iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Morning all. I am on Radio 4 Today programme at 0750 talking about the crisis facing higher education and the action our members are taking to defend it.

1123

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

We will not stand by as this happens. The Spectator targeted Professor Jason Arday. Now they are repeating the same playbook with another Black academic leader. We are hearing from so many Black UCU members who work in fear. Fear that they will be next. We cannot and will not tolerate this.

Spectator online news story, carrying headline ‘Simon Woolley is not fit to lead a Cambridge college. Written by Andrew Gilligan. The article accompanies a photo of Simon Woolley receiving a knighthood.

2299

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 23/08/2026

📰 Today’s Sunday Times exposes just a fraction of the attacks on jobs in Universities. We know the true picture across the UK is even worse. With record student sign ups this situation is completely untenable. The government must intervene.

This table describes the level of job losses in several universities across the UK.

44442

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 16/08/2026

We would encourage all UCU members in London to attend the vigil for Jason Arday which will take place on Monday in Trafalgar Square at 6pm. Bring your love and solidarity.

09540

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I want to pay tribute to the firefighters in Stourbridge and across the UK who are bravely tacking dangerous fires. Given the impact of climate change their role has never been more important. We need investment in fire services not cuts. Solidarity to the FBU.

13614

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 06/08/2026

The EHRC Code of Practice comes into force this week. This is an attack on trans+ people. It is guidance, not law. It does not remove rights or make harassment legal. UCU stands in solidarity with the trans+ community. Join the lobby for trans equality, 9 September with Trans+ Solidarity Alliance

The EHRC guidance and Code of Practice comes into force this week. This is an attack on trans+ people.
These changes will make trans+ people's lives harder.
They will not make women safer.

As a result of this we are likely to see greater exclusion from everyday spaces, increased scrutiny and harassment, and institutions rushing through damaging policy changes.
Let's be clear, it does not:
• Permit harassment or discrimination.
• Remove anyone's legal protections.
• Justify rushed, intrusive policy changes.

What you can do:
• Look out for each other, solidarity is practical, not just a post.
• Report harassment, it is still illegal and your union will back you.
• Push your institution to protect every student and member of staff.
• Join us in Parliment for a mass rally on September

Violence against women is real, and it is serious. It is also being used to justify this attack on trans people.
This guidance will not prevent it.
The dangers women face do not come from trans people sharing a bathroom.
UCU sends solidarity to the trans+ community. We will keep fighting for trans+ inclusion, and against the misuse of the EHRC Code of Practice.

311757

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

UCU are not affiliated to the Labour Party (and therefore does not attend women’s conference) but if we were then we would be supporting this stance by our brilliant sister unions. Solidarity to them and the whole trans and non binary community.

EXCLUSIVE: Powerful Labour unions will boycott the party's women's conference this year in protest at the ban on trans women.

Unison, Aslef, Usdaw and the Musicians Union will not attend Labour Women's Conference in September over the exclusion of trans women from formal business at the event.

The unions are among Labour's largest financial backers and say the all-women event in Liverpool breaches their policies on trans inclusion.

322368

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 15/07/2026

"Humanities are being extinguished by university bosses across the country. We desperately need an emergency rescue package to stop the death-rattle of Britain's great universities." @drjogrady.bsky.social in the Guardian 👇 www.theguardian.com/education/20...

theguardian.com

Humanities among degrees being ‘extinguished’ by hard-up universities

Exclusive: Experts fear rise in education ‘cold spots’ and social immobility as 4,000 academic posts lost in one year

02322

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

For decades UCU has called for a balanced and funded education system. This is why we welcome Burnham’s announcement today. It must be matched by real investment - including in staff wages. And we cannot allow working class children who aspire to breakdown class barriers to be left behind either.

092

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

This is Farage openly attempting to remove all standards and fair questioning of those holding public office in the UK, and he is willing to abuse and manipulate the people of Clacton to do this. He is right. Britain is broken and it’s because of people like him.

0183

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 16/06/2026

Universities up and down the UK are quietly moving staff out of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme to cut costs. Christine Blower co-chair of our Parliamentary Group, put it straight to the government. Pensions aren’t a cost cutting exercise. They’re staff’s terms and conditions. Hands off.

