This Branch Notes: 

• That while VER has raised concerns regarding redundancies among senior members of staff, redundancies have persisted amongst early career researchers, most notably teaching and research fellows. 

• The University’s current policy of someone on a fixed term contract being put on an “ongoing”/permanent contract after a third year of employment has been offered. Yet, Faculties have continued to find ways around this agreement by making these staff redundant and hiring new, fixed term staff the next year, or utilising postgraduate researchers to “keep costs down”. 

• That no trade union can be successful in its aims if it does not prioritise its most vulnerable and precarious members. Yet, little progress has been made on issue relating to precarious, junior or minoritised staff within this branch, or nationally. This exacerbates employment issues such as the one noted above; it encourages the turn within the sector towards precarious contracts and excessive workloads. 

This branch resolves to: 

• Refocus on redundancies at large, including a significant focus on redundancies of ECRs. This branch should not be running any campaign which does not prioritise its most vulnerable and precarious members. 

• To pressure the University, including with potential walk-outs or strike action, if it does not comply with the spirit of previously held agreements on precarious to ongoing contracts, and make substantial changes to its redundancy policies. This includes not being able to hire new precarious staff if they are not equipped to keep current ongoing staff. 

(242 words) Proposed by Anne Caldwell. Moved by Anne Caldwell, seconded by Sinéad D’Silva. The motion was carried unanimously at the extraordinary general meeting 21 January 2026.