General Meeting Term 1 – 2025/26

TUESDAY 21st OCTOBER 2025, 1-2pm

MOTIONS & AMENDMENTS RECEIVED
  1. Donation to Leicester UCU Fighting Fund
  2. Building the National Dispute
  3. Organising for UK-wide Action to Defend Jobs and Pay
  4. Organising opposition to the Far Right at UCL
    – Amendment to Motion 4
  5. Proposal: For UCL to cease its investment in and relationship with Google DeepMind

1 – Donation to Leicester UCU Fighting Fund

This union branch notes:

• That Leicester UCU is in dispute with the University of Leicester over the Executive Board’s refusal to rule out programmes of collective compulsory redundancy in the 2025-2026 academic year.

  • The University has now begun one such redundancy programme in the Division of Biomedical Services, and, on 15 October, University Council is due to meet and consider a far larger programme, which would be launched in November.
  • In a statutory industrial action ballot held by Leicester UCU, 79.5% voted for strike action and 87.0% for action short of a strike, with a 62.0% turnout.
  • National officials have authorised a three-week strike from 29 September.
  • The Leicester UCU branch has established a Fighting Fund to supplement national UCU efforts to support its members struggling with the loss of income.

This union branch further notes:

  • That the labour movement is built on traditions of solidarity.
  • That many branches across the country are initiating or undertaking local strikes.

This union branch resolves:

  • To make a donation of £3,000 to the Leicester UCU Fighting Fund.
  • To publicise the Fighting Fund and the industrial action of the Leicester branch among members, and to support the strike in any way possible.
  • To send a message of support to Leicester UCU to be shared on its webpage and social media.
2 – Building the National Dispute

This branch notes:

  1. Between 2023 and 2025, at least 90 UK higher education institutions have undertaken redundancy programmes, resulting in the loss of at least 20,000 jobs.
  2. On 20 October 2025, UCU will launch a national industrial action ballot under the New JNCHES (Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff) negotiating framework.
  3. The dispute concerns pay and conditions, and seeks to defend and enforce existing national agreements and prevent redundancies, course closures, and cuts to academic disciplines across the sector.
  4. There are currently at least 20 live local disputes in the sector concerning casualisation, workload, and redundancy.*
  5. The JNCHES 2025-26 national claim calls for joint work to avoid redundancies and course closures and for a sustainable funding settlement, but does not expressly demand a binding moratorium on job losses or closures.

This branch believes:

  1. In light of the crisis currently hitting UK HE, the issues of casualisation, workload, and redundancies most clearly reflect members’ immediate concerns.
  2. The national dispute must reflect and strengthen local struggles.
  3. National binding agreements between UCEA and UCU (including the Post-92 Contract, Framework Agreement, and HE2000) are not being upheld by local employers.
  4. Robust, enforceable national demands on job security, workload, and casualisation are essential to protect both staff and the integrity of HE.
  5. Nothing short of a full moratorium on redundancies, course closures, and cuts to academic disciplines is an acceptable demand in the current dispute.

This branch resolves:

  1. To promote in our branches, and across union branches at our universities, that a binding, sector-wide moratorium on redundancies, course closures, and cuts to academic disciplines must be established as minimum conditions in national negotiations and must underpin any further joint work with UCEA to campaign for a sustainable long term funding settlement for the sector.
  2. To promote in our branches, and across union branches at our universities, that the comprehensive enforcement of national agreements (the Post-92 Contract, Framework Agreement, and HE2000) across UCEA member institutions constitutes minimum conditions in national negotiations on:
    1. the legal use of fixed-term contracts: i.e. only when there is an objective reason for doing so
    2. the assimilation of hourly paid staff to national pay frameworks
    3. the enforcement of the legal principle of equal pay for equal work.**
  3. To promote in our branches, and across union branches at our universities, that the establishment of a national workload model and the implementation of a sector-wide 35-hour week with no loss of pay, in line with the joint unions’ existing position in the claim, constitute minimum conditions in national negotiations.
  4. To write to HEC and negotiators to inform them of the resolves of this motion.
  5. To record the passing of this motion and any amendments in the motion tracker, to be published on the University Rank and File website.

