The UCU Congress 2026 was successfully held between 27 and 29 May in the beautiful surrounds of Harrogate, North Yorkshire. 
As in previous years, CODIR was invited to organise exhibition stand of its material and engage with interested participants at Congress. Once more, CODIR partnered with Liberation (formerly known as the Movement for Colonial Freedom, established in 1954) to which it has long been affiliated and had a colourful and vibrant set-up in the exhibition space. 
Hundreds of Congress delegates visited the exhibition stand and were keen to learn more about the current vital struggle in Iran against the US-Israeli war launched against that country, how it impacts upon the ordinary civilians trying to get by inside Iran, the ongoing courageous struggle of Iranian trade unionists, as well as ways in which they can effectively show solidarity with their trade union counterparts inside Iran. 
We were delighted to receive Dr. Jo Grady, General Secretary of the UCU, at our stand. This followed on the back of an interesting discussion between herself and Jamshid Ahmadi, CODIR’s Assistant General Secretary, on the particular impact of the war on Iran on the country’s universities and already-beleaguered education sector. Indeed, she was horrified to note that at least 31 university campuses across Iran have been extensively bombed, while four major universities in Tehran and Esfahan have been razed to the ground, during the campaign of wanton aggression launched by Washington and Tel Aviv since the 28 February and expressed her unequivocal support for CODIR’s continued work going forward. 
We believe that the overall positive reception and goodwill towards CODIR is a continuation of the tradition of particularly strong support for our organisation throughout its existence from the UCU, its predecessor unions, and trade unionists in Britain’s higher education sector, a support we continue to cherish, very much value, and endeavour to build upon.