About
The University and College Union (UCU) represents over 120,000 academics, lecturers, trainers, instructors, researchers, managers, administrators, computer staff, librarians, technicians, professional staff and postgraduates in universities, colleges, prisons, adult education and training organisations across the UK.
UCU structures
Structures and decision-making
UCU's supreme policy-making body of the union is its annual congress.
UCU's annual congress includes separate annual meetings of UCU's further and higher education sector conferences, where policy particular to these areas is decided. Special sector conferences may also be called where urgent policy needs to be decided. In addition UCU Scotland Congress and UCU Wales Congress meetings are also held to debate and decide devolved policy matters.
Member-led
Delegates attending our annual congress and sector conferences are mainly chosen by UCU branches. All members of UCU belong to a branch or local association, which is generally workplace-based. Branch members directly elect their own officers who negotiate and represent members locally, with support from full-time staff in regional offices throughout the UK.
Delegates to the union's congress are elected either directly or, in the case of smaller branches and workplaces, through aggregations according to size.
You can find information about your branch here.
Members also directly elect their representatives on UCU's national executive committee, from constituencies based on Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and ten English geographical areas.
Executive
Members of the national executive committee (NEC) of UCU, elected by UCU members include HE and FE members, some of whom are elected regionally, some on a UK-wide basis, plus equality seats and officers of the union. The NEC is responsible for conducting the union's business between Congress meetings. The executive comprises a number of sub-committees which cover specific areas of work:
higher education committee
further education committee
strategy and finance committee
education committee
recruiting, organising and campaigning committee
equality committee.
There are a number of equality standing committees and special employment interest groups which advise the NEC's work whose members are elected by annual delegate meetings:
academic-related, professional staff committee
anti-casualisation committee
climate and ecological emergency committee
black members' standing committee
disabled members' standing committee
LGBT members' standing committee
migrant members' standing committee
women members' standing committee
Plus there are also annual national meetings for:
land-based members
adult education members
prison education members.
National and regional links
UCU also has a number of regional and national committees to co-ordinate discussion and activity between branches, and, in the case of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, annual meetings held to decide specific national policy.
General secretary
The post of general secretary, the union's most senior official, is held by Jo Grady whose term of office runs to the end of May 2029.
Full details of all these arrangements can be found in the UCU rule book.
UCU publications
Searchable archive of UCU reports, publications and other resources.
Supreme Court Ruling Guidance for UCU BranchesSupreme Court Ruling Guidance for UCU Branches [132kb]
UCU Green Futures Newsletter - May 2025UCU Green Futures Newsletter - May 2025 [206kb]
UCU Green Futures Newsletter - February 2025UCU Green Futures Newsletter - February 2025 [151kb]
250508 Letter to Secretary of State for Education250508 Letter to Secretary of State for Education [79kb]
250430 UCU WMSC statement250430 UCU WMSC statement [96kb]
250430 UCU LGBTMSC statement250430 UCU LGBTMSC statement [114kb]
250325 Reparations Education Justice UCU LV250325 Reparations Education Justice UCU LV [1mb]
ucu-2025-rally-a5-flyerucu-2025-rally-a5-flyer [1mb]
ucu-2025-rally-a3-posterucu-2025-rally-a3-poster [4mb]
The state of Britain’s universities: a crisis unfolding in plain sight (2025)The state of Britain’s universities: a crisis unfolding in plain sight (2025) [2mb]
UCU MP briefing - Westminster Hall Debate_2.4.25_Impact of university finances on HE jobsUCU MP briefing - Westminster Hall Debate_2.4.25_Impact of university finances on HE jobs [109kb]
2501 UCU response to Justice Committee Inquiry - Tackling drugs in prisons2501 UCU response to Justice Committee Inquiry - Tackling drugs in prisons [118kb]
2025 UCU response to the FE and Skills Inquiry2025 UCU response to the FE and Skills Inquiry [390kb]
250318 UCU rally and parliamentary lobby map250318 UCU rally and parliamentary lobby map [584kb]
stop-the-cuts-A5-flyer-v2-2-up-printer-friendlystop-the-cuts-A5-flyer-v2-2-up-printer-friendly [3mb]
stop-the-cuts-A5-flyer-v1-2-up-printer-friendlystop-the-cuts-A5-flyer-v1-2-up-printer-friendly [3mb]
stop-the-cuts-placards-A3-v3-printer-friendlystop-the-cuts-placards-A3-v3-printer-friendly [1mb]
stop-the-cuts-placards-A3-v2-printer-friendlystop-the-cuts-placards-A3-v2-printer-friendly [1mb]
stop-the-cuts-placards-A3-v1-printer-friendlystop-the-cuts-placards-A3-v1-printer-friendly [1mb]
stop-the-cuts-A3-poster-v3-printer-friendlystop-the-cuts-A3-poster-v3-printer-friendly [1mb]
Working together
UCU works closely with other unions on matters of common concern, often jointly lobbying government and other bodies on employment and educational issues.