03111

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 18/06/2026

A damning 97%. That's how many University of Lincoln staff who voted have lost confidence in senior management, after the university cut a third of its workforce and refused to rule out more compulsory redundancies. www.ucu.org.uk/article/1454...

ucu.org.uk

03021

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 18/06/2026

Staff at Northumbria University are being balloted for strike action. ✊ UCU has declared a dispute over plans to cut 1 in 10 jobs before Christmas with management refusing to rule out compulsory redundancies. Fewer staff, more work, less pay. Worse for students. www.ucu.org.uk/article/1454...

ucu.org.uk

01512

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 18/06/2026

Staff going off sick with burnout. People leaving the sector for good. And the workloads left behind only get heavier. This is the reality for further education staff. Unmanageable. Unsustainable. And getting worse. Is your workload a problem? Tell us here: yoursay.ucu.org.uk/s3/Workload-...

0198

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Happy Father’s Day to possibly the best dad ever 💘

030

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Nine years on and still no justice. We will never forget them. We will not stop fighting for them.

070

Reposted by Jo Grady

Rob 🏳️‍🌈 @rotster.net · 25/05/2026

The very same vice-chancellors will be congratulating each other and telling themselves that taking ‘difficult decisions’ like this is what makes them worth their £350k salaries.

24223

Reposted by Jo Grady

Christyn Parkes @parkesland.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Another sterling statement from @ucu.org.uk and @drjogrady.bsky.social. Trans, non-binary, and intersex workers in the UK have rights. They are not negotiable, they are not conditional, and they will be defended by your union.

0235

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 22/05/2026

Jo Grady on LBC: “Wages have stagnated. Pensions stripped. Workers fired and rehired. Solent University is using current legislation to force staff into a sham subsidiary company with the express intent of taking their pension away.This is happening in workplaces all over the country.”

46125

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 22/05/2026

Equality is not conditional. Dignity at work is not negotiable. The EHRC Code of Practice has been published. UCU is examining it urgently. This is a significant and unsettling moment and we will not leave branches to navigate it alone. www.ucu.org.uk/article/1451...

3390119

Reposted by Jo Grady

Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

UC Berkeley Law creates new AI policy that bans AI for "conceptualizing, outlining, drafting, revising, translating, or editing any work submitted for credit" or exams because "thinking remains the sine qua non of good lawyering (and of a quality legal education)." That's what I'm talking about.

Rule:
The use of AI is prohibited for aid in conceptualizing, outlining, drafting, revising,
translating, or editing any work submitted for credit. AI use is prohibited for any use for
any purpose in any exam situation. Students may not upload course
materials—including assignments, readings, slides, class recordings, or other class
content—into generative AI systems. AI can be used for research on papers ONLY for the
limited purpose of identifying sources, such as cases, statutes, or secondary sources.
Students are responsible for the accuracy of their research and all other aspects of their
submitted work. Citations to sources that do not exist will raise a presumption of
prohibited AI use

5136701193

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 20/05/2026

Today @drjogrady.bsky.social wrote to the University of Reading. Trans staff and students are being forced into formal grievances just to find out why policies that affect their daily lives exist. That is not legal compliance. It is institutional opacity. We’re calling on Reading to act.

417366

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Nearly half of our universities are forecasting deficits. Institutions across the country are closing departments and issuing redundancy notices. The government don’t yet consider this a crisis. How many more jobs must be lost before ministers act?

37646

Reposted by Jo Grady

ucustandrews.bsky.social @ucustandrews.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

URGENT - UCU St Andrews Member - Antonis Vradis is on the Qannir La Cirena boat in the Global Summid Flotilla which has been intercepted by Israel Contact your MP and MSP Contact the Principal Please share

01924

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 11/05/2026

Labour say further education is central to their growth mission. But they're cutting adult education budgets. Staff are haemorrhaging from the sector and FE workers in England are paid less than anywhere else in the UK.

13321

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 15/05/2026

Join the #Nakba78 march this Saturday. 78 years since the Nakba. Tommy Robinson on the streets. Trade unions have to show up. Exhibition Road, 12pm. Join us.

081

Reposted by Jo Grady

Alex Prichard @profalexp.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Good piece, brief and to the point from @drjogrady.bsky.social Gen Sec of UCU: “We are calling for direct government intervention before the crisis spirals further.” Intervention is cheaper than most think, and pound for pound excellent investment in our future economic prosperity.

politicshome.com

The government must intervene before the universities crisis worsens

During moments of political crisis it’s often said there are weeks when decades happen. This has been one such week.

14127

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

It’s the biggest con going that Nigel Farage has managed to flog himself as ‘man of the people’

0143

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Tens of thousands at risk of redundancy Student debt out of control Dozens of Universities on the brink The government is standing by as the Higher Education Sector is suffering death by a thousand cuts Organising is our only option - join UCU today join.ucu.org.uk

join.ucu.org.uk

UCU - Join UCU Today

Welcome to UCU’s Membership Portal where you can join the union, manage and update your personal information and find answers to the most frequently raised questions relating to Membership, Employment...

