Unions

Union mistakenly sends withdrawal notice to university amid confusion over who is and isn’t taking part in latest walkouts

Union attempts to rally members to renew the fight but few branches opt to take part in industrial action planned for start of new academic year

Several major universities face disruption at start of the academic year but appetite for taking action begins to fragment

Staff secure increases in London weighting, childcare subsidies and more parental leave

Rhetorical ambition for a ‘more sustainable’ workforce not reflected in negotiations, union says

Union members say tight deadlines not achievable as boycott ends as universities push to allow students to graduate

Decision to reduce resources for postgraduate rights campaign goes against wishes of members, Unite says

Employers urge union members to prioritise getting final grades to students, but more strikes planned for later in the month

Angered by pay and conditions, more than 90 per cent of student workers voting to unionise, well above 75 per cent pre-Covid average, annual analysis finds

Anger at some universities, exultation at others, as enterprise negotiations drag on

Divisions on both sides mean finding compromise that suits all is proving impossible, with sector’s reputation on the line

Union blames ‘recalcitrant’ executives for walkout but university says it has bargained ‘in good faith’ and negotiations have been slow elsewhere

UK universities brace for yet more disruption as union prepares for reballot that could take dispute into 2024

Union has just weeks left to call vote on whether to extend industrial action or members will face being forced to clear assessment backlog

Employers might find it easier to reach agreement with a less politically skewed membership body, says an anonymous academic 

Improving benefits and lowering contributions must not mitigate against the pension scheme’s ability to better ride out future storms, says Kate Barker

Just months after ending largest-ever walkout among teaching staff, workers at 10-campus public system complain about unfulfilled promises and arrests

Union threatens more walkouts unless management ‘work with us to avoid further job losses’

Labour leader says he feels ‘very uncomfortable’ about industrial action leaving students unable to graduate

With national talks aimed at ending the marking boycott at a standstill, some universities are looking to take matters into their own hands

Ucea chair says all students at his university are graduating with full degrees but it took ‘huge effort’ to get there

The Nottingham Trent vice-chancellor discusses using data to support students, avoiding strike action and why diversity conversations are too focused on Oxbridge

Union president at transgender row university backs action against ‘bigots’, but draws the line at property destruction

UCU branch is first to settle dispute locally with frustration mounting at national impasse

Union says at least 5,000 students will not graduate this summer, but employers’ poll suggests disruption is ‘isolated’ and ‘limited’

Acting vice-chancellor urges staff to end refusal to assess work due to ‘enormous’ impact on students, including nine out of 10 postgraduates

Unions and management should strike ‘grand bargain’ to resolve issue that ‘casts a shadow’ over the sector, says outgoing leader

Historian vice-chancellor Evelyn Welch has faced criticism for marking final-year dissertations personally

Branches across the UK aim to disrupt open days and graduations with fresh round of action as tensions rise

University ‘reviewing’ fair work umpire’s decision to reject clarification that ‘contemporaneous consultation’ means ‘within a week’

The University and College Union has empowered a militant minority to push through divisive policies that will alienate its membership, says Julia Bell

System comes under strain during difficult period for industrial relations but most appear committed, despite some notable departures

Activists meet in Glasgow to discuss industrial action next steps – but ongoing divisions threaten to derail unity message

Restructure proposal follows enrolment crash and sub-inflation boost to teaching subsidies

Vice-chancellor and union rep make rare joint statement appealing to national negotiators to resolve dispute

Mechanism needed to stem ‘unlimited recruitment’ by wealthy institutions and resulting job cuts at other universities, say UCU activists

Universities seek to change procedures to ensure greater flexibility in case marks are delayed

General secretary settles legal case after being sued by trade union activist Paul Embery, who said she had ‘portrayed him as a misogynist’

University says cuts will ‘strengthen its position’ amid ongoing fee freeze, but union blames costly campus redevelopment 

May Day rallies kick off a ‘week of action’ from coast to coast, as more union branches plan stoppages – and others reach agreement

Union attempts to rally members behind potentially game-changing action despite threats of 100 per cent wage deductions

University says attempts to retrospectively change a years-old agreement are about ‘resolving ambiguities’ around how staff are paid for student consultations

Academics to refuse to assess students’ work for an indefinite period, posing threat to this year’s graduations

Unions representing full-time and adjunct faculty walk out at New Jersey’s three-campus 67,000-student system

Staff at more institutions vote for industrial action, as enterprise negotiations drag on

Jason Wingard agrees to leave after less than two years in charge

Union’s key decision-making committee decides against another strikes pause and putting agreement to members

Union begins six days of action across UK universities after controversial decision to pause walkouts 

Disquiet as sandstone university hires interstate corporate lawyer to bargain on bosses’ behalf

Long-fought campaign by members finally secures union a seat at the negotiating table

Using Twitter to call people out has landed Jo Grady in potential legal trouble, but will a combative communications strategy force leaders into making concessions?

Union endorsement proves crucial, as direct pitches to staff falter

Union announces plans to go ahead with walkouts across six days in March to ‘ramp up pressure’ as Acas talks near conclusion

All staff covered by national negotiations to receive 2 per cent or £1,000 more in March

UCU leadership criticised for making ‘unilateral’ decisions as academics scramble to get back to work

All sides hail significant progress, with phasing-out of zero-hours contracts and higher wages for lower paid to be discussed in two-week talks

Labour deputy leader promises to raise staff concerns about pay deductions with shadow education secretary 

The ‘sector’ may be able to afford more than the current offer, but many individual universities cannot, says Peter Sloane

Graduate student workers energised after record walkout, though meaningful improvements remain a long slog for majority still in economically precarious contingent teaching

Even institutions that have been feeling the financial pinch can better invest in their employees by rethinking their priorities, say striking workers