The committee has set up eight working groups to work on key areas for the union and the branch has an action group for actions supporting campaigns and disputes.

What are working groups and action group?

Working groups are set up by the branch committee as a way for members, including elected reps and committee members, to get involved in the detail of what we do as a union. They let us discuss issues in more detail than we can at either an all-members general meeting or at the branch committee meeting (which typically have agendas even more packed than the general meetings). Some working groups are made up of members of the committee, for others the committee asks other members or reps to get involved.

The union rules are that we all make decisions collectively at general meetings or ballots, and that normally only the full committee can make decisions in-between those all-member democratic processes, not a smaller working group. Members of the working groups, and action group, work on the detail and make recommendations to the committee, and work on actions that the committee has agreed.

Anti-casualisation

Membership: all department anti-casualisation reps (automatically) + all department postgraduate reps (automatically) + sometimes other members + members of committee

Convenor: branch anti-casualisation officer

To join this working group: have members in your department elected a UCU anti-casualisation rep or UCU postgraduate rep? Contact the branch office or the convenor if you would like more information about standing for one of those roles or joining this working group without having a UCU rep role.

Workloads

Membership: all department workload reps (automatically) + sometimes other members + members of committee

Convenor: currently (2020-21) branch honorary secretary but not specific to this role

To join this working group: have members in your department elected a UCU workloads rep? Contact the branch office or the convenor if you would like more information about standing as a department workloads rep or joining this working group without standing as a workloads rep.

Equality

Membership: members + members of the committee

Convenor: branch equality officer

To join this working group: contact the branch equality officer or the branch office.

Disability

Membership: members + members of the committee

Convenor: branch equality officer with committee lead on disabled members issues

To join this working group: contact the branch equality officer, the committee lead on disabled members issues or the branch office.

Climate and ecological emergency

Membership: members + members of the committee

Convenor: committee lead on climate and ecological emergency (role currently vacant so convened by a member of the working group)

To join this working group: contact the branch office.

University finances

Membership: members + members of the committee

Convenor: member of the committee

To join this working group: contact the branch office.

Organising

Membership: open to all members

Convenor: branch membership officer

To join this working group: contact the branch membership officer or the branch office.

Communications

Membership: members of the committee

Convenor: member of the committee

To join this working group: contact the branch office.

Action group

Membership: open to all members

Convenor: branch campaigns officer

To join action group, sign up for the action group email lists. To avoid fake sign-ups we’re not posting the email list sign-up details on this page – you can find them in the email signature of the branch administrator (Alan Smith) and some other branch officers, or contact the branch campaigns officer or the branch office.