- Conference
- 2026 National Higher Education Conference
- Date
- 9 October 2025
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes:
1)Continued austerity across the sector has forced university workers in many institutions to take action to resist redundancies, course closures and cost-cutting measures;
2)For workers taking strike action, or any other form of protest, solidarity greetings from other unions and branches are a valuable resource, which raises the profile of the struggle and gives workers confidence to see a dispute through;
3)It is in the interests of all our members that we do what we can to publicise disputes and encourage solidarity messages.
Conference believes:
a)We should use all available media channels at the disposal of the Service Group to publicise all disputes which UNISON members are involved in;
b)Branches should be encouraged to send solidarity messages and make financial contributions to hardship funds where appropriate and democratically agreed.
Conference calls on the Higher Education Service Group Executive to:
i)Consider the most appropriate methods to keep all activists and members aware of disputes, the issues behind them and what members can lawfully do to assist;
ii)Bring all social media channels up to date and with as wide a following as possible to improve communication and leave no branches or groups of UNISON members isolated, especially during a live dispute.