Loughborough UCU

Tag: Events

Events

  • LU Guest Lecture: The Criminalisation of Environmental Protest

    When: 6:30-8pm on Tues 11th March

    Where: James France – CC013

    As part of the University’s Sustainability Week for 2025, Sir Jonathon Porritt CBE will be on the East Midlands campus on Tuesday 11th March to deliver a guest lecture on “The Criminalisation of Environmental Protest”. 

    With police arrests of environmental protesters becoming increasingly common both in the UK and abroad, Jonathon will discuss the criminalisation of environmental protest and examine instances of arrests, imprisonment and other punishments.

    The right to protest has been intrinsic in the history of the trade union movement and, indeed, every progressive movement for social change. It is deeply concerning that a nominally left-wing government has continued the trend of persecuting those trying to exercise those rights, especially when their aim is to draw attention to an existential threat to our civilisation.

    The lecture will take place in James France, CC013 from 6:30pm-8pm on Tuesday 11th March. The lecture is free to attend and open to all staff and students. Booking is required and you can book your spot here. There will be an opportunity for questions during the event. Please submit any questions you may have in advance.

    About Jonathon Porritt

    Jonathon Porritt is an eminent writer and campaigner on sustainable development. Over his career, he has played a major role in helping to promote the importance of sustainability issues to government, the private sector and amongst the general public. He has provided strategic advice to leading UK and international companies to deepen their understanding of today’s converging environmental and climate crises.

    He is also focused on intergenerational justice, supporting young people in their activities around sustainable development issues as they face a future defined by the twin crises of the Climate Emergency and Biodiversity Emergency.

    He is President of The Conservation Volunteers and is involved in the work of many other NGOs and groups.

    In 1996, he co-founded Forum for the Future, a leading international sustainable development charity, working with business and civil society to accelerate the shift toward a sustainable future.

    Jonathon was formerly Co-Chair of the Green Party (1980-83) and Director of Friends of the Earth (1984-90). He stood down as Chair of the UK Sustainable Development Commission in 2009, after nine years providing high-level advice to Government Ministers.

    Jonathon was awarded a CBE in January 2000 for services to environmental protection.

  • LU Guest Lecture: The Criminalisation of Environmental Protest

    When: 6:30-8pm on Tues 11th March
    Where: James France – CC013

    As part of the University’s Sustainability Week for 2025, Sir Jonathon Porritt CBE will be on the East Midlands campus on Tuesday 11th March to deliver a guest lecture on “The Criminalisation of Environmental Protest”.

    With police arrests of environmental protesters becoming increasingly common both in the UK and abroad, Jonathon will discuss the criminalisation of environmental protest and examine instances of arrests, imprisonment and other punishments.

    The right to protest has been intrinsic in the history of the trade union movement and, indeed, every progressive movement for social change. It is deeply concerning that a nominally left-wing government has continued the trend of persecuting those trying to exercise those rights, especially when their aim is to draw attention to an existential threat to our civilisation.

    The lecture will take place in James France, CC013 from 6:30pm-8pm on Tuesday 11th March. The lecture is free to attend and open to all staff and students. Booking is required and you can book your spot here. There will be an opportunity for questions during the event. Please submit any questions you may have in advance.

    About Jonathon Porritt

    Jonathon Porritt is an eminent writer and campaigner on sustainable development. Over his career, he has played a major role in helping to promote the importance of sustainability issues to government, the private sector and amongst the general public. He has provided strategic advice to leading UK and international companies to deepen their understanding of today’s converging environmental and climate crises.

    He is also focused on intergenerational justice, supporting young people in their activities around sustainable development issues as they face a future defined by the twin crises of the Climate Emergency and Biodiversity Emergency.

    He is President of The Conservation Volunteers and is involved in the work of many other NGOs and groups.

    In 1996, he co-founded Forum for the Future, a leading international sustainable development charity, working with business and civil society to accelerate the shift toward a sustainable future.

    Jonathon was formerly Co-Chair of the Green Party (1980-83) and Director of Friends of the Earth (1984-90). He stood down as Chair of the UK Sustainable Development Commission in 2009, after nine years providing high-level advice to Government Ministers.

