On the 30th January 2025, three of our members attended the 2025 National Higher Education Conference, held in Swansea. It was a one-day conference focussed purely on Higher Education UNISON branches across the UK. Motions and reports will be uploaded to the Motions Archive soon if you would like to see what was debated and passed. Happy to take any questions about it.
Vicky’s thoughts
“Attending the UNISON Higher Education Conference as a sharer delegate was a valuable experience. Alex and I shared delegate voting duties, with Alex on the floor in the morning and me in the afternoon. When not voting, we joined Sarah in the visitor area, where we could listen to the debates and discussions. It was eye-opening to hear perspectives from Higher Education institutions across the UK, gaining insights into challenges and initiatives that are sometimes outside of our usual scope. The conference emphasised that while the sector faces significant challenges, the University of Bristol is in a strong position. This reinforces our ability to demand better conditions for our staff while supporting colleagues across the country. Importantly, the actions proposed by the Higher Education Service Group at the conference aim to shine a spotlight on the struggles within the HE sector, paving the way for UNISON to develop targeted campaigns and support that address these pressing issues. I would advise anyone who is interested in seeing how UNISON works outside of our branch, to attend a conference and/ or submit motions, as they are a great way to see how decisions are made, and to take part in the democratic process.”
Sarah’s thoughts
“This was my first time attending a Unison conference, something I had wanted to do but had previously hesitated putting myself forward for. Maybe that was feeling as though I wouldn’t be selected to go, or that I wouldn’t have enough background knowledge to understand the context or nuances of the motions – but it turned out that any worries were unfounded! From the offer to discuss the motions in advance to answering all the questions I had during the conference, Alex and Vicky were great at making sure I got the most out of the day. Hearing speakers from other HEIs and SUs really made it clear how shared many of our experiences are and was a strong reminder of why it’s important to know that. I would definitely want to go to more conferences in the future.”