Contrast with my VC, who recently stated that ‘all staff must learn that we are a business, not a public sector organisation’.

This is something we need to address in our antiprecarity work. When you spend so much time applying for jobs especially if you’re neurodivergent, you don’t have time to check whet unclear instructions mean each time you do an app!

Call for ministers to curb ‘excessive risk-taking’ at universities - Research Professional News Former government adviser says Office for Students should be given “significant new powers”

Broken record here, but we cannot fix, save, improve, renew or whatever English universities if we only attend to taught students, DfE and OfS. Universities are major engines of research, innovation and civic good. Minimally DSIT must also be centrally in the frame.

They're not big schools.

YESSS that's our VP-elect!

Will I get in trouble for this.

"“Gender critical” is an inaccurate term for a movement which is anything but ‘critical,’ in the academic sense, in its approach. “Gender criticality” is marked, in fact, by a profound lack of intellectual inquiry."

NTEU president Alison Barnes and UCU vice president for higher education (elect) Mark Pendleton stand on a footpath outside the NTEU headquarters in Melbourne.

Great to meet with @alisonbarnes.bsky.social and
@nteunion.bsky.social colleagues to take some lessons from their governance campaigns back to @ucu.org.uk

Plenty of opportunities for future cross-border collaboration too!

Looking forward to hitting the ground running as #ucu VP next month.

Our reach isn’t huge but if you have done UCU news lemme know and we might be able to include it.

Your fortnightly update on what we've been doing in #UCU Commons

Nope, just one of the dedicated stars and trade union activists who make up @ucucommons.org

So proud to be part of this grouping that actually gets stuff done!

I was proud to represent @ucu.org.uk at Westminster to provide evidence against the government's right-wing proposals on changes to settlement.

Read about it and all the other fantastic work UCU Commons members are up to!

🥰🥰🥰

LOL. Yes. I suppose so 😂

A very news-filled newsletter from us today! #UCU

UCU Commons newsletter #14, 8 April 2026 Dear subscriber Welcome to the UCU Commons newsletter, a curated set of links and information about what's happening in UCU Commons, our union, and our sectors more generally. As always, we welcome a...

Feat @hagenilda.bsky.social & Ben Pope ACC win; @vthuppil.bsky.social in parliament; @choochod.bsky.social chairs UCUS congress; @cambiechoo.bsky.social & @matildaf.bsky.social at Northumbria; @markpendleton.bsky.social on Aus HE & @rotster.net usual dig at govt. #UCU

ucucommons.org/ucu-commons-...

The best thing about these is that they are repurposed pages from a once-beloved children's book by The Author Who Must Not Be Named 🤩

A bit late with today's Trans Day of Visibility post! Today is a fun merch-y one: 'Transphobia stinks' screen prints from Fox Fisher! Original artwork by an independent queer artist. 🎨

foxfisher.com/products/tra...

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Excellent resource for trans culture!

🤩

I’ve been lucky enough to work with the Museum of Transology and see their remarkable work and collection first hand.

Do take a look, especially at the beautiful hand-written labels that explain the significance of each object to the donor. There are many objects and stories to explore.

Today's Trans Day of Visibility post is about the Museum of Transology!

This was founded in 2014 and collects objects donated by trans, non-binary & intersex people to form a record of trans culture, activism & every day life. And they're still collecting!

museumoftransology.com

🏳️‍⚧️❤️

🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

Sending love and solidarity to all trans folks today.

This looks like a really important national consultation on research gaps in transition-related healthcare.

Today is Trans Day of Visibility! To mark this, we will do a series of posts boosting trans solidarity, activism and research initiatives (plus cute merch for fundraising purposes).

Today: the Trans, Non-Binary & Gender-Diverse Priority Setting Partnership survey: wp.lancs.ac.uk/transadultsp...

❤️🏳️‍⚧️

Excellent!!!

We our delighted that our members Jo Edge and Ben Pope have been elected co-chair and vice chair of UCU's Anticasualisation Committee! 🎉

GB trade union types: it's worth knowing that some important changes under the Employment Rights Act are already in effect, with more coming in on 6th April. This is a really handy breakdown from ACAS, worth sharing with your branches. #ucu

www.acas.org.uk/employment-r...

Colleagues at the University of York tell me of increased mass recruitment in the hundreds to their programmes this year, with lecture halls unable to accommodate the number of students. Not sure that's the best "student experience".

Go go Chris 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Chris O Donnell, UCUS President, giving his Presidential address to UCU Scotland congress, with Mary Senior, RO, sat next to him.

And doing his Presidential address!

Four people in front of a UCU Scotland Congress 2026 Powerpoint: Scotland RO Mary Senior, UCUS President Chris O'Donnell, UCUS VP Cecile Menard, RSO Mike Williamson

Our very own @ucuscotpresident.bsky.social, Chris O'Donnell, chairing @ucuscotland.bsky.social congress today!

#UCU