These include the National Education Union (NEU), the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) and UNISON.
In Scotland, UCU Scotland works closely with the other unions in education, including the Educational Institute of Scotland, the main union in school and further education.
Joint membership arrangements, giving membership of both UCU and the partner organisation at little or no extra cost, are available with:
BECTU
Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT, formerly BAOT)
British Orthodontic Society (BOS)
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP)
Musicians' Union
National Union of Journalists (NUJ)
Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
Royal College of Midwives (RCM)
Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists (SCP)
Society of Radiographers (SoR)
UCU is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), and sends delegates to its annual congress and to its women's and black members, disabled and LGBT conferences.
Log in to see our full list of affiliations.
UCU's international work
UCU is committed to the principle of academic freedom in the global context and the protection of trade union rights and human rights. As the largest post school union in the world we believe we have a responsibility to nurture these twin principles in our engagements with international organisations, governments and our solidarity with fellow trade unions.
UCU plays a central part in shaping policy and action on behalf of academic and academic-related staff in Education International (EI) and the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE), building on years of experience of working together on the international agenda by its predecessor unions.
We want to carry this work forward, and to build on the growing member interest in international issues, whether those which increasingly affect members' own work, or solidarity and human rights activities world-wide.
Contact Rob Copeland for further information.
Activist FAQs
Targeted at new activists: all you need to know about getting more active in your workplace.
If your question isn't answered, email us using the form here.
Q:How do I get more involved in UCU?
There are a number of ways to get involved in UCU work which will depend on what interests you, what your skills are and how much time you have available.
What are you interested in?
Start out by thinking about what interests you. What issues motivate you? It could be anything from equality issues, rights for fixed-term and part-time staff, bullying in your workplace or threats to jobs. You might want to help members with individual problems or want to strengthen the union by helping to recruit more people and find other new activists like yourself. It's also worth thinking about what particular skills or knowledge you have. Computer skills would come in handy for updating a local website or putting together a local activists' email list.
Get in touch with your branch
The best way to get involved is through your branch. A local committee will always welcome offers of help You can discuss with them what you might be interested in doing and they can let you know how you can become active. Besides becoming a workplace or department contact, you can also help in more informal ways. You could offer to recruit colleagues, maintain a noticeboard or help out with campaigning work. You might even just want to pass information on to the union. Whatever you decide to do, it all helps to strengthen your union.
Get involved at national level
There are many ways to get involved in UCU. We have several email discussion lists, including the activists email discussion list, for example, in which activists share knowledge, skills and experience as well as lists for health educators and for members delivering HE in FE colleges. You can find out about these lists here.
Get trained
Whatever it is you want to do, UCU has a training course that will help you do it. Have a look at the website to see what training is available. These courses are a great way to learn about what UCU does and how you can contribute. They are also good for meeting like-minded colleagues from other institutions.
Q:How do I get help if I want to be a rep?
You are never on your own as a rep. There are a number of ways to get help. UCU has produced detailed information and guidance for anyone who wants to be a rep and you can access this below.
Speak to someone on your local committee as they will know how your local union operates and will be able to give you information and support.
Speak to a current rep. There should be a list of reps - ask your branch secretary for one if you can't find it. If your branch doesn't hold rep meetings, suggest that one is organised. You could e-mail all reps yourself and see if anyone can meet up to discuss the role or any particular concerns you have.
One of the best ways of getting support when you become a rep is get a list of members in your area and contact them to see if anyone would be prepared to help you. Getting other people in your area active in some way helps to share the work and build the local union, making you more effective.
You can get information to help you in being a rep from the national website. This has a huge amount of information and guidance. Your best source of local information is your local collective agreement. Ask your branch secretary to direct you to a copy.
Your first and best step though is to register for a UCU training course. UCU training includes a course specifically designed for reps. Members always enjoy these courses and they are an opportunity to share experiences and gain confidence if you haven't been active in your union before.
Q:How do I get in touch with other activists?
If you want to contact activists in your workplace, the best place to start is your local representatives. Have a look at the local reps list. You could contact one or two reps in your area and arrange to meet them. It would be a good opportunity to share ideas and experiences. Some branches have meetings of reps and other activists. You could go along to these and make contact with other local activists that way. You can get a list of reps from your branch secretary.
You could also ask to meet one of your local committee. A branch committee member would be able to put you in touch with other committee members, reps and other activists.
If you are interested in a particular issue and want to talk about it with other activists there are several ways of going about this. You could sign up to the activists' email discussion list. This is a national discussion list where active UCU members can discuss anything they want and share advice and experience. The email list discussion list is a democratic space in which UCU members can raise questions, share experience and learn from others across the union.
Alternatively, UCU organises a number of other discussion lists for specific interest groups. You can find out about them by clicking here
Another good way to meet other activists is at UCU events or UCU national training courses.
Q:How do I get UCU materials?
UCU materials are a great way to raise the profile of the union in your workplace. The more the people see the union in their daily lives, the more likely it is that they will think of the union as being something real and relevant to them.
UCU produces a wide range of materials including application forms, generic 'Join UCU' posters and blank posters on which you can add your own messages. We also stock UCU mugs, mousemats, bags, pens, notepads and badges. All of these are designed to fit into the workplace and project the union into the daily lives of your colleagues.
It's easy to use UCU materials to support recruiting activity:
ensure that there is a 'Join UCU' poster on your door or nearby.
make sure you've always got a good supply of application forms
remember to use a UCU mug and put some more in your staff kitchen area
wear a UCU badge
make sure you've got a supply of mousemats and pens in your office to give to your colleagues.
All of this can help to make the union more visible and makes it more likely that when you talk to your colleagues about joining, they will know that UCU is the union in their workplace.
Ordering UCU materials is simple:
Step 1: look at a list of what's available, including images of our what's available here
Step 2: order these materials from UCU HQ by emailing Martin Whelton and listing what you want and to what postal address you would like it sent. We will then get these to you as fast as possible.
If you don't see what you want here, tell us what it is you want. Email us at campaigns@ucu.org.uk
Q:How do I raise an issue in my union?
How can I make myself heard?
How you raise your issue depends on what kind of an issue it is. If you have a problem in your immediate workspace - a bullying manager or a health and safety issue for example - the most appropriate place to raise it is among the members in your immediate area and with your local rep. Issues are usually best addressed and resolved collectively - you will always be listened to more closely if you speak as part of a a group rather than as an individual. Talk to your colleagues, try to get agreement about the problem and then take it to your rep. If you don't have a rep, take it to your branch. But it's always better to have a workplace rep, so think about whether someone from your group might want to take on this role. Maybe you? Or maybe think about job sharing the role of workplace or department rep?
If you think the issue has wider ramifications, you could raise it in your branch. Again, this works far better if it is done by a group. Contact the branch secretary, chair or president and ask them to come and meet your group. Maybe ask to speak at the next branch meeting. Make sure at least one person attends the meeting and better still, try to go as a group. If no one can make it, send a report signed by everyone in your group.
Winning support
If you are trying to win support for your cause, try to think about how to generalise it so that it appeals to as many people as possible. There are always many things that call for the union's attention so give some thought to why people should care about the issue you are raising. Not everyone will know about your specific workplace but they will relate to issues of unfairness and inequality, danger in the workplace or bullying.
It may be that you want to take your issue further and make union policy on it. You can turn your issue into a motion to your local branch or to the union's national Congress. Again, think about why it's important. Why should people care? But also think about what you want the union to do about it. Is it realistic? What real change would make a difference?
Get advice on being a rep
Find your branch officers
See how the union is organised and how to raise your issue democratically [105kb]Opens new window
Q:How do I recruit my colleagues?
Recruitment is vital to creating a strong and active branch. The more people are in the union, the stronger we will be, at every level. There are lots of ways of recruiting colleagues. For example, your branch may email them with the union's successes or include union materials in new starters' welcome packs. But the surest way to recruit colleagues and encourage them to play a full part in the union is to talk to them.
Think about who to approach
It's usually best to start with your immediate colleagues, the people you are likely to know best. Draw up a list of who works where to help you plan. If you can get a list of current members, compare it to a list of all staff in your department and think about who to approach first. If you can't get a list of members, just ask the person you approach if they are in the union. People usually aren't offended!
Plan
Once you have worked out who you will approach, do a little preparation. Think about what categories of staff they are and what is likely to concern them. What might they be likely to ask you about? If you don't know the answer to a question they ask you. It is fine to say that you will find out and get back to them. This means you will be able to meet them again and follow up on your first approach. People often ask what the union has done: check with your local branch and on the national website for information on recent successes.
Take along union material
Besides a UCU application form make sure you take examples of local and national materials. You could take, a local newsletter, a UC magazine or information on recent campaigns. You can get copies of UCU application forms and other materials from the website or from your local branch.
Listen
While it's important to talk about our successes, it's also important to be able to explain why the union is relevant to our colleagues. This means listening to what they say. As a rule of thumb, you should ensure that you only talk for 20% of the time and listen for 80% of the time. If they are initially negative towards the union resist the temptation to argue. Acknowledge their points and move the conversation on. After each meeting, make a few short notes as this is an ongoing process and it is useful to know what worked and what didn't.
See the advice here on planning and conducting recruitment
If you are confident about recruiting your colleagues, approach your local branch and offer to become a department rep or be part of an organising sub group for the branch
UCU provides training on recruitment and organising techniques, have a look at the courses available in your area
Q:How do I find out what's happening in my local branch?
Your first port of call to find out about your local branch would usually be your local rep. If you have a workplace rep, ask them about what the local union is doing.
It's possible that you may not have a rep or can't contact them. If this is the case, contact your local committee. You can use the national website to get contact details for your committee. They will always be interested to hear from you.
Also, check what forms of communication your local association/branch uses. Are there notices on the noticeboards? Does your branch produce a newsletter?
If you would like to see how your committee works, you could ask to attend a committee meeting as an observer. Ask your branch secretary about this.
Find out when the next general meeting is being held and go along to it. Turn up early and see if any committee members are around that you could talk to – or e-mail them beforehand and arrange to meet. One of them might have time after the meeting to update you on branch activity.
If you felt it was quite difficult to find out what your local branch is doing then you might want to offer to help raise your union's profile. Get help with this here
Find out who to contact in your branch
To build the union in your workplace and in your branch, you can download guidance here:
Rebuilding a branch: A checklist for action [36kb]Opens new window
Branch health check exercise [157kb]Opens new window
Q:How do I find out what issues are affecting members in my workplace?
One-to-one contact
The simplest way to find out what issues are affecting a member is through one-to-one contact: ask them. Think about when you spend time chatting informally to your colleagues in your workplace. It's a good idea to have some sense of which issues you think may be important but also remain open to what else they may suggest. For that reason, it's important to listen. As a rule of thumb, you should ensure that you only talk for 20% of the time and listen for 80% of the time. Make sure that you use open questions that begin with how, why or what, rather than closed questions. A closed question only allows the respondent to give a yes or no answer. An open one will give you much more information.
