News

We have now published videos of our strike day online rallies, day 1 was Wednesday 1st December 2021, day 2 was Thursday 2nd December and day 3 was Friday 3rd December 2021. 

Day 1: Watch the video

Day 1: Read the transcript

Day 2: Watch the video

We agree with the author about the excellence of UCU's national policy statement of principles on academic freedom, a position that the branch formally re-affirmed in 2019. That is why the email complained of included a link to this policy statement. The Open University branch of UCU does not discriminate or encourage discrimination against members.

There is a press release about the industrial action, starting on 1st December for 3 days, on the UCU website.

View press release

Some of our branch members, including one of our Vice Presidents, Kit Power, have produced a short video with three reasons to vote in the UCU ballots on the USS and Four Fights disputes. The ballot closes on 4th November at 12noon so please post your ballot papers by 2nd November 2021. 

Watch the video.

FAQs on the USS dispute: UCU - USS FAQs

Our AL reps commitee newsletter group have produced a new issue of our AL newsletter, read the newsletter here. 

We are running a short survey on 2021J AL recruitment, please complete the survey here. 

UCU has confirmed that strike ballots will open at UK universities on Monday 18 October 2021 in rows over USS pensions and pay, unsafe workloads, casualisation and equality failings.

View the UCU Press release.

Norman Maxfield (Normax) died in July 2021 aged 98. He was a very long term AL, residential school tutor, examiner, and course team participant with the Business School. His son is keen that this news is shared with any OU friends and colleagues who might wish to hear.  

Norman was interviewed by FutureLearn back in 2014​, when he was one of the early testers of their pilot courses. 

There is a press release on the UCU website about the new Associate Lecturer contract, view press release. This is an historic moment for our branch, well done to all the negotiators involved! 

We are very pleased to report that some of our Executive Commitee members have created our first two podcasts. Kit Power, Vice President, has interviewed Sam Marsh who is one of the UCU Negotiators in the USS dispute. The podcasts are hosted on the Podbean website where you can like or share them. 

Part 1 - interview with Sam Marsh about USS pensions 

Transcript for part 1

AL UCU members will be sent a ballot email on the new contract agreement today (8 June 2021). 

If you are an AL member and have any questions or fail to receive the email ballot link, please contact ucu-alballot@open.ac.uk.

We know AL members will have many questions so we have set up Q&A meetings over the next two weeks, meeting requests have been sent to UCU members. 

For AL UCU members: