April 2026: Introduction of Guidelines for Managers Dealing with Restructures
In partnership with the University we have agreed guidelines that should be followed which include specifics about how and when to engage with the unions, as well as setting a positive tone for this engagement.
See this article for more details.
March 2026: Huge Win on USS Pension Valuations
UCU have successfully negotiated a change to the methodology to be used for future USS Pension Scheme valuations which will benefit all members. This change is a major achievement by UCU’s negotiating team and national officials, as well as all members who had voted for and taken the strike action which has unfortunately been necessary to focus the minds of employers and keep this on the agenda.
See this article for more details.
March 2026: Introductions of Guidelines for Manager Relation Issues
Emerging from discussions around the introduction of GLOW Conversations were concerns around how much less positive, perhaps even negative, these experiences might be for staff who do not have a good relationship with their line manager. Indeed the quality of the relationship with one’s line manager is often the most significant factor influencing whether the experience of work is positive or negative. In partnership with the University we have agreed HR guidelines on Helping Managers Intervene Early to help prevent issues escalating, and Building Better Manager Relationships which aim to find ways to constructively improve these situations. These guides are now available to everyone within the GLOW website (login required). Direct links below.
March 2026: Rights Retention Policy
Loughborough University’s Rights Retention Policy will, from 1 April 2026, automatically give staff and doctoral researchers the right to deposit their Accepted Manuscripts in the University Repository with no embargo, ensuring immediate open access and compliance with REF 2029 requirements. The policy means authors retain reuse rights over their own work. Although applied by default, researchers can opt out for specific articles by contacting the Open Research Team.
See this article for more details.
November 2025: Conditions of Service – Probation rules
LUCU successfully negotiated that members moving to a new internal role will no longer be required to repeat probation if they’ve already completed their initial probation.
See this article for more details.
October 2025: Winning New Contracts for Our Members
LUCU successfully secured 12-month contract renewals for members who were facing sudden dismissal, following strong intervention and lobbying. We are now pushing for these roles to be made permanent and continue to support members on repeated fixed-term contracts.
See this article for more details.
July 2025: SSA Promotion Pathway
LUCU fed into the SSA promotion process and criteria via consultation with the University, working to improve career pathways for Specialist and Supporting Academics, contributing to a better outcome than originally proposed.
October 2024: Unions win an extra Christmas closure day for 2024
UCU, along with Unite and UNISON requested in July that the University close for the 23rd of December, rather than colleagues returning for one day between the weekend and the Christmas break, giving us a significantly longer continuous break. The Vice Chancellor agreed to our request in October. We hope everyone enjoys their extended break.
See this article for more details.
October 2024: Ending plans for LU Campus in Saudi Arabia
LUCU members have collectively provided challenge in our union negotiating forums, in General Assemblies, in school, department and group meetings and have educated our colleagues and students on the issues. The senior leadership of the University have now decided not to pursue a teaching presence in KSA.
See this article for more details.
August 2024: Payments to staff taking voluntary exit
The Campus Trade Unions’ (UCU, Unite & Unison) jointly negotiated an increase in the payments to staff taking up the recent voluntary exit scheme. The original formula had been a week’s wages for every month of service, capped at 20 years, and then uplifted by 35%. This was increased to 50%.
May 2024: Car Parking
At the Campus Trade Unions’ (UCU, Unite & Unison) request, management agreed to create staff only parking areas and install barriers.
See this article for more details.
May 2024: UCU fights and wins on an extension to USS early retirement factor change
Due to UCU pressure, changes have now been delayed to 1st October 2024.
See this article for more details.
April 2024: USS benefits restored in full
Members of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), the UK’s largest private pension scheme, have now had their benefits restored in full. The restoration comes after UCU members took 69 days of strike action in defence of the scheme and two years after employers forced through cuts that meant guaranteed benefits were slashed by 35%.
See this article for more details.
March 2024: Improvements to Sickness Absence Policy from UCU
LUCU have negotiated improvements to the University’s Managing Sickness Absence Policy on your behalf.
See this article for more details.
October 2023: UCU Members win USS Pensions Dispute
Congratulations to all our members both locally and nationally who contributed to industrial action, forcing our employers to reverse pensions cuts.
See this article for more details.
October 2022: Campus Trade Unions win commitment of LU to becoming an accredited living wage employer
After working closely with the local Unison and Unite committees on a living wage campaign, we can report that management has reiterated its commitment to paying staff the living wage and to becoming an accredited living wage employer. The Vice-Chancellor indicated his support for this in our October quarterly meeting with him, and so we expect further information on this in the coming months.
2022: Campus Trade Unions win removal of ratings from PDR
LUCU, alongside our sister branches of Unite and Unison, negotiated that performance ratings be removed from the PDR process.
2022: LUCU wins changes to new staff dress code
LUCU successfully argued against the introduction of a prescriptive dress code as part of the Employee Code of Conduct in 2022, replacing it with the simple requirement that you can do your job in what you’re wearing.
2020: LUCU gets LU to remove Occupational Health hurdle over Covid concerns
During the COVID pandemic / lockdowns LUCU successfully argued that staff concerns about exposure to other staff and students did not need to be progressed through an Occupational Health route – LUCU argued that this would deter staff by stigmatising their legitimate concerns as an individual rather than collective concern.
2019: LUCU win retention of opt out for recording of lectures
LUCU prevented the introduction of the extremely unpopular mandatory recording of lectures, ensuring that staff maintained the option to opt out of the system if they wished.
2018: LUCU improves conditions for non-EU staff
LUCU negotiated removal of the policy issued in 2017 that non-EU staff needed to report their whereabouts to HR whenever they left their office (including trips to the library, lab, lecture theatre).
2018: LUCU convince VC to make a public stand against UUK’s proposed USS changes
LUCU negotiated the VC’s January 2018 letter which critiqued UUK’s proposed abolition of USS as a defined benefit pension scheme. At the time no other University had issued such a statement. This led to the first split on the UUK side of the dispute, which was eventually successful (which has resulted in significant financial benefits to all USS members).
2018: LUCU negotiate to protect Tier 2 visa-holders’ right to strike
LUCU negotiated a local agreement during the 2018 USS dispute which protected Tier 2 visa-holders’ right to strike.
2016: LUCU convince VC to make a public stand against UCEA’s approach to industrial relations
LUCU negotiated the VC’s 2016 letter to UCEA where he criticised UCEA’s approach to industrial relations, stating that it was not “conducive to reaching a settlement without unnecessarily aggravating an already difficult situation” and noted that “to take a particularly hard line with regard to things like sanctions against those involved in industrial action will neither make the situation any easier nor be likely to lead to any faster resolution”.
Circa 2007-2008: LUCU wins changes to leave year to benefit staff
LU SMT were intending to change the end of the leave year from 31st March to end of January (in order to mitigate the impact of Easter each year). LUCU persuaded SMT to change that to end of April, LUCU’s argument being that staff could then take their leave during weather that is more likely to be warmer / drier and finer.