Replacement Ballot Request Form

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The law still requires that ballots for industrial action be conducted by postal vote and local branch members should already have received ballot packs from Civica Election Services at their nominated postal address.

If you have received your ballot pack please vote and return your ballot as soon as possible using the included pre-paid envelope. When you have voted please let the branch office or UCU know via email or the ThruText SMS reminder.

If you have not received your ballot pack please request a replacement via the form at https://yoursay.ucu.org.uk/s3/Heriot-Watt-University-UCU-replacement-ballot-request-form-January-February-2026 by Monday 9 February 2026.

The ballot closes on Monday 16 February 2026 so please make sure that you have your papers in the post by Thursday 12 February 2026 at the very latest.

You will need your membership number to vote. If you need a reminder of your membership number send a blank email to mynumber@mercury.ucu.org.uk.

We will be holding an online members’ meeting via Zoom at 12.00 on Tuesday 17 February 2026 to decide our next actions based on the outcome of the ballot. Zoom details have been circulated by email. If you require BSL interpreting please contact the branch as soon as possible.

Local ballot on Industrial Action over Rightsizing and Scholar

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The senior leadership at Heriot-Watt are using the portfolio review to push through ‘Rightsizing’ changes which threaten jobs and affect working conditions.

Up to 41 FTE roles are currently at risk in Scotland, with the final headcount likely to be higher, and we have significant concerns about the potential for reductions in research time as result of the review.

Staff in Scholar, an important education resource not just for secondary education but also for foundation courses at Heriot-Watt, are also at risk even though the results of a Scottish Government review into online education are yet to be published.

The ballot is about protecting jobs, workloads, and research capacity in response to these proposals. A strong ballot result will strengthen the position of branch negotiators and increase our leverage in pushing the University to rule out compulsory redundancies.

Timeline

The ballot will open on Monday 5 January 2026 and close on Monday 16 February 2026. The last save date for posting is therefore Thursday 12 February 2026.

Replacement ballot papers can be requested online from Monday 12 January 2026. Details will be posted in due course.

Ballot papers

Employment law mandates that a ballot for industrial action must be conducted by post. Ballots cannot be conducted online and ballot papers cannot be sent out electronically for members to print out at home or at work.

The law also states that a ballot for industrial action must be supervised by a qualified independent scrutineer, usually Civica Election Services (CES). CES is responsible for the production, posting, and processing of ballot papers. UCU cannot by law produce, post, or process ballot papers.

You will receive a ballot pack / envelope at your registered address.

The ballot pack/envelope should have the return address for Civica (Civica Election Services, CES) in the top left-hand corner. It will also carry the CES logo and UCU branding.

The ballot pack will contain the ballot paper. The ballot pack will usually contain a second-class pre-paid return envelope. Members should use the ballot paper and put the ballot paper in the pre-paid return envelope, and then post that at the nearest post box or post office.

If you have misplaced the pre-paid envelope or the pre-paid envelope is missing from your ballot pack, you can put the ballot paper(s) into a blank envelope, write this address on the envelope – Civica Election Services, 33 Clarendon Road, London N8 0NW – then affix a stamp, ideally first-class, and post it back. It is also possible to hand the ballot back in person at the above address.

What questions will appear on the ballot paper?

Your ballot paper will have two questions:

  • Are you prepared to take industrial action consisting of strike action?
  • Are you prepared to take industrial action consisting of action short of strike action (which for this purpose is defined to include overtime and call-out bans)?

We urge everyone to vote YES to both questions.

How should I mark my preference?

Your ballot includes two simple ‘Yes/No’ questions, mentioned above. You should write a CROSS (X) to indicate your preference on the ballot paper – for the avoidance of doubt, a CROSS (X) in a box looks like this. Using anything that is not a CROSS (X) — for example a TICK (V) — means that Civica Election Services’ scanning team will need to look at your ballot paper and make a judgment as to whether the vote is acceptable.

Why am I being asked if I have voted after?

