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Contact us

If you need help with a workplace issue at Birkbeck, complete and submit our casework request form and a UCU representative will be in contact shortly to arrange a confidential discussion with you.

Branch representatives are all volunteers; however, they aim to respond to you as quickly as possible, usually within a few days. This will normally be someone from a different school or service department from you.

UCU will provide initial guidance where appropriate and, if you need more sustained support, your representative may ask for more information and seek advice either from other members of the branch committee or from full-time officials within the union.

If you are not currently a UCU member or you joined to gain assistance, UCU cannot provide help or representation immediately. There is a 90-day membership qualifying period for access to UCU legal advice and to local union representation and assistance. Equally, employment issues which pre-date UCU membership registration are not eligible for formal assistance. However, they may still be able to offer brief informal advice.

If your case is urgent or more than just a request for informal advice, please  as well as the welfare officer (listed below). Email us with the following information which will help us respond to you as quickly as we can and locate the best casework advisor:  

  • Name, school, email and telephone contact
  • Confirm UCU membership
  • Whether your post is academic, academic-related, teaching and scholarship, administrative, etc
  • A brief description of the nature of your concern (e.g. reduced hours/potential redundancy/equalities issue/location on pay spine/grievance/complaint etc)
  • How you think Birkbeck UCU can help you.

We can often provide initial guidance and will aim to respond to you within a few days. If you need more sustained support, we may ask for more information and then put you in touch with the most appropriate committee member to help. This will normally be someone from a different school from yourself.

If you are not currently a UCU member, or you join to gain assistance, UCU cannot provide help or representation immediately. There is a 90-day membership qualifying period for access to UCU legal advice and to local union representation and assistance. Equally, employment issues which pre-date UCU membership registration are not eligible for formal assistance. However, we can sometimes offer brief informal advice. 

UCU representatives for your school 

The restructuring of the College in 2023 has meant that local representatives have had to be reorganised, so the list below is provisional. If you have questions or do not have a school representative, please .

Birkbeck Business School

Birkbeck Law School

School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication

School of Historical Studies

School of Social Sciences

Birkbeck Centre for Counselling

School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences

School of Natural Sciences

School of Psychological Sciences

Branch committee

UCU branch committee meets once a month. All members are welcome to attend. If you would like to find out more about the union, come along to a meeting or .

Your branch officers are elected at the AGM which is held each year towards the end of the summer term. 

If you want to speak to a particular member of the present committee, their contact details are listed below. If you are interested in joining the branch committee, please or approach a current committee member informally. 

President

Vice-president

Secretary

Treasurer

Membership officer

  • Vacant

Environment officer

Equalities officer

Pensions officer

  • Vacant

Health and safety representative

Learning representative

  • Vacant

Professional and support staff representative

Teaching and scholarship staff representative

Welfare representative

Communications officers

School representatives coordinators 

Postgraduate research representative 

  • Vacant

Research staff representative

  • Vacant

Ordinary Committee Members