Meet and talk to others
Organise small department or workplace meetings to ask members what issues they have. They don't have to be formal. You could simply meet in a common area over tea and coffee. You can also hold more general meetings that are open to potential members as well as members. This is a good way to recruit new members.
Conduct a survey
If you want to find out about issues on a wider scale than your immediate area of work, you could conduct a survey. You can do this electronically or on paper. You can include questions that will give you more information such as what sort of jobs members do, which building/department they work in, their age/gender, or anything else that might be useful in building a picture of the people you work with and their issues. You could ask others to help you carry out the survey. This will share the workload and give you a chance to get to know other UCU members a bit better. You can also use the survey as a recruitment tool if you circulate it amongst potential members as well as members.
Who else is a member?
Do you have a membership list? If so you can analyse this to see where new members may have joined. This may indicate an issue in a particular area. Phone one of the newer members and organise to go and have a coffee with them to have an informal chat about their department.
Download advice on organising meetings [85kb]Opens new window
Download advice on running formal meetings [83kb]Opens new window
Attend one of our UCU training courses, these will explore in more detail all the methods mentioned here and more.
Q:How do I make UCU more visible in my workplace?
UCU materials
UCU produces a wide range of materials including application forms, generic 'Join UCU' posters and blank posters for you to put your own messages. We also stock UCU mugs, mousemats, bags, pens, notepads and badges. All of these are designed to fit into the workplace and project the union into the daily lives of your colleagues. Ensure that there is a 'Join UCU' poster on your door or nearby. Make sure you've always got a good supply of application forms. Remember to use a UCU mug and put some more in your staff kitchen area. Wear a UCU badge and make sure you've got a supply of mousemats and pens in your office to give to your colleagues. UCU materials are a great way to raise the profile of the union in your workplace. The more the people see the union in their daily lives, the more likely it is that they will think of the union as being something real and relevant to them.
Noticeboards
Think about your immediate work area. If it has noticeboards, enquire about accessing them to put up UCU materials. If you don't have noticeboards, get in touch with your branch/local association and ask them to approach management to get an agreement on their provision and use.
Newsletters
Does your branch/local association send out regular newsletters? If so print some off and put them out in staff tea rooms etc, If your branch doesn't currently have a local newsletter why not volunteer to co-ordinate a regular newsletter?
Recruit your colleagues
Talk to others in your department and if they're not in the union ask them to join. The more UCU members we have in each department the stronger and more visible we will become.
View and order UCU merchandise
Contact your branch
Find out more on recruiting
Q:How do I get a good turnout for a meeting?
Plan
The key to a good meeting is planning. The better you plan, the more likely you are to attract people to a meeting. Find an appropriate venue and book it in good time. Make sure the venue is accessible to everyone and in a place that will be familiar to most staff. Make sure you advertise the meeting time and stick to it. Most of our members are very busy and don't like long meetings, so give it a clear start time and a finish time and try not to go over time.
Speakers
A good way to ensure attendance is to have a guest speaker who can motivate attendees. Think about the important issues and try to find a speaker who can talk on this subject. Make sure your speaker knows when they are supposed to speak, how long to speak for and ensure that they stick to time. You don't want people leaving before your business is conducted.
Advertise
Make sure you advertise the meeting using posters, flyers and emails. If the meeting is open to potential members, ask members to bring along someone in their department who is not currently in the union.
Remind
It's a good idea to send regular reminders to all members, either via email or by printing out a small flyer and distributing it around the workplace. If you send out information for the meeting one month beforehand, you can send reminders each week until the week of the meeting. Also send out reminders on the day before the meeting.
Ask
Contact members that you know are reliable and ask them to encourage one or two other people in their department to come along to the meeting, they could offer to leave the department and attend the meeting together.
Download advice on organising meetings [85kb]Opens new window
Download advice on running formal meetings [83kb]Opens new window
View and order UCU's branch materials
Q:How do I learn more about being on the committee?