Industrial action ballots are confidential and UCU does not know if an individual member has voted or which way that a member has voted. As part of our branches ‘get the vote out’ (GTVO) activities, we may ask you – via email, text message or door-knocking at your workplace – whether you have voted, so that we can target our GTVO with precision.

It is always an enormous help to us if you volunteer this information (on whether you have voted, not how you have voted). This means there will be no need for us to remind you again (for instance via text or phone-banking).

I have not received my ballot pack. What should I do?

If you do not receive your ballot pack by Monday 12 January 2026, you will be able to request a new ballot paper at https://yoursay.ucu.org.uk/s3/Heriot-Watt-University-UCU-replacement-ballot-request-form-January-February-2026

To request a replacement ballot request you need to use your unique UCU membership number which you can find by sending a blank email to mynumber@mercury.ucu.org.uk or email UCU’s membership department at membership@ucu.org.uk.

What happens after the ballot?

When the ballot closes and the results are announced, we will meet as a branch and discuss and vote on the next steps to take. You can get involved with this debate by attending the branch meeting, speaking to your colleagues or even proposing a motion about what next steps you think could be successful in increasing our leverage.

Support for Scholar – Scotland’s National Digital Learning Service

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UCU, Unite and UNISON are jointly coordinating an effort to gather notes of endorsement for Scholar, a national digital learning service, used by senior phase learners across Scotland, for over a generation.

Scholar is seeking to secure its long-term future beyond July 2026 and we are inviting support from anyone who recognises Scholar’s value to Scottish education.

You can show your support for Scholar by completing the form at https://sites.google.com/view/scholar-for-scotland/support-scholar

What is Scholar?

Scholar is a not-for-profit online learning platform, supporting schools and colleges across Scotland for 25 years through delivery of over 40 fully SQA curriculum-aligned interactive courses at SCQF Levels 5, 6 and 7 (National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher).

Funded by subscriptions through Scottish Local Authorities, SCIS schools and Further Education Colleges, Scholar works to promote equity of access to digital learning and wider subject choice in the areas of Maths and Sciences, English and Languages, Humanities and Social Sciences.
The impact of Scholar

Scholar is used every day in classrooms and homes across Scotland to support learning, teaching and independent study. With over 9,000 rich interactive activities and formative assessments, teachers use it to introduce topics, reinforce lessons and track progress. The reporting system helps teachers identify where support may be needed and learners are given a clear picture of their own progress.

Scholar engages with teachers, schools and local authorities to ensure important content and platform suggestions are heard and addressed. The team ensures that materials are refreshed annually with any SQA curriculum changes. Scholar is not just a resource but an active learning service that strengthens teaching and empowers learners.

Scholar plays a vital role for those who rely on flexible access to education such as interrupted learners, young carers, learners experiencing anxiety or illness, and those with additional support needs. The structured, accessible format allows learners to engage with the curriculum at a pace and time that works best for them. Peripatetic EAL teachers (English as an Additional Language) make use of Scholar, as one of the few comprehensive, curriculum-aligned ESOL pathways available nationally.

As a credible service, Scholar also collaborates with charities, subject experts, national organisations and contributed significantly to the ‘supported’ resources of Education Scotland’s National e-Learning Offer.

Beyond schools, Scholar is used in colleges to bridge knowledge gaps and complement course delivery. At a university level, Scholar supports Heriot-Watt University’s Maths Gym and Global College with digital resources, to strengthen foundations and ease the transition into Higher Education. Overall, Scholar helps to contribute to Scotland’s widening participation goals, supporting learners, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to move confidently from school into HE and FE.

With over 130,000 learners and 14,000 teachers with access annually (2024-25 cohort), Scholar has reached over a generation of learners across Scotland since its inception in 1999.

How to show your support

We are gathering notes of endorsement from learners, students, teachers, lecturers, parents, Scholar alumni, employers, national organisations and anyone who recognises Scholar’s value to Scottish education. Whether you used Scholar at school, make use of it in your teaching, benefitted from it in college or university or simply share the values it represents, we would welcome your comments.

Your endorsement will help demonstrate the breadth and depth of support for Scholar and provide vital evidence that it is a valued national service, deserving of a secure long-term future alongside the evolving educational landscape in Scotland.

