Author: Tim Gregson

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Newsletter

Support against Redundancies

We have received a letter, supporting us fighting redundancies at Lancaster University, from the local Labour party.

LANCASTER CITY COUNCIL LABOUR GROUP
STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF LANCASTER UNI STAFF AND TRADE UNIONS
In their fight against job cuts proposed by management

Lancaster City Council Labour Group strongly supports the University and College Union (UCU) and the other campus trade unions – UNISON and Unite the Union – in this current fight back against mass compulsory redundancies at Lancaster University. These are simplistic and draconian cuts to livelihoods that will impact on hundreds of local families. We
thank UCU for bringing this matter to the attention of City Council by speaking at the July Council. The Lancaster Labour Group expresses our solidarity with staff and their elected representatives.
The Labour Group completely rejects Lancaster University’s management defence of cutting over 450 staff as lazy and simplistic. We agree with UCU, Unison and Unite that this is a crisis entirely of senior management’s making. If left to proceed, the job losses will have a devastating impact on our local community.
Cutting 1-in-4 academic and professional services jobs will negatively impact the local economy, leading to reduced overall spending and a decrease in local investment. This ill-conceived plan of forced redundancies will directly affect over 450 families in our district with
a knock-on impact on local businesses – all because an external consultancy told Lancaster University the easy way out was to sack front line staff. Ever since Lancaster University Court was abolished in 2018, Lancaster University senior executives have become accountable to no one and increasingly divorced from the local community.


The Labour Group in Lancaster calls on Lancaster University to:

  1. Withdraw the current ill-conceived redundancy plans
  2. Re-think their financial position and look at alternatives – perhaps senior executive
    pay and re-restructuring to share the pain with staff rather than looking after
    themselves.
  3. Work closely with campus trade unions and staff to develop alternative proposals
  4. Engage with the local community and Lancaster City Council
  5. Reinstate the Lancaster City Council representative to University Council
  6. Restore University Court
Categories
Newsletter

Support against Redundancies

We have received a letter, supporting us fighting redundancies at Lancaster University, from the local Green party.

North Lancs Green Party support for Trade Unions at Lancaster University


North Lancashire Green Party (NLGP) stands with the Lancaster University branches of the University and College Union (UCU), Unison and Unite The Union, in calling for the threat of compulsory redundancies to be withdrawn.
We share the unions’ concern that the proposal to cut around one in four academic and professional services posts at the University has been made by the Senior Management without transparency, meaningful consultation, or demonstrable consideration of alternative ways to improve financial sustainability.
The University workforce has already been reduced significantly over the last four years, taking a heavy toll on the stress levels and mental health of remaining staff. We are deeply concerned about the impact that a further huge reduction in staffing levels would have on students’ education, staff workloads and morale, and the local economy and community.
For the benefit of the whole community of the district, we call on the University’s Senior Management to halt the compulsory redundancy process. We call for co-operative work with the trade unions, students’ union and all those bodies that represent and support the university community to build trust, share relevant information and develop alternative proposals for reducing costs and liabilities.
If this does not happen and union members vote to take strike action, NLGP will offer our support in solidarity with strikers and students.

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Newsletter

Member Update: Aug/Sept 2025

Dear Unite Members,

Below are updates on some key areas and information on pensions and becoming a rep.

LU Futures: Union Membership

We are aware this is a worrying time for many with the uncertainty of our futures. Unite reps are continually working on your behalf and we will update and support you throughout the process. We encourage you to spread the word on how Unite can help and support members through the process. If your colleagues have not already joined Unite, please encourage them to do so. Joining is simple, just forward them the following link: Join Online | Unite The Union .

Joining Unite is simple. Complete your personal details including your current job information and this will generate the membership cost and set up the direct debit. They will then receive a membership email and instant access to MyUnite. We ask you forward the new members membership number to Ian Curwen. We will ensure they are included in all branch emails and notifications.

LU Futures: consultative Ballot

We have recently had joint meetings with members from UCU and Unison, and heard Reps speak on different topics. This gives a chance for members to chat, ask questions or raise concerns. Unite members were keen to learn that our sister unions are considering industrial action with regards to the LU Futures and the looming redundancies, whether they are voluntary or compulsory. There is also a concern on the workloads because of this process.

The committee is currently in the process of organising a consultative ballot to allow the membership to advise us on how we should progress. It will be important that every member takes advantage of the opportunity and advise if they would like to progress into a full ballot with a view of industrial action. There will be further emails with regards to this as soon as possible.

member issues

If you find you have any workplace issues or concerns, please contact us as soon as possible. We have a team of workplace reps with vast experience who will be glad to help and assist you. If you require assistance, please email Eamon McLaughlin or Ian Curwen with brief details and they will get a rep to contact you as soon as possible.

