Published: 22nd July, 2025
Part 1: The Case for Industrial Action Part 2: Technical Questions about Industrial Action Part 1: The Case for Industrial Action The university is currently threatening to launch a redundancy programme in November 2025 with the goal of cutting the staffing budget by £11m. Six academic areas have been targeted for potential redundancies — Chemistry;…
Published: 3rd June, 2025
UCU members will have been justifiably alarmed to hear that the following areas have been selected for “pre-change engagement”: Several areas of professional services have also been put in scope: Pre-change is often a prelude to job losses—as was the case in the run-up to the 2021 “Shaping for Excellence” redundancy programme. Indeed, the Vice…
Published: 26th November, 2024
VSS, the University’s Financial Crisis and our Workload Crisis Leicester University and College Union (UCU) are deeply concerned by the University of Leicester’s decision to open a voluntary severance scheme (VSS). VSS will permanently reduce staff numbers, resulting in increased stresses and strains on the whole university community. The university claims to have launched VSS…
Published: 7th October, 2024
After a full year of genocide in Gaza, the University of Leicester UCU branch is calling on all staff from across the University (whether union members or not) to join us in committing to the principles outlined in the staff Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) pledge below. Please read the pledge and then, if you…
Published: 11th March, 2024
Leicester UCU celebrates last week’s ruling from an Employment Tribunal, that three former colleagues, David Harvie, Geoffrey Lightfoot and Simon Lilley, were unfairly dismissed by the University of Leicester. The three were among the victims, within the School of Business (ULSB), of the “Shaping for Excellence” redundancy programme. The case follows an earlier Tribunal ruling…
Published: 23rd June, 2023
A massive thank you to all those who joined our picket line, and shared solidarity on day one of our local strike action on Wednesday (21 June). This is the first of nine days of local action called in response to the punitive measures currently being undertaken by the management of the University of Leicester….
Published: 16th June, 2023
Why are we going on strike? At 136 of the 140 universities, UCU members will strike for five consecutive days from Monday 25 to Friday 29 September. The dispute centres on low pay and working conditions. Employer body, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) has imposed a pay award for 23/24 worth just 5% for most UCU…
Published: 7th June, 2023
Leicester UCU branch will take strike action as part of the ongoing industrial action over pay and conditions in UK universities. Strike action will occur on these dates: We regret that we have been forced to escalate our action. This reflects the punitive response to our Marking & Assessment Boycott (MAB) by university management and…
Published: 23rd May, 2023
In light of our branch voting to escalate to local strike action, this letter was sent to the Vice Chancellor on 23 May 2023. Response from Nishan Canagarajah, received 31 May 2023
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