The University of Sheffield has been a global leader in East Asian Studies since its inception as the national centre for modern Japanese Studies in 1963. Korean Studies was introduced in 1979 and maintained as a small, specialist unit until the boom in interest in Korea over the last decade has seen an explosion in student and research interest. Chinese Studies also has a multi-decade history of excellence in teaching and research at Sheffield. And increasing numbers of our staff work across linguistic and other divisions to consider relations across and beyond the region. Increased student numbers, particularly at postgraduate level, along with growth in research income has also seen a slow, but persistent, growth in staffing. This has begun to compensate for long standing inequalities in staff-student ratios that saw EAS having the lowest staffing levels per student in the university for many years. We now have a team of about fifty academic, teaching and research staff working across the region and covering many major disciplines from the humanities and social sciences, including political economy, literature, history, international relations, anthropology, sociology, language pedagogy and film and media studies. We also have a wide range of partners from industry to government to the arts and community sectors. This makes Sheffield the largest and most diverse concentration of East Asia expertise in the UK, and one of the most significant in Europe.  That diversity also provides a unique platform for investment and growth to sustain our position as one of the major centres of East Asia expertise globally, should university leaders see the unique potential of Sheffield’s strengths. Learning about East Asia has merits on its own terms - greater cultural competency, deepening knowledge of rich and diverse cultures and societies and so on - but is also a key priority for governments of all stripes. As the University of Sheffield was finalising plans to reduce capacity, the UK Prime Minister was announcing plans to grow the UK's capacity in the Indo-Pacific. This follows on increased funding to build China capacity across the UK, and live plans to renew policy in relation to various countries of East Asia, which Sheffield staff have and will continue to inform. Reducing capacity now will make Sheffield less able to play the leading role it has played for many years in important areas of life that are deeply important to British society - from politics to culture.  In the School of East Asian Studies, we taught a record 500 masters' students in the academic year 2023-24 and have nearly 300 masters' students enrolled on degrees and modules in the current year. Many of these are international students. Sheffield is proud of its place as home of the #weareinternational campaign and the university must deliver on this message in the content of its scholarship as well as in student experience. We believe ​t​hat radical reductions in capacity ​c​reate significant ​r​isks to Sheffield's world leading reputation in East Asian Studies, our deep and meaningful partnerships in the region and beyond, and the future of East Asia expertise in the UK​.​ In a world that is potentially both more connected and more uncertain, we must cherish the area expertise that allows us to meet global challenges.  ​I​n this difficult year for universities across the UK, we must not lose sight of our core mission: to understand the world better, and to communicate that understanding. We need ​t​o recognise that the future success of the University of Sheffield relies on a strong East Asian Studies, and that East Asian Studies globally needs a strong University of Sheffield.

Bank staff at RDaSH have resisted the move to NHSP for sometime, as opposed to other trusts who have gradually moved onto NHSP over the past few years. Staff forced onto NHSP contracts are now seeing their rights eroded. NHSP have not been awarded the lump sum and members have no way of challenging this. WHY? Because NHSP do not negotiate with trade unions! NHSP is preferred by trusts as it saves the them money, it does this by paying less to the bank staff. So, if you want to do any overtime you will be forced to sign onto NHSP and then get paid less than you would get for your substantive post. Imagine working on bank alongside a colleague on a substantive post, doing the same job but being paid less! Pay and conditions are protected by keeping the bank contracts with RDaSH, plain and simple! We need to fight and say no NSHP!

Edinburgh City Council faces a £76m funding black hole and we have seen over many years now, the devastating impact of austerity and cuts to council budgets and the threat to democratic accountability. Local government is under pressure as never before.

The more support we have the more we tell the businesses that we value our retail workers and their safety and general health without pushing them so hard they become ill.

Key workers are getting this country through the pandemic. They headed out to work when the rest of the country stayed at home – putting themselves and their families at risk. It’s time to end the low pay and insecure work that leave many of these workers struggling, and make sure every key worker gets a payrise. The coronavirus crisis demonstrated how much we all owe to all our key workers - healthcare staff, care workers, retail and delivery workers, public transport workers, teachers and support staff, cleaners, energy workers and so many others. But the fact is, many of these workers - an estimated two million - are on the national minimum wage. And many are in insecure work, employed on zero hours contracts with poor terms and conditions. The government can raise the minimum wage. It can use its powers to ban zero hours contracts. And it directly sets the wages of four million key workers in the public sector. It’s time for ministers to act – and give all our key workers the payrise they have earned. Ministers turned up to clap for key workers every Thursday during the lockdown. Now is the time for them to show their support again.

We have had an HR1 issued and do not have any trained work representatives

Refuse workers are working three or four to a cab, with no social distancing measures, a lack of hand cleaner & no additional protective equipment, putting themselves and the public at risk of Coronavirus. Additionally staff with serious conditions, such as cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), have been told they will only get statutory sick pay whilst self-isolating. Please sign this petition and support your refuse workers.