HEADLINES:
- Our statutory ballot to defend jobs and conditions at Sheffield Hallam has now opened. It runs from August 22nd to Wednesday 1st October.
- Return your ballot paper by Friday 26th September
- Vote Yes for Industrial action.
Why we are balloting for local industrial action:
Dear Members,
85% of you who voted in the consultative ballot back in July supported the move for strike action to challenge the university’s plans for redundancies to save money.
The university has plans to make 300 staff redundant between July and December 2025. 150 of the staff at risk are academic staff.
We cannot allow the university to cut staff to balance its books and absolve itself of its poor financial planning. The new buildings we see at City Campus are being paid for at the expense of staff who have been made redundant, and this is part of the wider narrative where the impressive looking real estate conceals cuts to staff and services but is presented now in terms of fiscal probity and growth.
What you need to do:
It’s a postal ballot and you can expect your ballot papers to begin arriving this week, or you may have already received them. Please check your mail carefully as papers may have arrived while you have been on leave. If you need a replacement paper please order one here: Sheffield Hallam University UCU replacement ballot request form (August-September 2025)
The ballot will run until Wednesday 1st October. The last safe posting date will be Friday 26th September, so please return your papers as soon as they arrive. We offer this date as guide only, please use your own judgment depending on where you post your ballot from.
It’s an extremely busy time of year for everyone and we know your Inboxes will be full of competing messages and priorities. We will be sending some reminders over the next couple of weeks and officers will also be checking in with you to ask if you have voted. Please respond to our requests for an update on your voting status and return your ballot paper. It’s vital that we hit the 50% turnout threshold to secure a mandate for strike action, so please play your part and support our local ballot.
VOTE YES FOR INDUSTRIAL ACTION: ‘YES’ TO STRIKE ACTION & ACTION SHORT OF A STRIKE
This will give our branch negotiators the best possible chance of securing our demands in meetings with the UEB over the next couple of weeks.