Most UCU branches/local associations have a committee that meets regularly, so make enquiries about your local committee and find out when they meet. Your branch or local association may have its own website with this information.Alternatively you can find out local contact details on the UCU website.
The best way of finding out about the work of a committee is to go along to one of their meetings as an observer. Some people feel intimidated by the idea of getting involved with the work of the committee. But committees are made up from people just like you. If you are unsure, there are lots of ways in which you can support your local committee without joining it immediately. If you have a particular area of interest such as fixed-term contract or part-time issues, equality or health and safety, for example, you could offer to be a liaison or contact for the committee. This is a good way to help your committee, by making sure they get information and reports on a regular basis.
UCU training courses also provide you with an opportunity to learn more about committee work and what it involves. UCU training courses are held in a variety of regions,click here to see which course would best suit your needs.
If you're new to committee work, there is also lots of advice to help you with building your local branch here:
§Building the branch committee [56kb]Opens new window
§Rebuilding a branch/LA checklist [36kb]Opens new window
§Building a strong and active branch [47kb]Opens new window
Q:How do I make sure new staff know about UCU?
Inductions
In many colleges and universities, new staff joining the institution are invited to a formal induction event. If your institution carries out regular induction events, you could offer to go along and talk to new staff about UCU. You can take UCU materials with you to hand out. Another good idea is to take an attendance form with you to get contact details. With these, you can follow up new staff and encourage them to join.
New staff information packs
Another good way of ensuring that new members of staff know about UCU is to ask management to include union materials and an application form in with new staff information packs. Some managements send your local branch or association information on new starters. You could offer to send out a welcome letter to the new starters inviting them to join UCU.
One-to-one
if you receive information about new starters in your area or department, or if you just spot someone who is new, approach them and offer to have a coffee and a chat about what it's like where you work. When you talk to them, tell them about UCU's work at your institution and encourage them to join.
Make UCU visible
Do you have a UCU poster or application form holder on your door or in your workspace? Making UCU more visible in your workplace will ensure that everyone knows who we are and the work that we do.To find out about and order promotional tools, click here.
§UCU draft invitation to join letter - general [148kb]Opens new window
§UCU: sample induction presentation [153kb]Opens new window
§Find much more information on the recruitment and organising page
Q:How do I generate wider interest in our issues?
Getting support
Whenever we're campaigning we need to be sure that we have the support of our members. This means making our issue appeal to as many people as possible.
The same applies to winning wider support. There are lots of potential allies out there but who we approach will depend on what the issue is.
Other campus unions and students' unions are a good source of local support. Find out who the other unions' officers are and try to meet them. If you can get their support, get them to sign up to a joint statement. This helps to convey that you and not your managers speak for the college or university community as a whole.
Some local trades councils are active campaigning bodies and can offer excellent support to help widen your campaign.
The press and local politicians can be powerful allies. Many local papers have very large circulations while MPs and councillors depend on your votes. Try to establish relationships with the local press and your local MP or local councillors. Keep sending them information about local campaigns to ensure that they know what is happening and how they can help. You can be sure the other side will probably do the same so at the very least this will give you the opportunity to put your side of the story. At best, it's a great way to increase the pressure on your employers and increase their sense of isolation.
Whoever it is you approach, think about how you will articulate your message to win their help. In your messages, try to answer the following questions: Why would your issue affect students at the college or university? If you are approaching an MP, why should they care? Why would the local paper run a story on job cuts at a college or university? How will it affect the local community or local economy?
If this is an area of interest to you, think about offering to help the committee with campaigning work.
§UCU has produced a campaigning toolkit that contains lots of advice on generating wider interest in your issues and your campaigns. In particular see:
§finding allies [158kb]Opens new window
§winning support [173kb]Opens new window
You can see the whole toolkit here
§to locate your local MP, click hereOpens new window
§for advice on lobbying MPs, click here
§for advice on dealing with the press, click here
§to find and register for organising and campaigning training courses, click here
Q:How do I get support with running a campaign?