Pensions

We all need to plan our future, and retirement is an important part of planning. It is essential that we are aware of our financial status for that big day when we retire. The following links will help you check your pension is on target to enable you to retire in a healthy financial state. (Note, we only have the links to the  LGPS scheme. Should you require information on the USS scheme, please let us know and we will direct you to the resources you require.)

Home :: LGPS

Local Pensions Partnership Administration – Local Government, Fire & Police

PensionPoint – Log in to your LPPA online portal – Home

Annual benefit statement (ABS) • Local Pensions Partnership Administration

WE NEED YOU!

We have several Workplace and Health and Safety reps, along with reps who have specialist roles such as Equalities and Green issues. The roles can be very rewarding, and we do make a difference. We work in a very supportive way ensuring all reps get the support of other reps, and with the approved training that makes being a rep a whole lot easier. We have regular committee meetings that give the opportunity to feedback on issues, changes proposed by the employer, and discuss cases, if appropriate, we are dealing with. If you would like to find out more without any commitment, please contact Eamon McLaughlin or Ian Curwen and they will happily answer any questions and explain the training process provided by Unite and the TUC.

In Solidarity,

Unite the Union, Lancaster Uni Branch Exec Committee

Categories
Newsletter

Redundancies: Parliamentary Petition

Earlier in July, the campus trade unions met with our local MP, Cat Smith, to discuss the proposed redundancies at the University. Cat suggested we petition her to raise in Parliament before it was dissolved for summer recess.

Thank you to everyone that signed the petition – there was an overwhelming response and support. The following has been received from Cat:

“Thank you for recently signing the petition regarding redundancies at Lancaster University.
I understand how deeply concerning the situation is for faculty, as well as the impact this could have on students and the quality of education at Lancaster University.
This looming uncertainty is deeply unfair, especially during the summer months which should be spent relaxing and recuperating after a stressful academic year.
I have been liaising with the Vice Chancellor where possible and have been approached for support from the recognised trade unions on campus. With you action and the help of your union representatives, I was able to collect signatures and present a petition on the floor of the House of Commons, calling on the government to take immediate action to ensure Universities are supported in securing employment for staff and a high-quality learning environment for students.
The petition was presented on the 21st July 2025, you can watch this over on my social media www.facebook.com/catsmithmp and feel free to find out more information on my website www.catsmith.co.uk
I am committed to monitoring this ongoing situation and will continue to engage with staff and trade unions. As always please feel free to get in touch with me at cat.smith.mp@parliament.uk“

Yours Sincerely,
Cat Smith MP
Member of Parliament for Lancaster and Wyre

If you wish to watch the petition being presented in parliament, but not through facebook, you can do that here. Now that the petition has been presented it will be escalated.

Categories
Newsletter Strike Action

Consultative Pay Ballot

As you have been informed by the University, they intend to impose the 3 percent pay rise on employees. Unite are still in dispute over the pay rise and are currently running a consultative ballot at Lancaster, urging members to reject the offer and be prepared to support the rejection by going on strike.

We have emailed a consultative ballot to all members at Lancaster to gauge feelings. You can print off and return via internal mail to vote anonymously, send back via email or just express your view in an email.

We have also emailed a flyer with some further information as to why Unite are still in dispute over the pay offer.

Why Should I Vote Yes for strike action?

  • You and your colleagues have suffered over a decade of below inflation pay rises. With the cost of living soaring to its highest level in living memory, it’s time to say ‘enough is enough’.
  • You deserve better. You and your colleagues worked harder than ever during the worst pandemic in 100 years to keep students and staff safe and secure. The fact that student enrolment is returning to record levels so quickly is down to your commitment, dedication, flexibility and adaptability.
  • You have earned an inflation matching pay rise and nothing less.
  • The value of your pay has fallen – higher education staff have suffered real terms wage cuts of around 19.7% since 2010.
  • Prices are rocketing. New forecasts suggest that energy costs could soar by 65 per cent, taking average energy bills to £3,244 this October, when the next energy price cap kicks in
  • We’re in this together – You are part of a wider public sector fair pay fight. Unite members in the NHS and local government are also being balloted over pay. Unite is on your side and will support members on the picket line.
  • All other higher education unions, UCU, Unison, GMB and EIS, have vowed to ballot or consult members too – paving the way for joint industrial action in your institutions. It’s what we’ll be calling for.
  • 9% is not real – the offer is tapered so it is higher (up to 9%) at the lowest end of the pay spine. But this is only because HE institutions are obliged by law to implement the increase in the National Minimum wage. The real offer to this group of staff is still 3%.
  • We have tried to negotiate a fairer pay rise and remain open to more talks. But UCEA has failed to play fair.

The closing date for the ballot is Friday 2nd September. Now is the time for action and Unite are urging you to reject the offer and be prepared to take part in strike action.

Thanks, your Unite Reps.