12313

Reposted by Jo Grady

Dr Jo Edge 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @hagenilda.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

TODAY: #UCU Anticasualisation Committee are hosting a 1 hour webinar, 12-1pm, on ‘subject to funding’ open ended contracts. Our very own @highamian.bsky.social will share experiences from LSE, followed by Q&A and discussion. Recording will be made available. More info and reg: www.ucu.org.uk/ACC

ucu.org.uk

0129

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Yesterday Kier Starmer announced Labour will nationalise British Steel, and save 2700 jobs. Today, the Uni of Nottingham put 2700 staff at risk of redundancy. This is just one university. Across the UK 15,000 higher education jobs need saving. Where is the rescue package for our universities?

19776363

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

A new low as the University of Nottingham puts 2700 staff at risk of redundancy. Cuts and job losses are not inevitable. They are political choices and the manifestation of a broken system. Where is Labour as the crisis intensifies? Sitting on the sidelines, watching it burn.

13011

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

If you honestly believe that the answer to Reform and the challenges Labour faces is to elect Mandelson’s mate Wes Streeting, then you might as well hand Farage the keys to number 10 now. The party - but more importantly the country - needs an open debate.

3267

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 06/05/2026

Poverty pay for staff. A £10,000 pay rise for the principal. That is why Windsor Forest Colleges Group staff were on the picket lines today. Refused even the smallest pay rise for college teachers and rewarded with a senior role at the Department for Education.

1196

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 07/05/2026

Dozens of professors face the axe at Teesside University with cuts possible as soon as next month. Management claims strong finances yet staff are being pushed out at speed. You don't strip decades of experience overnight without consequences. www.ucu.org.uk/article/1449...

ucu.org.uk

14328

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Working class voters have turned to multi millionaire city boys like Farage and Tice to represent them over Labour. Don’t blame voters. The likes of Mandelson treated the working class with distain. This is the result. Starmer out and Burnham in, or it’s a Reform government.

2111

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Imagine your boss emailing you to demand you immediately move to a worse pension scheme and contract or you’re out of the door. That’s what happened to our members at Southampton Solent. They are fighting back. Sign this petition to support them. www.change.org/p/students-s...

change.org

Sign the Petition

Students Stand With Staff at Solent University: Stop the Pension Cuts Petition.

1146

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 24/04/2026

Further education is a class issue. FE colleges are lifelines for working-class communities, driving opportunity, skills and local growth. But staff are doing more for less. Workloads rising. Pay falling behind. If the government is serious about growth they need to properly fund FE.

086

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 30/04/2026

“Today’s high court ruling overturning the £585,000 fine imposed on Sussex University shows just how unfit for purpose the OfS is. It’s time for Labour to step in and close this Tory-backed institution that has been used for nothing but attacking staff and students.” @drjogrady.bsky.social

24422

Reposted by Jo Grady

rak @raksky.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

"we all are seemingly indulging Keir Starmer's performative cluelessness" - Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social on #Newsnight Labour short-straw-champ, John Slinger, says it's neither cluelessness or incompetence + on Keir's excuses: "not only do I buy it, I believe it" 😶‍🌫️ Staggering. Wilful blindness.

398

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Heading to BBC. I’m on Newsnight to discuss the key issues of the day, and make sure I raise the cause of UCU members. Give it a watch 📺

0214

Reposted by Jo Grady

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 14/04/2026

🚨 1 in 4 staff at Goldsmiths to be axed. All while senior management get eye-watering pay rises and £16m is spent on consultants and lawyers. This is the reality of Higher Education in the UK. Our members have voted for industrial action, support them. www.ucu.org.uk/article/1447...

ucu.org.uk

Marking boycott looms at Goldsmiths over £20m of cuts to staff

Staff at Goldsmiths, University of London, have overwhelmingly voted for industrial action in a fight to protect jobs, UCU announced today.

16551

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Today, Israeli forces fired teargas at Palestinian schoolchildren who staged a sit-in in the occupied West Bank after settlers blocked access to their school. It’s the first day of class since the start of the Iran war. This is life for Palestinian children. The world does nothing.

16515268

Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Too late to be an April fool, but apparently a priority for the the newly launched employment rights watchdog, the Fair Work Agency, will be “reducing regulatory burdens” I had assumed they’d be enforcing (via inspections) and extending regulation… www.theguardian.com/business/202...

theguardian.com

Fair Work Agency’s priorities criticised days before its launch

Cornerstone of the UK’s Employment Rights Act ‘in danger of becoming a dead duck’, says Unite boss

172