* Institutions with live local disputes includes:

  • Edinburgh
  • Bradford 
  • Leicester 
  • Nottingham 
  • Durham
  • Sheffield
  • Highlands and Island
  • Dundee
  • Liverpool Hope
  • West of Scotland
  • Sheffield Hallam
  • Cardiff 
  • Oxford Brookes
  • Lancaster
  • Ulster 
  • Brunel
  • Kings
  • Kingston
  • Royal Holloway
  • UAL

** See the JNCHES Fixed-Term and Casual Employment Guidance for Higher Education Institutions June 2002 https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/1920/JNCHES-fixed-term-and-casual-employment-guidance-Jun-02/pdf/jnches_fixedtermguidance_1.pdf 

3 – Organising for UK-wide Action to Defend Jobs and Pay

UCL UCU notes

  1. The UK-wide ballot for industrial action called by UCU from 20 October for 6 weeks, with ballots by UNITE, UNISON and EIS running in parallel.
  2. That the employers’ imposed offer represents a real-terms pay cut of 3% against RPI just this year, equivalent to requiring everyone to work for free for 1.5 weeks each year for the rest of our working lives. Higher Education pay in 2025 is worth two thirds of 2008 pay, impoverishing our colleagues and wiping out progression up the pay spine.
  3. The scale of the assault on jobs has escalated with the attack on living standards. Sacrificing pay has not saved jobs.
  4. When the union mobilised over pay and pensions from 2018 to 2023, the employers limited redundancy programmes. But when UCU stood down action in autumn 2023, the employers launched a mass redundancy programme across the sector. 
  5. Our union policy to call UK-wide strike committees to run UK-wide strikes (HE9, HESC on Industrial Strategy).

UCL UCU believes

  1. We support every example of local resistance to cuts, urge the fullest solidarity with them at every level of the union, and seek to unify their impact. Wins can build confidence for the wider fight. But branch-by-branch resistance is not enough. We need a UK-wide dispute to demand more money in the sector and a sustainable funding model for HE.
  2. We should call on the employers not to make redundancies and instead stand with staff to call on Governments to properly fund Higher Education by restoring funding to 2010 levels.
  3. Branches can campaign to translate the demand for a sector-wide agreement to defend jobs and courses into specific calls we will seek to hold negotiators to. These should include
    1. a UK-wide moratorium on redundancies,
    2. enforcing minimum standards of consultation, 
    3. a ban on #HiddenRedundancies – the practice of dismissal by not re-engaging casualised staff. 

UCL UCU resolves

  1. To prioritise building the Get The Vote Out (GTVO) campaign for the ballot to ensure as many members vote as possible. 
  2. To organise a GTVO committee of reps and other volunteers to lead on this campaign. 
  3. To invite national negotiators to speak at our next branch meeting.
  4. If the ballot is successful, to reconvene the GTVO committee as a strike committee open to all members. The strike committee would be responsible for the day-to-day running of the campaign, and can invite national negotiators and officials to provide regular updates.
  5. To demand UCU implement HE9 above, and call a UK-wide strike committee open to delegates from all branches, elected by branch meetings or strike committees.
4 – Organising opposition to the Far Right at UCL

UCL UCU notes:

  1. That the “Unite the Kingdoms” demonstration organised by fascist Tommy Robinson and backed by US half-trillionaire Elon Musk on Saturday 13 September was the biggest Far Right demo in British history.
  2. That Far Right violence on the demo has been echoed by attacks on asylum seekers’ accommodation, mosques, and a growing number of racist attacks across Britain.
  3. That while, of course, not everyone who attended the protest are part of the organised Far Right, they are responding to call-outs by Robinson and other Far Right and fascist groups.
  4. That Nigel Farage is escalating his anti-immigrant rhetoric by threatening people who have Indefinite Leave to Remain with deportation.