Categories
Newsletter

Christmas Quiz – Winner

We have a WINNER! – Congratulations Jo Harlowe

We had a great response to the Christmas quiz in December – Thank You! All the top answers were entered into a Unite beanie hat and a winner drawn. Jo was contacted and the hamper sent out on Santa’s sleigh.

Categories
Member Benefits Newsletter

Festive Fun – Christmas Quiz

Intro

The branch meetings at Lancaster have become great fun and we always try to do something a little different. We have had Easter Eggs, raffles and Christmas gifts in the past. Its time to get back on track and so we have put together 3 parts to a quiz. All you have to do is email your answers, or send in a hard copy to our branch secretary before Friday midday, 17th December (late entries cannot be accepted). The top 5 quiz entries will be entered into a draw and you stand to chance to win a Christmas themed hamper carefully selected by the quiz masters. You must be available to be flexible to collect the prize in person.

You MUST be a fully paid member of Unite to enter. Quizmasters decision is final.

Thanks to Jess, Eamon and Ian for putting the quiz together!

Round 1

1) Name all 8 reindeers that pull Santa’s sleigh. (Rudolf is not one of them!!)
2) What would you find a joke inside of on Christmas Day?
3) What meat is traditionally eaten on Christmas Day in the UK?
4) What type of pie would you leave out for Father Christmas on Christmas Eve?
5) Who are Father Christmas’s famous helpers?
6) On a traditional Advent Calendar, how many doors are there?
7) Where would you find baubles, lights and tinsel?
8) Unscramble the following to make a festive word — INSETL
9) What is placed at the top of a Christmas tree and has wings?
10) What is the main colour of Santa’s sleigh?

Merry Christmas, Jess Fisher

Round 2

What is the actual name of the song that the following lyrics are in?

11) Snow is falling all around me, children playing, having fun . . . . .
12) Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose . . . . .
13) Come they told me, par rum pum pum pum, our new born king to see . . . . .
14) They’ve got cars big as bars, they got rivers of gold . . . . .
15) Mrs Bradly waits at home in the nuclear fall out zone . . . . .
16) They sold me a dream of Christmas, they sold me a silent night . . . . .
17) Last Christmas I gave you my heart . . . . .
18) I don’t want a lot for Christmas, there’s just one thing I need . . . . .
19) And so this is Christmas . . . . .
20) The party’s on, the feelings here . . . . .

Merry Christmas, Eamon

Round 3

The answers can be found here on our branch website!

21) Who has a contact number 07970919887?
22) What are the vacant rep positions according to our site?
23) What percentage of a successful personal injury claim do you receive?
24) How many Health & Safety reps are listed on our site?
25) Who did we fully support in our recent solidarity statement?

You can download an answer sheet below. Remember to return it to Eamon – Branch Secretary – e.mclaughlin@lancaster.ac.uk by midday Friday December 17th.

FestiveFunAnswerSheetDownload

Good Luck!

Categories
Newsletter Rep Update University Community

Meet A Rep

Introduction

I first got involved as a Union Rep in March 2016 after about 18 months at the University and as a Unite member. Initially I started as a Health and Safety Rep, undertaking 2 stages of courses with the TUC in Manchester, and this remains the area that interests me the most. In my ‘day job’ I’m a Technician in LEC with a number of Safety roles and responsibilities so my work and Union activities complement each other. Over the last (nearly) 6 years I’ve become involved in other areas of Union work on campus which helps spread the load from Ian, Eamon and Andy. This has included Safety inspections and numerous safety meetings, initial case-work, attending the Wellbeing Engagement Group which is putting together the University Wellbeing Plan and most recently attending the Sustainability Management Group – Transport.

SMG – Transport

Before his retirement a couple of years ago, Martin Ward attended this group on our behalf for many years, and since then Ian and I have shared responsibility for attending. The group looks at parking provision on campus, including the costs of permits, and other forms of travel including buses and cycling. As you might be able to guess from the name of the group – Sustainability Management – for the University to reach its carbon emission reduction targets it needs lots of staff to switch from driving to campus to using the bus or active travel. One issue with this, that all your reps on this group have raised, is that there are groups of staff, many of them Unite members, who work shifts and are therefore unable to catch the bus. These staff have to drive to campus. We’ve also made representations for and supported the move to the new parking price structure based on staff grades. The SMG – Transport group really is one where Union representation works for our members and where our comments and contributions are taken on board and welcomed by the other members of the group.

