Our 2025 AGM was held on 4 September and chaired by Joint Branch Chairs Tilia Lenz and Lyle Skains. We were joined by a strong number of (quorate, obvs) members, along with Moray McAulay and Amanda Bitouche from the UCU regional office.

Reflections on the Past Year

Tilia opened with thanks to the outgoing Exec Committee, many of whom have now left BU. She acknowledged that the past academic year has been a difficult one, but the branch has remained strong and active throughout.

Key actions and achievements from the past year include:

• Strike action over the summer of 2025, which may have contributed to BU Executive taking compulsory redundancies (CRs) off the table—at least for now.
• Development of a branch-led workload planning tool, initiated by the co-chairs and tested by members. This remains a work-in-progress and members are encouraged to continue using and feeding back on it.
• A new automated casework management system, which has already improved how we support individual members.
• Improved member communications, including the launch of a regular email update and the BU UCU blog (yes, this one!).

However, there are still serious and ongoing challenges:

• JCNC meetings (our formal negotiation space with the employer) were cancelled with little notice for most of August.
• Members continue to report that WAMS allocations are overloaded, with some being told they are expected to work at 100% capacity. If you have written confirmation of this, please send it to us—it strengthens our case.
• Reasonable adjustments are frequently not reflected in WAMS or timetables. If this is happening to you, get in touch.

In short: despite the promises and PR, we see little indication that BU is operationally ready for the September/October term.

Current Branch Priorities

Our priorities remain clear and urgent:

• Ongoing trade dispute: The formal dispute continues. Although CRs have been paused, we remain deeply concerned about staffing levels and operational capacity.
• Defending workloads: We need clear, fair, and manageable allocations.
• Job security: Protecting roles and resisting further job losses.
• Career progression: Ensuring access to promotion.
• Challenging inequalities: Including work on casualisation, equal pay, and EDI.
• Member involvement: Growing and activating our base is key. If you’re not already involved, now is a great time to start.

Treasurer’s Report

Tahani Mohammed presented the Treasurer’s report. Members can request a full review of branch figures through UCUBUOffice@bournemouth.ac.uk.

In response to a member question about financial transparency, Tilia confirmed she would check with Regional about sharing itemised accounts, as the branch aims to be as open as possible.

New Branch Committee

We also welcomed our new Exec Committee, a mix of returning and new faces. Members introduced themselves briefly, and you can find everyone’s smiling mugs on our updated webpage!

Branch Rules Update

Lyle presented a brief summary of proposed minor updates to the Branch Rules. These changes were ratified by member vote, and now go on to national for full approval.

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If you’d like to get involved in the branch this year—whether through casework, campaigns, media, or negotiating—please get in touch. We need and value your energy.

Solidarity,
BU UCU Exec Team