The University’s Falmer Campus faces potential closure, while there are also plans to derecognise the Union
On 14 September 2026, a spokesperson for the University of Brighton informed the Brighton branch of the University and Colleges Union (UCU) that the current recognition agreement between the university and the union would be terminated from June of next year.
The UCU have since denounced the decision, arguing that the move could lead to a full union derecognition and a deterioration in working conditions for students and staff alike. The termination of union contracts follows the announcement made by the university that closure of the Falmer campus by 2030 was being considered. The university is currently split between three sites – Falmer, Moulsecoomb and City. While reasoning for the potential closure has been given as strengthening the remaining two sites, concerns have been raised about the impact closure would have on the university library, as well as the needs of some 600 students currently living on the Falmer campus. The university has stated they have plans to consult on the changes, with no decision yet finalised.
Speaking to Ryan Burns, the chair of the Brighton UCU branch, The Badger asked what the response of the UCU was to the potential derecognition of the union, what it means for students, and what it means for trade union rights in the future. Burns said, ‘UCU members at the University of Brighton have voted “to fight against derecognition by all means at our disposal”. This includes a political campaign as well as media and communications work, alongside negotiation internally to resolve this issue. We hope this will be sufficient for management to see sense and withdraw the termination of our recognition and other collective agreements. In the interests of staff, students and the education we are all devoted to, we sincerely hope for that outcome. But if management refuses to reverse their decision to terminate agreements, then we will be left with no choice: we will not hesitate to take industrial action including strike action. Members have already voted in support of this option.’
Regarding the impact on the rights of staff and the protection of working conditions, Burns went further. ‘The rights that management are seeking to remove include things like limits of numbers of teaching contact hours per week, which help to ensure that lecturers are not exhausted when they teach. [They include] grading structures that ensure that postgraduate students who teach are employed at the same rate as other lecturers, not on a second-rate and lower-paid role. [This also means] contracted time set aside for ‘research and scholarly activity’ so that lectures remain at the forefront of their field, and [that] their teaching therefore stays up-to-date. These rights underpin our ability to provide quality education. De-recognition would allow management to remove these rights and more, and to drastically worsen the working conditions of staff; directly worsening the education experience of students. Any action we take in defence of staff rights is taken to protect the quality education that our students deserve.’
Following the disclosure from the university, a protest was held on 1 October outside the Cockcroft building on the Falmer campus, with staff and students present. It comes after the University of Sussex similarly announced proposals to cut 200 jobs in May of this year. Universities across the UK have been subject to immense financial pressure, with Sussex Vice-Chancellor Sasha Roseneil describing the decision because of the ‘financial sustainability crisis affecting UK higher education.
When asked about the impact that will be had on the neighbouring University of Sussex, Burns stated that ‘[management] teams at universities across the UK will be viewing the de-recognition attack at Brighton as a test case. If they succeed in eroding staff rights at Brighton, others will undoubtedly follow suit.’
Another article you might like – https://thebadgeronline.com/2026/10/help-us-to-make-sussex-a-better-place-an-interview-with-the-universities-and-colleges-union/