Please show your support for Scholar.

Thank you

Members’ Meeting: Rightsizing and Scholar

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Over the last 2 weeks there have been meetings with departments and schools where the university has shared its proposals for ‘Rightsizing’. The branch committee have been supporting members at these meetings when sufficient advance notice of the discussions has been given.

The university has also continued to move forward with proposed changes to Scholar and colleagues in that team have been advised of a voluntary severance scheme with a very short window of opportunity which will close before the outcome of ongoing discussions with the various stakeholders are known.

These meetings have caused considerable distress among our members and colleagues. Please contact the branch if you would like to raise any concerns with us. Members can also access counselling via UCU at https://www.ucu.org.uk/educationsupport .

Voluntary severance scheme

Members in some of these areas may be considering the university’s voluntary severance scheme. If you are in that position, we advise that you make use of the financial advice service provided by https://www.ucu.org.uk/quilterfinancialadvice as part of your UCU membership benefits. If you have questions relating to the impact on pensions, these can also be directed to the branch at ucu@hw.ac.uk .

Move to dispute

At our last members’ meeting there was overwhelming support to move to dispute if the employer was not willing to rule out compulsory redundancies or significant changes to research time.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to secure these commitments during consultations and, as a consequence, have issued a ‘Failure to Agree’ letter to the Principal, requesting that such commitments be provided by the end of next week.

Members’ meeting

We are holding a follow-up member’s meeting at 2.30pm on Wednesday 3 December. At this meeting we will discuss the situation and what our options are. Please attend if you can so that we can have a strong turnout for decision making.

The meeting will be via Zoom and members should have received an email with the link. Please let the branch know if you need BSL interpreting. 

Join UCU today

We have many new members – welcome!

Please do encourage your colleagues to join the union at https://www.ucu.org.uk/join

 

Emergency Members’ Meeting: Outcomes of Portfolio Review – Rightsizing

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Members will have received an email from the university with the concerning news that there are to be job cuts in Scotland and Malaysia as result of the Portfolio Review.

The communication was sent while representatives from the 3 recognised unions were still in the initial meeting with the university management team.

More meeting will follow at which we will seek further details about the proposals. The university management team have so far refused to commit to avoiding compulsory redundancies.

Emergency Members Meeting

It is essential that we are able to represent members views so we will holding an Emergency Members’ Meeting to discuss the situation at 3.00pm on Thursday 13 November .

The meeting will be conducted online via Zoom. Please check your inbox for the link to the meeting. If you haven’t received or need a reminder please contact any of the branch committee or the local branch office.

There will be an opportunity to raise and discuss other issues relating to working at HWU under AOB at the end of the meeting. If you are not able to attend but would like to raise an item please contact Kate Sang with your comments.

It is very short notice but it is very important that you attend and have your say at a quorate meeting. Please attend if at all possible.

We are the University: higher education industrial action ballot

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UCU is conducting an nation strike action ballot over pay and working conditions. By now all members should have received their postal ballot packs at home or at work.

The last safe date to return your ballot papers by post ahead of the deadline is Wednesday 26 November.

If you have received your ballot paper but have not voted yet, please vote as soon as possible and then UCU know that you have by replying to the text message or using the online form at https://yoursay.ucu.org.uk/s3/wearetheuniversity-GTVO/

If you have not received, or have lost or damaged, your postal ballot paper you can request a replacement up until midnight on Sunday 23 November using the same form.

Every vote counts and all members should make every attempt to cast their votes. No matter what you view is, please vote. We don’t want to know how you voted, just that you have voted.

Why should I vote YES?

The national pay offer from UCEA for 2025-26, which was imposed by most of the universities from 1 August 2025, was 1.4%. The UCU ask is for:

  • a pay uplift that is at least RPI + 3.5% or £2,500, whichever is the higher, on all pay points
  • joint action to protect national agreements relating to terms and conditions of employment
  • a national agreement to avoid redundancies, course closures, and cuts to academic disciplines across the sector.

