A packed General Meeting on 5 October welcomed Sally Hunt, UCU General Secretary and heard her speak on a range of current issues including performance development reviews (PDR), the national pay dispute, post Brexit issues, increasing support for branch casework and the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) re-evaluation in early 2017.

She then answered questions from members on those issues and others which included the gender pay gap, workloads and the accountability of Vice-Chancellors. The meeting could have continued for far longer without the time constraints that we face for lunch time meetings. Sally therefore expressed a wish to come here again in a few weeks to have another conversation with members. This idea was warmly welcomed and arrangements will be discussed shortly – watch this space!