UCU campaigns nationally on a range of broader issues, from pay to casualisation and equality. But every day, UCU branches campaign at local level on issues raised by members: campaigning against job cuts; campaigning to improve recruitment; campaigning to win changes to a policy at our college or university. Campaigning branches recognise that campaigning is necessary because we won't win by force of argument alone. We need to get members active and interested and we need to orient and direct their efforts toward achieving an objective. This is the essence of campaigning.
'Running a campaign' can sound quite daunting, but in reality, the skills we use are the same ones that we use in many other areas of life. The keys to campaigning are:
1.identifying a good campaigning issue - we have to know that people care, or be able to persuade them that they should care in order to win the support of our members. If we don't do this, we won't run a good campaign
2.knowing what we want to achieve and how we will try to get there - if we know what we want to achieve and can tell other people how we can get there with their help, it will be easier to win support for our campaign. Making the campaign realistic and winnable will ensure that our members will be more likely to support us.
3.knowing who will get us there and who will try to stop us - if we understand who will try to stop us achieving our objectives and who can help us, we can plan our tactics better and try to win broader support for our cause.
UCU has produced a detailed campaigning toolkitthat will help you to plan and run campaigns of any size or type.
See what UCU materials are available to assist your campaigning
In addition, you can get advice and support from UCU's national campaigns team or your regional offices. Contact UCU's head of campaigns,Ed Baileyorfind your regional officers here.
Q:How do I persuade people to get more involved?
Active members are the heart of any union. The more people we can count on to do something, however small, for the union, the more powerful we are. This power will ensure that management will have to listen to what we say.
Finding out who cares
Your best bet in getting people more active is always to start with the people who care most deeply about an issue. There a lots of ways of finding out who cares: It may be that there is a specific issue in your workplace. Look out for those who speak up about it at a meeting. Be proactive: ask about issues when talking to colleagues or recruiting people. Use surveys to find out what the big issues are. Keep a record of everything you find out as it's really useful information and you will use it again and again.
Asking people to get involved
Use emails or letters. This works better if you target them using any information you've gathered beforehand.
Use personal approaches. You can apply many of the techniques for one-to-one recruiting to approaching people to get more active. Focus on the message that the union is the place where people can take action to address their concerns and effect change.
This also means listening to what they say and being responsive. It may be that the person you are talking to doesn't want to or can't come to meetings and doesn't want to be rep. Think instead about what they CAN do. Ask them if they can put up a poster, distribute newsletters, help with the website or pass us information? All of this helps us to grow stronger.
Keeping in touch
Remember to keep in contact with people to see how they're getting on. Getting someone to do one thing for their union is rarely the end of the story. It's often the case that people who do one thing for the union gain the confidence to do something else and that first, small task becomes the first step on the road to them becoming a union activist.
For committee officers, there is also lots of advice to help you with building your local branch here:
Building the branch committee [56kb]Opens new window
Rebuilding a branch/LA checklist [36kb]Opens new window
Building a strong and active branch [47kb]Opens new window
Q:My question isn't answered, how do I ask it?
f your question isn't answered in the activist FAQs, use the form below to ask the UCU campaigns team.
About Zhengxianling - China's First Pan - International Talent Recruitment Platform
Zhengxianling is developed and operated by Shanghai Yuntong Information Technology Co., Ltd. The company mainly provides international services such as talent job - hunting and recruitment, recruitment and introduction of high - level talents/scientific and technological innovation talents [including Nobel laureates, academician workstations, Overseas Excellent Young Scientists, QM/HJ programs, online and offline job fairs, campus recruitment, social recruitment, online recruitment, headhunting, etc.], academic exchanges, and software development. In due course, we will launch AI - enabled language platforms and APPs in English, Korean, Japanese, French, German, etc. to meet the needs of global users. Up to now, the company has established communication channels with national ministries and commissions such as the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Ministry of Science and Technology, talent offices of the Organization Departments of some provincial and municipal Party committees, departments of human resources and social security, industry and information technology, science and technology, trade unions, chambers of commerce, academic societies, associations, 985 and 211 universities in major regions across the country, some corporate HR departments, the International Academy of Sciences Consortium, the World Digital Trade Alliance (WDTA) under the United Nations Science and Technology Commission, and some international institutions and QS World University Top 100 universities (MIT, University of Oxford, University of Melbourne...) in countries such as Russia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, and Canada.