    Jonathon was awarded a CBE in January 2000 for services to environmental protection.

  • International Women’s Day 2025

    When: Friday 7th March, 2-4pm

    Where: MS Teams

    Click here to download a meeting invite for your calendar, or use this link to join the meeting.

    LUCU is marking International Women’s Day with a discussion about feminist research at Loughborough. The histories of the women’s movement and the labour movement are deeply intertwined. The originally named International Working Women’s Day is at the intersection of the two, inspired by demonstrations for women’s enfranchisement and right to form our own trade unions. IWD should therefore be about more than celebrating women’s achievements or advocating for more women in leadership. As Bonnie Kreps argued, who wants a bigger slice of a ‘rotten pie’?1

    This event will begin with feminist researchers across the institution giving short insights into their current work:

    Angela Martinez Dy (Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship)

    Surya Monro (Professor of Sociology and Social Policy)

    Hilary Robinson (Professor of Feminism, Art and Theory)

    Pandora Syperek (Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, Institute for Creative Futures)

    Inês Varela-Silva (Senior Lecturer in Human Biology)

    Gemma Witcomb (Reader in Gendered Experiences and Wellbeing)

    This will be followed by an open forum for all attendees to discuss the current climate for feminist research, and the role of feminism within the trade union movement.

    Open to all, members and non-members, women and non-women. Join us and be part of the conversation!

    #IWD25 #breadandroses

    1. Kreps, B (1973) ‘Radical Feminism 1’ in Anne Koedt (ed.) Radical Feminism (New York: Quadrangle/ The New York Times Book Co.), pp. 234-239.

  • International Women’s Day 2025

    International Women’s Day 2025

    Click here to download a meeting invite for your calendar, or use this link to join the meeting.

    LUCU is marking International Women’s Day with a discussion about feminist research at Loughborough. The histories of the women’s movement and the labour movement are deeply intertwined. The originally named International Working Women’s Day is at the intersection of the two, inspired by demonstrations for women’s enfranchisement and right to form our own trade unions. IWD should therefore be about more than celebrating women’s achievements or advocating for more women in leadership. As Bonnie Kreps argued, who wants a bigger slice of a ‘rotten pie’? 1

    This event will begin with feminist researchers across the institution giving short insights into their current work:

    Angela Martinez Dy (Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship)

    Surya Monro (Professor of Sociology and Social Policy)

    Hilary Robinson (Professor of Feminism, Art and Theory)

    Pandora Syperek (Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, Institute for Creative Futures)

    Inês Varela-Silva (Senior Lecturer in Human Biology)

    Gemma Witcomb (Reader in Gendered Experiences and Wellbeing)

    This will be followed by an open forum for all attendees to discuss the current climate for feminist research, and the role of feminism within the trade union movement.

    Open to all, members and non-members, women and non-women. Join us and be part of the conversation!

    #IWD25 #breadandroses

    1. Kreps, B (1973) ‘Radical Feminism 1’ in Anne Koedt (ed.) Radical Feminism (New York: Quadrangle/ The New York Times Book Co.), pp. 234-239.

  • Leicester & District Trades Union Council Events

    Your Rights, The Law, and Empowerment Event

    Unite Community Leicester has organised an event “Your Rights, The Law, and Empowerment” on Sunday 19th January 2025 from 11am – 4pm. Everyone is welcome to join them at: Secular Hall, 75 Humberstone Gate, Leicester (LE1 1WB).

    Lawyers will give three presentations to update you on laws around protest and strike action, with each focusing on one of the following topics: “Unions”, “Palestine” and “Climate & Ecological Emergency”. The event is supported by Leicester & District Trades Union Council (L&DTUC). For more information, please see this flyer.

    Organising the next Workers Memorial Day

    The Health, Safety and Welfare (HSW) subcommittee of Leicester & District Trades Union Council (L&DTUC) will meet to start organising the next Workers Memorial Day event. The meeting will be on Tuesday 21st January 2025 starting at 6pm and, it’s hoped, will not last much more than an hour. All trade unionists are welcome. You do not need to be a trades council delegate to get involved. The organising meeting will be held on Zoom. If you’re interested in contributing, please use this link to join the meeting.