Being a Rep

In my experience most, if not all, of the groups and meetings I attend are welcoming and grateful to suggestions, comments and feedback that I give on behalf on the Union. And when I say Union, I mean our branch members. Because when I speak as a rep, I’m speaking with the backing of the membership, and that is powerful. There is lots of rep work going on across campus all the time and we are always looking for more reps to spread the work around. As well as safety, wellbeing and transport there is equalities, green issues and member case-work. You can give as much or as little time as you are able to Union work and anything you can give is helpful. I can tell you from experience that you will be fully supported by more experienced reps but also given the space to find the things that are important to you and bring suggestions and thoughts to reps meetings. If you are interested in getting involved then please get in touch with any of the reps. I’m always happy to go for a brew and a chat! Remember, this is your Union.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, Tim Gregson

Categories
Newsletter

Winter Newsletter 2021

Unite Lancaster University Branch Newsletter Winter 2021 (Issue 4)

Welcome

As another year ends, we are back to having virtual meetings and communicating with members electronically or on paper. Not an ideal situation but the committee felt it was probably for the best at this time.
It has been another strange year for us all with, at times, some real light at the end of the tunnel only for the tunnel to be extended again.
As for Unite, it has been a year which has certainly tested the committee with a number of significant policy and procedural changes to manage as well as the day-to-day case work.
A significant piece of work was the harmonised terms and conditions implementation, which took place in October. Many of you will have benefited from the additional annual leave entitlement. After 15 years of persisting by Unite, we finally achieved a fair outcome for all staff regardless of grade. We do appreciate that not all will have seen an increase in holidays and that for some, the long service element seems to have been disregarded. However, the principle of fairness was extremely important
and removed this inequality – at last!
As a committee, we are now starting work on reviewing our Partnership agreement with the University. This is an extremely important document which sets out our recognition agreement and how we work with the University senior management and POE (used to be called HR).
We continue to represent members on a whole range of issues, some of which are Covid related and these can be impacted by national or local policy at short notice. It’s vital that members contact reps at the earliest opportunity should they feel they have an issue or a potential problem.
Next year will see a new director of HR and a new assistant director of Health and Safety take up their positions and the committee will hopefully build good working relationships with both of these crucial post holders.
Finally from me, my regular plea for more members. It’s vital that we increase our membership on campus. Please speak to your colleagues and encourage them to at least consider joining Unite or to find out more information – there’s plenty of information on joining Unite and membership benefits here on the website.
If you celebrate Christmas then I hope you have a Happy Christmas and New Year and if not, then have a happy holiday and if you are working through the Christmas break, thank you, it is very much appreciated.

Andy Baker, Branch Chair

Cleaners Corner

As we approach Christmas the work of your reps continues. And with your support, we do make a difference.
One of the success stories this year is the issue of coats for cleaners on student accommodation for those of you who wanted one. Unite worked very hard to get these coats and it goes to show your Union is working with you, to get what you need.
We have been asking for the start times of either 08.00 or 09.00 to be made permanent on your request. These times have been with us since we all returned after the first lockdown and it appears that cleaners would like to keep them for the flexibility. We are working on this on your behalf, and we need your help once again in making this a success story.
Lisa and I continue to have monthly meetings with Alan and Karen. This gives us an opportunity to discuss items or ideas that you have brought to our attention. If you have anything you would like your reps to ask at the meeting please e-mail, text or give me a call.

Merry Christmas, Phillip Demmen

Elf and Safety

We have had yet another very busy year on the health and safety front. We have continually been working with the University to make the workplace as safe as possible during this challenging time. The hard work would not be possible without everyone’s hard work and commitment, and it demonstrates how much Unite members work together keeping the workplace safe.
We have conducted workplace inspections, investigated accidents and near miss reports and more recently served a notice of unsafe working area on the employer. We also have recently been active in the recruitment for the position of the Assistant Director of People & OE (Health & Safety) and we look forward to working closely with them in the new year.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, Ian


Categories
Strike Action University Community

Unite Support the UCU Strike

UCU Strike

Unite Lancaster Branch have sent a Solidarity Statement to UCU Lancaster ahead of their strike starting on Wednesday 1st December.

The Unite the Union Branch at Lancaster University fully supports UCU in its industrial action campaign to win a fair pay rise and maintain working terms and conditions for staff.

We also support them in their fight to maintain their pension rights and receive a fair pension.

We believe with such a strong mandate the action is justifiable, and thank UCU for taking this forward.

Further information for Unite members

The strike days are:

  • Wednesday 1st December 2021
  • Thursday 2nd December 2021
  • Friday 3rd December 2021

Unite members have not been balloted so are unable to take strike action. As a Unite member who is not a member of UCU you must come into work unless you have a legitimate reason for absence. It is illegal for you to go on strike without a ballot mandate.

Unite and Unison, the other campus trade union, however, do support the UCU strike.

On the strike days, UCU will be picketing at the entrances to the University and you will have to cross the picket line. However, as Unite does support the strike, feel free to stop and talk to the pickets to show your support. Any donations to their strike fund would be much appreciated.

As a Union we have sent the above Solidarity Statement which will be readout at their rally at the town hall.