University and College Union Staff Say It Is a ‘Toxic Workplace’ as They Consider Third Round of Strikes

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Staff working for the University and Colleges Union say it is a “toxic” workplace where junior staff are subjected to “managerial bullying and intimidation” with workplace racism as its “worst expression”. 

The staff, represented by Unite, are balloting for a third round of strike action over the claims. 

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) sanctioned UCU in 2023 for “failing to meet statutory duties to prevent stress at work” with the regulator warning of a high number of work-related stress days taken by staff.

Since then, a UCU source says work-related stress has exploded from “around 300 days lost in 2023” – the time of that HSE sanction – to “around 800 days lost” in 2024. The UCU union has not denied the claim. 

Around half of the 20 Unite committee representatives are now “on disciplinary procedures or under threat” of job losses, according to the source, who declined to be named.

UCU staff have taken six weeks of strike action over March, April and May this year – and more industrial action looms if the dispute is not resolved.

A third strike ballot went out this week, and workers are understood to be preparing for further potential industrial action in September.

As the UCU source told Byline Times: “Happy workers don’t vote for strike action…happy workers then don’t do it three times.”

Byline Times has also seen what appear to be ‘gagging clauses’, used when staff leave the organisation amid disputes over alleged bullying. 

The dispute occurs during an “existential crisis” in the higher education sector amid funding cuts and reduced foreign student numbers.

There are multiple disputes taking place within trade unions, including with the National Education Union. 

The UCU dispute represents a significant breakdown in industrial relations within another of the UK’s major education unions, and by far the largest in higher education. 

A spokesperson for the UCU said the decision by the Unite UCU branch to pursue another strike ballot is “deeply disappointing, particularly given the extensive efforts made to engage in good faith and make meaningful progress on all points of the dispute”.

The spokesperson added: “The fact that the overwhelming majority of UCU staff did not support the most recent industrial action underscores just how contested and unrepresentative this course of action is.

“We acknowledge the rise in stress-related absences and are actively working to understand and address the causes. However, continued escalation by the branch leadership does little to support staff wellbeing and serves only to deepen division.”

The spokesperson said “confidentiality clauses” are “occasionally negotiated as part of a settlement agreement when staff leave UCU”.

“They are never imposed and are only agreed with the full consent of the individuals involved. In the majority of cases, such agreements have been reached by members advised by Unite representatives negotiating on behalf of departing staff, and we ensure that independent legal advice at UCU’s cost is provided and is taken on behalf of departing staff. These arrangements are mutually beneficial and standard practice in employment relations.”

The UCU, the spokesperson said, “categorically rejects the claim that there is a culture of bullying or racism within UCU”, adding that “allegations of this nature are taken extremely seriously and are dealt with through appropriate, independent processes.”

“To suggest otherwise undermines the integrity of those processes.

“We ask all involved to engage constructively. In the meantime, we remain fully focused on the urgent task of defending our members in the face of an unprecedented crisis across post-16 education.”

Unite declined to comment until after the ballot result.

Additional reporting by Olly Haynes.