Welcome to the UCU BU website. We are the representative voice for academic and support staff at Bournemouth University. On this site you will find information about who we are, what we do, and how to join. You can also find out who is on the executive committee, who your departmental rep is, and how to contact us.
Bournemouth University is a place of learning and a living part of the future of this region. It is home to internationally-recognised experts who have published research in a number of different fields, from media production to medical science to mechanical engineering.
Every year, we train the teachers in your schools, the nurses and midwives in your hospitals, the scientists running your blood tests, the engineers, the lawmakers, the journalists, the analysts, the creative media professionals, the writers, and so many others. We help students develop valuable skills, to think creatively and critically, to stretch their minds and imaginations. We support students who go on to protect your environment, care for your families, and give back to this community in a hundred ways.
We care about our students, our research, and our contributions to the region and the community (and about keeping our jobs!), and we are determined to keep our care visible. We don’t take strike action lightly, but we are determined to defend our jobs, our job security, and our vision for the university as an equitable space where knowledge and experience are valued and supported. Staff experience is student experience.
For more about our June 2025 strike action, see here, and for more about us, check out our social media:
https://www.tiktok.com/@bournemouthucu
https://www.instagram.com/bournemouthucu/
https://bsky.app/profile/bournemouthucu.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/@bournemouthucu

Latest News
BU’s Approach to Bullying: Good on Paper? Or Good in Practice?
Bournemouth University states that it operates a “zero-tolerance approach” to discrimination, bullying, harassment, and victimisation. This commitment is set out in the University’s Dignity and Respect Policy, which promises a workplace rooted in fairness, respect, and inclusion. And yet, BU UCU continues to hear from members whose everyday working lives tell a very different story. Across faculties and…
International Partnerships, Academic Freedom, and the Risk of Structural Silencing
BBC reporting on foreign interference in UK universities should concern everyone working in UK higher education. It is now beyond general guidance or abstract risk. Vice-chancellors and senior university leaders have been explicitly briefed by the UK security services, including direct meetings with MI5, to warn that universities are a prime target for foreign interference. Ministers have…
The proposed Workload Planning Framework: what it means, and why it matters
You should have an email in your inbox, subject “IMPORTANT: BU’s Workload Planning proposal – what it means and how to respond” that includes links to BU’s workload planning framework proposal, and BU UCU’s analysis of these documents. The University has released a proposed Workload Planning Framework (WLP) for consultation, intended to apply from 2026–27…