  • What makes a thriving research and innovation culture?

    The University are holding three conversation-style events to identify what a thriving research and innovation culture looks like at Loughborough. The stated aim of these events is to invite your important perspectives on what ‘good’ looks like in Loughborough’s research and innovation culture.

    We strongly urge you to join these sessions and use your voice to help shape the standard to which academics are likely to be held in the future.

    Events and sign-up links

    • Virtual workshop, 10am-11.30am, Monday 15 April 2024, sign up here 
    • Face to face workshop on campus, 10am-11.30am, Wednesday 17 April 2024. Sign up here
    • Face to face workshop on campus, 3pm-4.30pm, Wednesday 17 April 2024. Sign up here

  • Pickets in Loughborough and London – 9th Feb

    Thanks again to everyone who was involved in the busy and engaging UCU rising picket we held on the 1st February, and also to those who came to the planning meeting that followed.

    This Week’s Pickets

    This week the branch has organised pickets on both Lboro and London campuses. Both will take place on Thursday 9th February. The Loughborough picket will be at the Shirley Pearce Pedestrian Crossing (on Epinal Way – exact location) from 8:30am to 10:30am. The London picket will be at the main entrance of the London campus building from 9am – 11am. We hope to see as many of you there as possible. The longer the picket line, the shorter the dispute.

    Future Picket Dates, Times & Locations

    Strike DayPicket TimePicket Location
    Thurs 16th Feb8:30-10:30Shirley Pearce Pedestrian Crossing
    Wed 22nd Feb11:30-14:00Holywell Gate
    Wed 1st March11:30-14:00Holywell Gate
    Thurs 16th March8:30-10:30Main Gate
    Mon 20th March8:30-10:30Main Gate

    Future London picket details will be communicated as and when they are arranged.

    Although we are only picketing on the above dates, please remember that the following dates are also strike days.

    February: Fri 10th, Tues 14th, Wed 15th, Tues 21st, Thurs 23rd, Mon 27th & Tues 28th.

    March: Thurs 2nd, Fri 17th, Tues 21st & Wed 22nd.

    Update on Teach Outs

    We now have three teach outs planned during this period of industrial action, unfortunately the ones we had hoped to hold in the LSU building will now have to be on-line only due to no rooms being available. Please advertise these events to your colleagues, students and anyone else who may be interested in joining us.

    Unions and the Media, an online teach-out: Wednesday February 22nd, 2:30-5pm (Teams link): We will start with a Trade Unions 101 by Anthony Kevins: Is a trade union like a student union? Are strikes just protests? And why are strikes even a thing? In this brief introduction to trade unions, we’ll cover everything you ever wanted to know about collective bargaining but were too afraid to ask. Bring your questions! Then John Downey will present a talk entitled ‘What about the workers? How do news media frame unions and what we can do about it’ discussing unions, inequality, and media representation, including reflections on how UCU does self-mediation and how it is being represented in the current dispute.

    Organising and Power, an online teach-out: Wednesday 1st March, 2:30-5pm (Teams link): Ruth Kinna will give a talk (open to all staff and students) about Rose Pesotta (1896–1965), anarchist, feminist and labour organizer in the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, then Alexandre Christoyannopoulos will lead a workshop (for LUCU members only) introducing methods from the Organizing for Power workshops that some members attended last year, with time for discussion about how they could work within Loughborough UCU.

    Memories of anti-racism, a hybrid teach-out: Thursday 16th March, 11am-12 noon in-person and online (Teams link): Emily Keightley will introduce the Migrant Memory and Postcolonial Imagination exhibition at Charnwood Arts (address: 27 Rectory Pl, Loughborough LE11 1UW), and will talk about histories and memories of anti-racist protest and experiences of racism in Loughborough and East London.

    Resources for Staff

    Please regularly check our website for updated versions of strike resources for staff such as out of office messages, email templates you can send to students or use on learn and slides for students.

