How will strikes impact me?
How will strikes impact me?
You may experience disruption to your studies during the strikes.
Striking staff will not teach their lectures, seminars or tutorials, nor will they respond to any email they receive.
Staff who are not part of the UCU may also stand in solidarity with their colleagues and choose to not cross the picket line at the entrance to campus as a symbolic message of support.
You may not know whether your lectures will be cancelled until the day of the strikes. You can ask their tutors about potential disruption to their classes, but striking staff have no legal obligation to confirm their plans to work or to not work.
Some teaching staff may share learning materials or reschedule learning, but they are not obligated to do this. If your classes are not rescheduled, you could be missing out on hundreds-of-pounds worth of education.
We don’t think that’s fair. Your lecturers don’t think that’s fair either. They don’t want to have to strike, but workplace conditions have pushed them to the point they feel the need to take action.
We are working to support you by campaigning to find an immediate resolution between the University and UCU striking staff to ensure you don’t miss out on any more learning.
I’m worried the strikes will affect my studies. What should I do?
We understand this may cause a significant amount of anxiety, stress and worry for some students. You might feel angry or confused. As your Students’ union, we will remain on campus to support you in any way we can through this time of uncertainty.
Our Advice Team will also be open from 9am - 5pm every weekday should you need confidential and independent advice on any issues affecting you. If you wish to speak to one of our advisors, book an appointment here.
Elsewhere, you can make a direct complaint to the University.
How do I make a complaint?
If you believe that your studies may be affected by industrial action, you should speak to your personal tutor or course leader leaders to enquire what the department is doing to ensure their studies any impact on study is minimised.
If you have spoken to your course leader and you still believe that your studies have been affected, you can submit a complaint to the university. Information about the university complaints procedure can be found here.
When making a complaint, you will first need to email your personal tutor or course leader outlining how you have been affected, and ask them what the department is doing to minimise disruption. You can title your email subject line with "Stage 1 Complaint".
If you have already spoken to your course leader or personal tutor to try to resolve the matter informally, you are able to go direct to the stage 2 formal complaint by completing the complaint form and drafting a statement.
Your statement should clearly outline:
- How your studies have been affected
- The steps you took to try to resolve the matter informally (speaking to your course leader)
- What you would like to see as an acceptable outcome to your complaint
The EHSU Advice Team can provide guidance on the University complaints procedure. If you have already spoken to your personal tutor or course leader and would like some extra guidance, please book an appointment with one of our advisors. Our advisors are independent from the university and have your best interests at the core of their service.
Can I escalate my complaint?
If you have exhausted all options for resolving a complaint internally, you may be able to escalate your complaint with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA).
The OIA is an independent body that reviews complaints at higher education instutions in the UK. You can find out about the outcome of some of their cases here.
You should read the OIA FAQs page to find out more about your rights as a student.
Remember: you must attempt to resolve your complaint internally before pursuing a case with the OIA.