UCL UCU believes

  1. That there is the real threat of a Reform UK government that will not just attack the right to asylum, but rights to organise and protest, and public services including universities.
  2. That the Far Right and their promotion of racism is a growing threat to communities and workplaces.
  3. We have to unite against the Far Right and win the argument that refugees and migrants are not to blame.

UCL UCU resolves

  1. To affiliate to Stand Up To Racism (£100) and to send delegates to its Annual General Meeting on Saturday 8 November.
  2. To work with UCL trade unions, student union, and clubs and societies to build the biggest possible opposition to the growth of the Far Right on campus.
Amendment 1 to Motion 4

Section 2, Point (1) – remove ‘a Reform UK government that will not just attack’’ and replace with ‘further and escalating attacks on’. Remove ‘but’ after comma.

Section 3, Point (1) – remove. Replace with ‘UCU is affiliated to Stand Up to Racism and encourages members to support SUTR work.’

Add new point (2) ‘Resistance to fascism must be built in our local communities. UCL UCU agrees to support the work of London Community Defence, a city-wide network building community-based antiracist work, and the Anti-Racist Movement which is doing telephone outreach to create local networks across the UK to challenge racist political narratives. UCL UCU agrees to contribute up to £100 to LCD to print outreach materials.

Renumber original point (2) to become point (3).

Amended Motion 4 would read:

UCL UCU notes:

  1. That the “Unite the Kingdoms” demonstration organised by fascist Tommy Robinson and backed by US half-trillionaire Elon Musk on Saturday 13 September was the biggest Far Right demo in British history.
  2. That Far Right violence on the demo has been echoed by attacks on asylum seekers’ accommodation, mosques, and a growing number of racist attacks across Britain.
  3. That while, of course, not everyone who attended the protest are part of the organised Far Right, they are responding to call-outs by Robinson and other Far Right and fascist groups.
  4. That Nigel Farage is escalating his anti-immigrant rhetoric by threatening people who have Indefinite Leave to Remain with deportation.

UCL UCU believes

  1. That there is the real threat of further and escalating attacks on the right to asylum, rights to organise and protest, and public services including universities.
  2. That the Far Right and their promotion of racism is a growing threat to communities and workplaces.
  3. We have to unite against the Far Right and win the argument that refugees and migrants are not to blame.

UCL UCU resolves

  1. UCU is affiliated to Stand Up to Racism and encourages members to support SUTR work.
  2. Resistance to fascism must be built in our local communities. UCL UCU agrees to support the work of London Community Defence, a city-wide network building community-based antiracist work, and the Anti-Racist Movement which is doing telephone outreach to create local networks across the UK to challenge racist political narratives. UCL UCU agrees to contribute up to £100 to LCD to print outreach materials.
  3. To work with UCL trade unions, student union, and clubs and societies to build the biggest possible opposition to the growth of the Far Right on campus.
5 – Proposal: For UCL to cease its investment in and relationship with Google DeepMind

This Branch notes

This Branch Believes

  • That through its ‘close and public relationship’ with Google DeepMind, and parent company Alphabet, UCL is at risk of complicity in genocide and occuption, criminal liability and significant reputational damage 
  • That UCL’s relationship with Google DeepMind is incompatible with Academic Integrity and UCL’s commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
  • That UCL’s investments in Alphabet, Google and DeepMind’s parent company, are incompatible with its Socially Responsible Investment Policy

This Branch resolves

To support the BDS@UCL campaign for UCL to end its relationship with Google DeepMind and its parent companies due to their complicity in Israeli apartheid, occupation & genocide by writing to the UCL Provost and Chair of Council requesting that:

  1. UCL divests immediately from Alphabet, Google DeepMind’s parent company.
  2. All Honorary UCL appointments and fellowships held by Google DeepMind employees be rescinded with immediate effect and no further honorary appointments or fellowships be awarded.
  3. UCL terminates Google DeepMind’s participation in teaching, public engagement, and research at UCL.
  4. UCL provides funding to replace scholarships that are offered as part of the ‘relationship’ with Google DeepMind.
  5. UCL issue a public statement confirming the cessation of its relationship with Google DeepMind.