Dear comrades,
Last Saturday the University celebrated its 150th birthday. A huge well done to all staff involved – don’t forget to take your well-deserved TOIL.
The University couldn’t have lasted this long – and can’t continue – without us, the hard-working staff making a real difference on the ground.
To discover more about the people behind UBC150, we recommend a visit to ‘Large Ambitions’ – the current Outdoor Exhibition in Royal Fort Gardens. It uses archival material from our Special Collections to explore the unsung heroes of the institution, like the porters and lab boys.
Anyway, here’s the usual updates from us.
📝 Branch meetings
The next branch meeting will be on Thursday 5th November at 12:00
ℹ️ To see branch meetings and other events in your calendar: ‘Add calendar’ > ‘Add from directory’ > search for ‘unison-social@bristol.ac.uk’ > select Add to ‘My calendars’ > Save
September branch meeting recap
➡️ Meeting recording and transcript
➡️ Minutes
➡️ Agenda
🤑 26/27 Pay offer update
In our pay consultation in May you voted overwhelmingly to reject the 2026/27 pay offer of 2%, with one of the highest turnout rates in the country. Unfortunately, after negotiations between JNCHES (the body representing the joint trade unions) and UCEA (the body representing university leadership), no further increase on this offer was reached.
Following advice from UCEA, the University will now be implementing this 2% increase. The increase will take effect in October pay slips and be backdated to 1st August for all staff.
Whilst our branch tried to advocate for UNISON to run a national ballot for industrial action over this pay dispute, the other trade unions in JNCHES (and many other UNISON branches) opted against doing so at this time. It is therefore very unlikely that there will be any industrial action over the 26/27 pay offer.
This is in part because JNCHES wanted to prioritise fighting against redundancies at our institutions and wanted to encourage a positive solution to the Pay Spine review, which could fix compressions in existing spine points and result in more money for our members.
As always, our branch will keep campaigning over our pay both nationally and locally.
➡️ Read more
❌ Keeping the far-right off campus
After the disturbing appearance of the far right on campus last week, the University of Bristol, the Joint Trades Unions (including our branch) and the Students’ Union have released a joint statement.
Our branch stands entirely opposed to far-right views, and firmly believe that fascism has no place on our campus or in our politics. We will continue to campaign to keep them out of our institution, to stand in solidarity with all marginalised staff and students, and to demand that freedom of speech is not used as a hiding place for racism, bigotry and hate.
In February, our branch passed a motion against the far right, and in June, one of our members spoke at UNISON’s national conference in favour of a motion on tackling Reform UK.
If you have any urgent concerns about racist, Islamophobic, antisemitic or other forms of harassment or unacceptable behaviour by a member of the public, please report it to the Police or, if the incident happened on campus, to Security Services.
If you are a member who is feeling unsafe during far-right demonstrations on campus, and you are not receiving support to work flexibly and take other actions to protect yourself, please get in touch – we will support you.
We will continue to work with the University senior leadership to ensure fascism is never welcome on our campus.
Solidarity with migrant workers, and with immigrants across the country.
➡️ October: Joint statement Oct 2026 | News and features | University of Bristol
➡️ Motion Passed: Far right off campus
👑 What has UoB Unison ever done for me?
Sometimes being a union members can feel a little disheartening, especially when it feels like senior leadership are unresponsive to our demands. To keep you inspired, we’ve compiled a list of our recent wins!
➡️ What has UoB Unison ever done for me? – University of Bristol UNISON
📧 Ask your MP to help fund the future of HE
A new email template is now available for members and non-members to write to their MP asking for their support in UNISON’s Fund Our Future campaign.
There is an option to edit content of the email before sending.
➡️ Ask your MP to help fund the future of HE
🧓UoB Pension scheme
If you are on grades A-I then you are part of the University of Bristol Group Pension Plan (UBGPP) which is administered by Legal & General. You can use the L&G app to track info about your pension.
➡️ L&G app
The vast majority of UNISON staff are on the UBGPP pension scheme, which is a considerably worse offering than the USS pension scheme offered to academic staff and professional services staff on grades J and above.
Staff automatically join the default rate of a 5% employee contribution and 6.5% employer contribution. However, if you can afford to increase your contribution, up to 9.6%, you stand to gain 12.5% from the employer contribution.
If you haven’t changed and want to, download and complete the change of contribution form and email it to the pensions team.
➡️ Change your pension contribution
🔏Protecting your privacy on HubStar
UoB has a new booking system for the Sloane Robinson building called HubStar. A branch member has made us aware that by default, this app makes it possible for other staff members to see which desk you have booked on a particular day (including its location on a map) using the “find near” function.
Understandably, some people may not be comfortable with their precise location being visible to others.
There are two options in HubStar which you can use to protect your privacy.
When making a single booking, in the privacy section at the bottom, tick “Private: Only I can see the details of this reservation”.
To permanently hide your location, go to Settings > Permission and Consent > Allow colleagues to find me > toggle off.
For screenshots of where these options are, see our post here:
➡️ Protect your privacy on HubStar
✉️ Angry about how your restructure has been handled? Help draft our open letter
Some of our members are currently working together to draft an open letter of complaint to the senior management team over how recent restructures have been handled. The letter is about how restructures were managed, rather than about what happened.
If you were affected by a recent restructure and would like to describe your experience, complain about mishandling, or make suggestions for how restructures could be handled better, then please contribute to the document.
➡️ Contribute to the open letter
🍿 UoB Unison film club – save the dates!
Join us for an informal branch gathering to watch union-adjacent films – bring popcorn and a pal! Our next film club evenings will be:
Monday, 16 November from 5:30pm – Film TBC
Tuesday, 15 December from 5:30pm – The Muppet Christmas Carol
In the Richmond Building Cinema Room (5.9).
More info here: UoB Unison Film club! – University of Bristol UNISON
🔵 University staff are now eligible for Blue Light Card
Blue Light Card gives you access to discounts from various shops and locations, and all HE staff are now eligible 🥳
➡️ Higher Education Discounts for University & College Staff
🤒 Flu voucher
UoB staff are eligible for a free flu voucher this winter. Remember to sign up to help stay healthy!
➡️ Flu vouchers
✊ Welfare not warfare; wages not weapons
🗓️ Saturday 24 October
⏰ 2-5pm
📍 The Station BS1 2AG
We’ve seen huge protests in Europe in recent weeks over welfare issues: in France against a crumbling education system, in Spain against a housing crisis, and in Germany against military conscription.
All of this has come to a head as governments across Europe – including the UK – are directing billions of public money towards rearmament and the drive towards never-ending war.
Over 60 countries joined the Global day of action for Palestine on Saturday 10 October.
The need to build international solidarity against the genocide in Palestine, militarism and rearmament and to demand public money for public services and the priority of our societies welfare, has never been more crucial.
Join us for this vital discussion and help us to build the movement against war! ✊
Our branch and national union are both supporting this campaign.
➡️ Book tickets
👋 Keep in touch
🌐 Check our website for updates: University of Bristol UNISON
🤙 Join our branch WhatsApp group: UoB UNISON General Chat
📸 Follow us on Instagram: @unison_bristol_uni
In solidarity,
Your UoB Unison committee 💚💜