Loughborough UCU

Tag: Events

Events

  • Challenging the Far Right: Rebuilding Solidarity Training

    Challenging the Far Right: Rebuilding Solidarity – 25, 26, June 2026, In Person, Quorn Loughborough, National residential course

    Rebuilding Solidarity is a new course for UCU Reps and activists which will help participants to address and challenge far right narratives with knowledge and confidence, both in the workplace and wider community settings. Rebuilding Solidarity is being delivered in partnership with the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) and will include a wide range of contributors including academics and activists.

    Please note: Applications for this course will close at 12 noon on Monday, 15, June, 2026. This is to allow all logistic, accommodation, adjustments and requirements to take place in good time. Application post the cut off date risk not being considered.

    Course content:

    Participants will be able to:

    • understand who is being drawn to the far right, what their key concerns are, where opportunities for relationship-building lay and solidarity exist. The course will use analysis and modelling undertaken around and since the 13 September 2025 ‘Unite the Kingdom’ demonstration in London and more recently, including the upcoming local and devolved authority elections
    • be able to identify the importance of a multi-layered approach to tackling divisive ideas, including the role of dialogue, education and community organising
    • know and describe the real causes of insecure work and housing, following an interactive session with an economist from SOAS University of London on the economic foundations of insecurity in Britain and how false narratives distract from structural causes of inequality
    • be able to challenge a range of myths related to migration, including identifying the key role these falsehoods play in dividing our communities and how social media works to maximise this
    • build skills and confidence in reframing these issues to promote solidarity, through dialogue and conversations in work and in communities
    • identify the specific role and function trade unions can play in providing alternative explanations for social and economic failings and offering a more hopeful future build on unity

    Rebuilding Solidarity is being delivered in partnership with the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) and will include a wide range of contributors including academics and activists.

    This course is not a lecture and will require some participation from all attendees.

    More info and to register: https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13777/Challenging-the-Far-Right-Rebuilding-Solidarity—25-26-June-2026-In-Person-Quorn-Loughborough-National-residential-course

  • 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.

  • 2025 UCU Equality Groups Conferences

    The six UCU equality groups will each have a one-day hybrid conference this year. The broad conference theme will be ‘Organising against division: building inclusive workplaces, resisting reactionary politics‘.

    To register (deadline 31 Oct) please use this link, which will take you to the main equality groups conference page.

    The days of the conferences are (all from 11:00-16:00):

    The in-person venue will be UCU head office, and the online platform will be Zoom. Those joining remotely will be able to participate fully in the conference, including voting on motions and attending workshops. When registering for the event, you can select if you will attend either in-person or remotely. UCU normally reimburses the travel expenses of delegates attending in person following the conference.

    For more information, contact LUCU Equality Officer Angela Dy.

    *UCU uses the term ‘Black’ in a political sense to refer to people who are descended, through one or both parents, from Africa, the Caribbean, Asia (the middle-East to China) and Latin America. It refers to those from a visible minority who have a shared experience of oppression. The word is used to foster a sense of solidarity and empowerment.

  • Staff Summer Picnic

    Join your LUCU colleagues to celebrate the end of the academic year at the Staff Summer Picnic

    The University and Staff Trade Unions are jointly hosting a Staff Summer Picnic on 1st July from 12-2pm at the EHB Pavilion on the Loughborough campus. This will be a special event to celebrate your achievements and take some time to relax and unwind.

    Organised in partnership with Unite, Unison and the University, colleagues can look forward to music and garden games like Jenga, cornhole, hoopla and more, plus the chance to meet with Staff Networks, Trade Unions, University Senior Leaders and teams from across the University. 

    And if you’re one of the first 150 guests to arrive, you’ll receive a free hot dog (vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free options will be available)!

    This is a great opportunity to meet new faces, find out what’s happening across the University, and recognise each other’s hard work throughout the 2024-25 academic year in a relaxed and informal setting. 

    There’s no need to book – just come along, bring a friend or a teammate, and enjoy the afternoon.

    Vice-Chancellor Professor Nick Jennings and UNISON Branch Secretary Irvin Hendrickson commented: “We’re really proud this event is hosted in partnership between the University and our recognised Trade Unions. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to continue building a positive, inclusive and respectful working culture for all staff, and we’re looking forward to celebrating our progress with staff from across the University on the day.”

    We hope to see you (and some sunshine!) there.

  • Contextualising the Conflict: A Brief History of the Middle East

    Loughborough University UCU will be hosting an open meeting on 8th July (12:30 – 13:30) focussed on contextualising the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

    In his talk entitled “Contextualising the Conflict: A Brief History of the Middle East”, Ali Bilgic, Professor in International Relations and Middle East Politics at Loughborough University, presents a potted history of the Middle East to help attendees contextualise the horrors we have witnessed for many years, but in particular since the 7th of October 2023.

    The session is open to all staff and students and will include a Q&A and discussion. Please feel free to share this invitation within the Loughborough University community.

    When: 8th July, 12:30 – 13:30

    Where: Schofield 0.01 and on Teams: Join the meeting now

  • 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/

  • Open Meeting with Jeevun Sandher, MP for Loughborough

    When: May 9th, 1-2pm.
    Where: U005 (Brockington Extension) & Online via MS Teams.

    Loughborough UCU will be hosting an open meeting with the MP for Loughborough, Shepshed, and the Villages, Dr. Jeevun Sandher, on May 9th from 1-2pm in U005 (Brockington Extension).

    The event will focus on “The Future of Higher Education Policy in the UK”. Dr. Sandher will speak for a few minutes on the topic, before we then open up the discussion to questions from the audience.

    Prior to his election to Parliament last year, Dr. Sandher previously worked as an economist researching inequality and poverty at King’s College London, and he has also served as a UCU trade union rep.

    As this is an open meeting, please do forward this invitation along to any colleagues you think may be interested in attending.

    Note that while online attendance will be possible, we would encourage in-person attendance where possible – and there should also be time to ask questions to Dr. Sandher informally before and after the event.   

    Please click here to download an appointment for your calendar or, if joining online, use this link to join the meeting via Teams: Join online

  • Spread the resistance to the job losses in Higher Education

    The Grassroots Counter-Playbook: How to Fight the Employers’ Offensive

    Thursday 20th March at 12:30pm on Zoom.

    With 1000 jobs losses a month and unprecedented crisis in higher education in the UK, a growing number of branches are resisting.

    Newcastle, Brunel and Dundee Universities are taking industrial action. Other branches such as Durham, Sheffield, Cardiff have balloted for industrial action.

    The employers have a playbook to push through the cuts, we need a counter-playbook.

    Come to the meeting to hear how you can support branches taking industrial action and the lessons of moving into action.

    They cannot win on their own, we need to get the crisis of our universities onto the government’s agenda.

    Link to join the Zoom meeting: https://newcastleuniversity.zoom.us/j/81485600063

    Meeting ID: 814 8560 0063
    Passcode: 322405

    Please also sign the open letter, here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTY20tsLYA7JVe6X354VD_e8oS4FGHmm6DEyBBPYj8i6aOO7S5_vyzqpxle8nWYaShxT0NMQ3yU5vfw/pub

  • 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.

  • 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