What is the SHESC

The SHESC will take place online on: 14 October 2026 13:00-16:30.

Details about the SHESC can also be found on UCU’s website:
https://www.ucu.org.uk/hesc_14Oct26

More than 20 UCU branches have passed motions calling for a SHESC and under the union’s rules, the national union is now obliged to convene a SHESC involving all UCU branches.

The motion that was passed by more than 20 UCU branches resolved that the

SHESC should specifically focus on the following issues:

1. Opening the dispute and progressing the Secretary of State (SoS)

Campaign.

2. Coordinating campaigning and industrial strategy with other education

unions, including the National Education Union (NEU).

3. Developing a democratic process for electronic balloting for industrial

action, both in the SoS Campaign and other disputes.

The SHESC will therefore exclusively focus on these issues. All HE UCU branches are entitled to send delegates to the SHESC. Branches can send one delegate per 400 members to the SHESC. The delegates can be any member of the local branch, and should either be voted to stand as delegates in a branch meeting or voted to stand by the branch committee. If you are interested in standing as a delegate, you should email your committee to do so. The deadline for registration to the SHESC is 7 October 2026.

A SHESC has the same constitutional function as the annual Higher Education Sector Conference (usually known as Congress). It is where members can collectively debate and vote on motions which become union policy. It is the role of the Higher Education Committee (HEC) to abide by and implement the decisions passed at the conference.

Motions are submitted by individual branches, based on a quorum vote at a branch meeting. The deadline for submitting motions is 3 October 2026 at 12 midday. Motions which have been submitted by the deadline and approved by the Congress Business Committee will be circulated to all branches. Branches will then be entitled to submit amendments to those motions, and those need to be submitted by: 9 October 2026 12 midday.

Deadlines:

• Friday 2 October (12 noon) Deadline for motions

• Monday 5 October First CBC meeting

• Wednesday 7 October (17:00) Deadline for delegate registration

• Friday 9 October (12 noon) Deadline for amendments

• Monday 12 October Second CBC meeting

• Wednesday 14 October Special Higher Education Sector Conference

At the SHESC, all submitted and approved motions will be tabled in an order established by the CBC. There will be a chair of the meeting who will be responsible for explaining how delegates can engage with the SHESC, including voting. The chair will also keep time of those speaking to motions, and make sure there is a balance of speakers on different sides of a given motion.

Tabling a motion involves delegate(s) from the branch who passed the motion explaining what the motion says and what it commits the union to doing, and speaking in favour of the motion. The motion will also have a ‘seconder’ someone who also supports the motion, and they will have an opportunity to speak in favour of the motion. 

There will then be an opportunity for delegates to put themselves forward to speak in favour, against, abstention or for a point of clarification about the motion. The chair will make a balanced selection of delegates with different positions to give a fair account of the motion. The meeting will be run to give equal time to each motion tabled and voted on.