Loughborough UCU

Tag: All Welcome

  • LUCU Meet and Greet at the Staff Fair – 14 May

    IMPORTANT UPDATE: The Staff Fair (and therefore our Meet and Greet) has been postponed by the University – we will update you with the new date when it is provided.

    Loughborough UCU will be at the University Staff Fair on Thursday 14 May, 10am–12pm, and we’d love you to come and say hello.

    We’ll be hosting a Loughborough UCU Meet and Greet at our stall in the James France Exhibition Area. This is a great opportunity for current members to drop by, catch up, and meet and chat informally with branch committee members and activists about the work UCU is doing locally and nationally.

    If you’re not yet a UCU member but are interested in finding out more, you’re very welcome too. Come along to ask questions, find out how UCU supports staff at Loughborough, and learn how to get involved if you wish.

    Whether you’re new to the university or have been here a while, please feel free to stop by, we look forward to meeting you.

  • Talk: When The World Looked Away – Palestine

    Lboro UCU will host a talk, open to all staff and students, by Ali Bilgic – Professor of International Relations and Middle East Politics at Loughborough University. The talk will take place on Tuesday 3rd March at 12-1pm on the Loughborough campus in JB021 in the Sir John Beckwith Centre for Sport (map) and online. Please contact ucu@lboro.ac.uk to register your interest in attending in person or online.

    This talk offers a concise examination of the historical, political, and legal dynamics shaping the conflict in Palestine, with particular focus on Gaza. Beginning with the ideological origins of Zionism and the waves of settler migration under British rule, it traces how settler‑colonial practices, racialisation, and land dispossession laid the foundations for ongoing structural violence Palestinians have to endure everyday. The talk also unpacks Israel’s legal framework highlighting systemic inequalities entrenched in state policy. Contemporary developments such as ICC arrest warrant applications, UN findings about the genocide in Gaza, and escalating settler violence in the West Bank illuminate the severity of present‑day conditions. The presentation also foregrounds Gaza’s environmental devastation, described as ecocide, and the humanitarian catastrophe persisting even after the ceasefire. Concluding with avenues for solidarity and cultural engagement, it challenges audiences to recognise moral responsibilities and to amplify Palestinian voices wherever they can.

  • Talk: When The World Looked Away – Palestine

    Talk: When The World Looked Away – Palestine

    Lboro UCU will host a talk, open to all staff and students, by Ali Bilgic – Professor of International Relations and Middle East Politics at Loughborough University. The talk will take place on Tuesday 3rd March at 12-1pm on the Loughborough campus in JB021 in the Sir John Beckwith Centre for Sport (map) and online. Please contact ucu@lboro.ac.uk to register your interest in attending in person or online.

    This talk offers a concise examination of the historical, political, and legal dynamics shaping the conflict in Palestine, with particular focus on Gaza. Beginning with the ideological origins of Zionism and the waves of settler migration under British rule, it traces how settler‑colonial practices, racialisation, and land dispossession laid the foundations for ongoing structural violence Palestinians have to endure everyday. The talk also unpacks Israel’s legal framework highlighting systemic inequalities entrenched in state policy. Contemporary developments such as ICC arrest warrant applications, UN findings about the genocide in Gaza, and escalating settler violence in the West Bank illuminate the severity of present‑day conditions. The presentation also foregrounds Gaza’s environmental devastation, described as ecocide, and the humanitarian catastrophe persisting even after the ceasefire. Concluding with avenues for solidarity and cultural engagement, it challenges audiences to recognise moral responsibilities and to amplify Palestinian voices wherever they can.

  • Challenging Excessive Workload in Education – CPD Training

    In order to tackle rising workloads and the resulting work-related stress that many members of staff are experiencing, we need to take a collective approach to pushing back on excessive workload.

    Lboro UCU branch has organised an online CPD workshop, open to all LU staff, which will help staff with the tools to take a collective approach and push back on excessive workload. Masters and PhD students at LU are also welcome to attend the session.

    The CPD course will take place online on Wednesday 4th June from 12:30 – 2pm. Please come along and invite your colleagues (including those who may not be UCU members) to join us.

    The full aims of the interactive workshop are to:

    • identify why excessive workload is so damaging to education and staff
    • Identify collective responses to tackling excessive workloads
    • Develop an understanding of workload as a health and safety issue
    • Make members aware of the UCU campaign on workload and how they can contribute

    Sign up to the training here and please share this link with any other staff at Lboro who may be interested in coming along – https://cpd.web.ucu.org.uk/events/challenging-excessive-workload-in-education-loughborough/

  • At What Cost? The Impact of the Voluntary Exit and Hours Reduction Scheme

    Across the University, there has been a substantial uptake of the Voluntary Exit and Hours Reduction offerings as part of the wider Cost Reduction Scheme. The University has now ‘saved’ in the region of £4m by encouraging people to leave or to reduce their contracts. Following the success of this scheme, Loughborough UCU are concerned about the impact on those left behind. 

    We are hosting an open meeting on Friday, February 28 from 2:00 PM to 2:50 PM on Teams to discuss the impact on workload for remaining Loughborough staff and doctoral researchers. All Loughborough staff and DRs are invited, whether you are a UCU member or not. 

    Are you an academic whose teaching has increased? Are you a DR who has taken on more research or marking without additional compensation? Is your Professional Services team now trying to cover the same amount of work with fewer staff? We want to hear from you!

    Come and share your thoughts and experiences, hear from other people about what is happening in their areas, and discuss how people are managing increases in workload across the University. Please feel free to invite others in your area to attend as we are keen to include as wide a view as possible.

    You can download an invite for your calendar here, or use this link to join the meeting.