The service items are as follows:
A. Recruitment and introduction of international high - level/scientific and technological innovation talents (doctors, post - doctors, academicians) (through online and offline job fairs, campus recruitment, social recruitment, online recruitment, headhunting, etc.), overseas enterprise study tours, academic exchanges, and software development.
B. Operation of Zhengxianling® (the talent types on the platform and official WeChat account are not limited).
Service - supported Regions
China, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Italy, the United States, Canada, etc. (covering more than 100 countries and regions).
Main Service Content
Online and offline special high - level talent recruitment fairs for cities, parks, and employers; scientific and technological innovation talent - introduction activities [project solicitation, screening, roadshows... implementation, etc.]; investment promotion; academic exchange conferences; online job - hunting and recruitment; and offline services are available in the above - mentioned designated countries.
In 2024, we joined the Hubei Chushang Federation in China and the World Federation of Inventors' Associations (IFIA). We have established the grand goal of building Zhengxianling into China's first pan - international talent recruitment platform (AI - enabled language platforms and APPs in English, Korean, Japanese, French, German, etc. will be launched in due course. The International HRD (HR) Alliance is being launched simultaneously), and serving billions of users in more than 200 countries around the world in the future. As of December 31, 2024, we have received a reply from the President of the WDTA of the United Nations Science and Technology Commission, welcoming Yuntong Technology and Zhengxianling to join the WDTA of the United Nations Science and Technology Commission in 2025. From 2025, we will cooperate with the International Academy of Sciences Consortium and may participate in activities such as the FCPAE European Forum to promote international talent exchanges and cooperation, thus promoting scientific and technological innovation, driving employment, and contributing to global economic construction and promoting friendly cross - border cooperation to create a better future. This will enable us to better serve users from all over the world.
The Chinese full - name of IFIA is the World Federation of Inventors' Associations. Its headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland, and San Francisco, the United States. In February 2024, after being reviewed and approved by the 47th Global Executive Committee of IFIA, Shanghai Yuntong Information Technology Co., Ltd. [Zhengxianling] joined the organization. For details, please refer to the official IFIA website announcement:
https://www.ifia.com/ifia-47th-executive-committee-meeting-held-on-feb-2024/
The recruitment platform under our company will officially launch paid services on February 1, 2025. For details, please refer to:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/YmOxE1snwAAvskZgwm5RxA
Currently, we are organizing online and offline special high - level talent recruitment fairs for international organizations. For details of the activities, please refer to the official WeChat account of Zhengxianling®'s International High - level Talent Recruitment Activity Schedule:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/UGfNhxHRoIs1KZF7Thsfxg
Zhengxianling® is constantly recruiting a large number of overseas high - level and innovative talents globally. For details, please refer to the official WeChat account introduction:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/8YaCD8xaXiDeC93a1foUKQ
For the invitation letter to establish and launch the International HRD (HR) Alliance, please refer to the official WeChat account introduction:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/fdg6QB82KAJCeTi0VZVZKQ
We welcome HRs of employers from all over the world, leaders of universities and scientific research institutions, academic leaders, and talents such as young doctors, post - doctors, and academicians to contact us or register to join our platform. The talents we recruit will be preferentially recommended to work in domestic or global universities, scientific research institutions, and other units.
At the same time, we are constantly soliciting scientific and technological innovation projects from various industries globally, as well as high - level talents who meet the requirements such as Overseas Excellent Young Scientists and QM/HJ programs, and directly recommending them to various provinces and cities in China. Those who are interested are welcome to apply. Please scan the QR code below to contact us or send your resume and other materials to hr@zhengxianling.com!
Search and follow the official WeChat account: Zhengxianling to get more information.
