early.

🚀
Ballot envelope containing yes and yes votes being posted Ballot envelope containing yes and yes votes being posted
August 2, 2025 at 12:14 PM
uniteucu.bsky.social
Thank you to all the UCU members who came to our fringe last night - and sorry we ended up with standing room only (again!). Our members absolutely appreciate your ongoing support, especially the unusually small handful required to work at #UCU2025 in somewhat trying circumstances. #Solidarity
Crowded Unite UCU fringe meeting
May 25, 2025 at 1:35 PM
uniteucu.bsky.social
Everyone welcome.

Today, 6.30pm, Leonardo Hotel - just a few minutes walk from the #UCU2025 venue.

#UCUCongress
Unite UCU fringe at #UCU2025 Congress 6.30pm, Saturday 24 May Leonardo Hotel, Liverpool. One of us, all of us: fighting for our members, our workplace, your union. #YNWA
May 24, 2025 at 12:33 PM
uniteucu.bsky.social
*Today @ 6.30pm*

*Unite UCU Fringe*
🗣✊🗣✊

Leonardo Hotel, Liverpool

#UCU2025 #UCUCongress
Unite UCU fringe at #UCU2025 Congress 6.30pm, Saturday 24 May Leonardo Hotel, Liverpool. One of us, all of us: fighting for our members, our workplace, your union. #YNWA
May 24, 2025 at 8:06 AM
uniteucu.bsky.social
One of us, all of us: fighting for our members, our workplace, your union.

6:30pm, Saturday 24 May, Leonardo Hotel, Liverpool

#YNWA
Unite UCU fringe at #UCU2025 Congress 6.30pm, Saturday 24 May Leonardo Hotel, Liverpool One of us, all of us: fighting for our members, our workplace, your union. #YNWA
May 22, 2025 at 4:49 PM
uniteucu.bsky.social
We are, and have always been, ready to negotiate - even when under attack.

Are you finally ready to talk meaningfully @ucu.org.uk ?

#StopTUVictimisation
Question... CAN YOU NAME AN EMPLOYER WHO: • threatens union officers with a disciplinary minutes before ACAS talks? • offers nothing concrete in said ACAS talks then walks away because the union won't agree to call off all strikes? • writes deeply inaccurate and inflammatory emails to all staff? • then issues public disinformation while threatening every union rep? ....Asking for a friend
May 2, 2025 at 4:42 PM
uniteucu.bsky.social
We can quickly clear our picket puppets from our negotiating table because we remain happy to meet any time, any place.

Shame the employer wouldn’t join us today.

#MayDay2025
#ThriveNotSurvive
Table with Sooty, Sweep & Sue puppets with a poster attached reading ‘Unite negotiating table. Ready and waiting’
May 1, 2025 at 4:30 PM
uniteucu.bsky.social
It was also fantastic to hear speakers from former UCU staff as well as new.

#MayDay2025
#ThriveNotSurvive
Former member of staff speaks to Unite rally Long-standing UCU member of staff speaks to rally Relatively new member of staff speaks to Unite rally
May 1, 2025 at 4:19 PM
uniteucu.bsky.social
Heartfelt thanks for the amazing solidarity from the speakers from @goldsmithsucu.bsky.social and @qmucu.bsky.social

#MayDay2025
#ThriveNotSurvive
Speaker at the rally Speaker at our rally
May 1, 2025 at 4:17 PM
uniteucu.bsky.social
Uplifting turnout at our strike rally earlier, with added support from a #MayDay2025 meet-up in Scotland.

No sign of our employer, needless to say.

#ThriveNotSurvive
Unite and UCU branch banners held by strikers and supporters in front of UCU’s head office in London. Unite and UCU branch banners held by strikers and supporters in front of UCU’s head office in London. Unite UCU May Day solidarity from members in Edinburgh. Poster reading ‘time to talk’
May 1, 2025 at 4:02 PM
uniteucu.bsky.social
🪧 STRIKE RALLY TODAY 🪧

Bring yourselves, bring your banners, bring your flags, bring your solidarity and, with the sun due to shine bright, bring your sunscreen ☀️☀️☀️ - health & safety: important to us if not to our employer!

So come and join us at noon outside UCU head office in London.
12-1pm, Thursday 1 May UCU head office (outside) Carlow Street London, NW1 7LH Join our strike rally as part of our Campaign for a Safe and Professional Workplace Culture
May 1, 2025 at 7:54 AM
uniteucu.bsky.social
Hands up who thinks trade unions should be model employers?

✋🏽 ✋🏾 ✋🏻 ✋🏿 ✋🏼

#ThriveNotSurvive
Question.... Which employer has lost the following number of days to work-related stress and mental ill-health absences: • 2022: 123.5 • 2023: 468 • 2024: 912.5 ? Clue 1: They were sanctioned by the HSE for a failure to address stress in 2023. Clue 2: They still can't demonstrate compliance with statutory minimum safety legislation in 2025. .. Asking for a friend
April 30, 2025 at 5:23 PM
uniteucu.bsky.social
Thanks for expressing solidarity with all striking workers.

Any chance of a shout out for our strike rally tomorrow? 🙏
12-1pm Thurs 1 May UCU head office (outside) Carlow Street London, NW1 7LH Join our strike rally as part of our Campaign for a Safe and Professional Workplace Culture
April 30, 2025 at 1:24 PM