Well done for deciding to join your trade union! Only you and your work colleagues together can ensure your working environment is fair and able to meet your needs.

Click here to complete the online form and become a member of Cardiff UCU.

Alternatively, please contact the Cardiff UCU office to obtain further information. If your role at Cardiff University is not academic-related, UNITE or UNISON may be better suited to represent your interests.

WHY JOIN?

Studies show that workplaces with a strong union presence have lower injury rates, higher wages, and more extensive fringe benefits, among others. A strong union presence depends on you.The right to unionise was not handed to workers by employers or governments, it was demanded by workers through struggle and fight, with severe personal consequences, including lives lost. Since legally established, trade unions have considerably improved workplaces through achievements such as the introducing safety standards, minimum wage, maximum working hours, 5-day working week, paid annual leave, sick leave and parental leave, and pension provision – many of these rights are under threat in the current gig-economy already affecting universities.

UCU membership advantages include:

• UCU – your voice for university academic and academic-related staff
  Our union fees contribute to representation at a local and national level on professional and educational issues, influencing public debate on Higher Education through parliamentary lobbying and the national media and negotiating on wages and conditions. The more members we have, the stronger our voice and the more influence we can exert.
• UCU – your voice at Cardiff University
  Here at Cardiff UCU we represent the collective interests of all our members and exert influence on University decision-making. We work closely with other campus trade unions where appropriate and constantly seek to improve current conditions.
• UCU – your support at work
  Our union also offers members a comprehensive advice and support service. Issues at work need not be faced alone; our members have access to advice and representation provided by our local association, with additional support from the UCU’s regional and national resources, including access to the best legal advice available.
• UCU – training and development
  All UCU members are entitled to attend union training courses.

Join Cardiff UCU today – a union is only as strong as its membership. If you want to have a say about your workplace, then join us and get active.

You can cancel your membership whenever you like by cancelling your payments and letting us know, but please avoid treating the union membership as a service that you leave as soon as you’ve received support or as soon as you’re unhappy about something. It’s important that members stay members for as long as possible—you are the union and the union is its membership: without members and the dues payments, there is no union.

LOCAL SUBSCRIPTIONS 2025-2025

The subscriptions below are valid between 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025. Employment income band is before tax. Part-time staff pay pro-rata. The political fund is included by default, but members can opt-out.

Standard members:

Retired/ATtached Members

Unemployed attached membership is free for one year. The local rates for retired/attached members are £3.46 (including the political fund) and £3.42 (excluding the political fund).

Postgraduate members:

There are three types of membership that postgraduate students can have: Standard (Free or Paying); Postgraduate Researcher, and Student. You can read full details of these on UCU’s page here.