Vote YES to tell HWU that we want negotiation, not imposition. Vote YES to call for the broken market system to change. Vote YES to call for decent pay, conditions, and job security for all university staff.

 

 

Gaza: A story of Love and War (Film Screening)

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The story of two journalists who meet to share stories. One is Welsh and unable to get into Gaza. The other is Palestinian and unable to get out. As they talk, a very personal history of the Nakba is narrated, from the expulsions of 1948 to the killing streets and tent cities of 2024.

After the screening Mike Joseph, who made the film, will be asking Tracey Gilbert MP about the political response to the ongoing crisis via a Zoom call.

The event is being held on Wednesday 12 November 2025 at The Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh. EH1 2JL. Door open at 6.30 and the screening will start at 7.00pm.

Tickets can be booked via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gaza-a-story-of-love-and-war-film-screening-tickets-1857116378079. Proceeds from this screening to directly support Palestinian Journalist Sami Abu Salem and Medical Aid for Palestine.

Hosted by ETUC in affiliation with EIS Edinburgh.

Annual General Meeting 2025

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This year’s AGM will be held online via Zoom between 13:00 and 15:00 on Wednesday 18 June. Invitations with a link to the meeting have been sent to all members via email, and BSL interpreting can be provided on request.

Given that some members may not have access to a suitable space to attend an online meeting while on campus we have arranged a room in ECG34 with a large screen and audio. Members should bring a device on which they can connect to the Zoom meeting in order to vote in the online polls.

Agenda

  1. Welcome
  2. Attendance and apologies
  3. Minutes of AGM 2024
  4. Report from the committee
  5. Treasurer’s report
  6. Appointment of auditor
  7. Election of Officers and Representatives of the Committee
  8. Election of Congress/Conference Delegates
  9. Motions
  10. AOB

Survey On Casual Worker Timesheets

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On the back of reports about difficulties encountered by workers who need to complete timesheets, and by supervisors who need to approve, we are pleased to announce the launch of two surveys related to the use of timesheets for casual workers involved in teaching at Heriot-Watt.

We are not limiting the responses to UCU members so please feel free to share the links as widely as you can. We hope that widening the eligibility beyond existing members will help demonstrate the work we do, and hopefully encourage new members to join.

We are interested to hear from any staff or students (including undergraduate helpers) who undertake this type of work and from their supervisors so please take a few minutes to complete the appropriate survey via the link sent out by email. 

Both survey forms have more details about the work we are asking about, and they will remain open until Monday 30 June.

If you have not received a link to the surveys please contact either of Dan Green or Lena Biermann.

We hope to use the results of both surveys to create some concrete recommendations for the university to improve the experience for these workers and the staff responsible for them. The more responses we have the more robust these recommendations can be.

A reminder too that we are looking for a new PGR/Casualised Members Rep (alongside a few other roles up for election). Nominations can be accepted from the floor at the upcoming AGM on Wednesday 18 June from 13:00-15:00. If you have not received an email invite to the meeting with a Zoom link please contact the branch office. You can also join the meeting in person in room ECG34.

If you would be interested in finding out more about the role or if you know anyone who may be interested, please get in touch.

We will update members in due course about the results of these surveys and the outcomes that follow.

Stop The Cuts Demonstration in Newcastle

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Newcastle University management is attempting to achieve millions of pounds worth in savings from job cuts which is devastating for staff, students and the local community. Newcastle University UCU branch has scheduled a further 30 days of strikes, beginning on Friday 6 June, which follows on from strike action taken in March.

On Wednesday 11 June there will be a Stop The Cuts demonstration outside the Newcastle City Council Civic Centre from 12:30 followed by a march to Grey’s Monument.

This is a more accessible demo than the previous one in London and members are encouraged to attend. Travel costs will be reimbursed on completion of an expense claim form. Alternatively, it may be possible to get a lift with Dundee UCU who are taking a mini bus which will pass the HW campus, or via car share.

If you are intending to go, or would like to go if you can get transport, please could you let Joss know as soon as possible so that it can be arranged in coordination with other branches/ people who are going.