Thanks to all members who posted messages of support on the UCU wall of action yesterday.

Casualisation has a high political profile at the moment due to the issue of zero hours contracts, which are widely used in the HE sector. Please help UCU to keep the pressure on the government and political parties by writing to your MP.

All the political parties have policy on zero-hours contracts, but UCU doesn’t think it goes far enough, focusing on ‘exclusivity clauses’ and so-called ‘exploitative’ zero-hours contracts.

We want to keep the pressure on to toughen up these policies. Labour MP Ian Mearns is drafting a private members’ bill on properly controlling the use of zero-hours contracts. While this is unlikely to become legislation, the more support there is for the bill, the more party policy across the spectrum is likely to move in the right direction.

You can send a quick letter to your MP on this issue now, using, or adapting the model text below.

Please copy any replies you get to Murdo Mathison, Policy & Communications Officer, UCU Scotland.

Thank you.