    LUCU Committee

  • UCU Rising Picket Dates and More

    Firstly, thanks to all those who attended our picket on the 1st February. It was great to see so many people out in support of the UCU Rising dispute. Following on from the picket we held a productive meeting to plan the rest of our action where many members contributed to an engaging discussion. It was really inspiring to see so many members getting involved and volunteering to take actions. A summary of the outcomes agreed by members at the meeting is below.

    Targeted Picketing

    It was agreed that we would target picketing to 6 days (one per week of the strike action), please attend as many of these pickets as you can. As always friends, family and supporters are more than welcome on our pickets:

    Strike DayPicket TimePicket Location
    Thurs 9th Feb8:30-10:30Shirley Pearce Pedestrian Crossing
    Thurs 16th Feb8:30-10:30Shirley Pearce Pedestrian Crossing
    Wed 22nd Feb11:30-14:00Holywell Gate
    Wed 1st March11:30-14:00Holywell Gate
    Thurs 16th March8:30-10:30Main Gate
    Mon 20th March8:30-10:30Main Gate

    London picket details will be communicated in due course.

    Although we are only picketing on the above dates, please remember that the following dates are also strike days.

    February: Fri 10th, Tues 14th, Wed 15th, Tues 21st, Thurs 23rd, Mon 27th & Tues 28th.

    March: Thurs 2nd, Fri 17th, Tues 21st & Wed 22nd.

    Teach Outs

    We have also had several people volunteer to host Teach Out sessions. We hope these sessions will be hybrid meetings and will confirm details nearer the time. Anyone else interested in hosting a teach out session on any of the strike days please get in touch with the branch. Presently this is our plan:

    1. 22nd Feb at 2:30pm at the LSU (tbc) – Two members will host a teach out on the subject of Unions and the Media.
    2. 16th March at 11am at Charnwood Arts (tbc) – A member will host a teach out on Colonialism and Anti-racism – followed by a members meeting.

    Resources for Staff

    Please regularly check our website for updated versions of strike resources for staff such as out of office messages, email templates you can send to students or use on learn and slides for students.

    LUCU Committee

  • Winter Break Office Closure

    The LUCU office will be closed for the winter break from 4pm today (21st December). We will re-open (and respond to enquiries) from 10am on Wednesday 4th January 2023.

    Have a great winter break!

    LUCU will not be monitoring the main branch email inbox during the winter break so if an urgent response is required please email the branch secretary or relevant committee member directly. Please bear in mind they are also on their winter break so won’t be checking email daily. Their contact details can be found here: https://ucu.lboro.ac.uk/contacts/

    In the meantime, should you need it, the Education Support Partnership is a free service for our members, active 24/7. They provide counselling, support, financial assistance and more.

    Phone: 08000 562 561

    Email: support@edsupport.org.uk

    Website: https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/helping-you/

  • Extraordinary General Meeting – USS/FourFights

    LUCU members are invited to attend an Extraordinary General Meeting to discuss the USS & Four Fights disputes on Friday 6th May at 1pm. The meeting will be held on Microsoft Teams. 

    The Four Fights sector conference has voted to: 

    •            call a marking and assessment boycott 

    •            call 10 days of strike action 

    •            keep the Four Fights and USS disputes, and action called in them, coupled

    We have been asked by the UCU Higher Education committee to consult our members ahead of a branch delegates meeting on the 10th May and the HEC meeting later that week. A key question for consideration is:  

    When does your branch believe would be the most effective start date for 10 days of strike action in your institution? 

    A. Monday 6 June (this is the earliest possible date) 

    B. Monday 13 June  

    C. Other (please give more information – operational issues may make it impossible to accede to specific requests)  

    The EGM offers members the opportunity to discuss how our branch can best manage the results of the HEC decisions and best manage the dispute at a local level.

    The results of the Four Fights sector conference are available, and we should receive the results of the USS sector conference before our EGM so both can be discussed at the meeting. 

    An agenda and minutes of our previous GM, a calendar invite and link to join have been emailed to all members.

    LUCU Committee