Strike Action: What you need to know
Welcome to the LUU strike action updates page
This page provides up to date information from LUU around the current strike action. Your Exec, Help and Support Team and Academic Engagement Team are here to help answer your questions below. Any further questions you might have can be directed to your Exec or our Help and Support Team – email them at helpandsupport@luu.leeds.ac.uk
What is the strike?
Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at Leeds have voted to take industrial action over pension cuts, pay and working conditions, along with staff at dozens of other universities across the UK. UNISON has also balloted its members regarding pay and pensions and announced that it will also be taking action.
UCU is asking for pension cuts to be revoked, as well as for universities to improve pay and commit to action on casualisation, workload and equality pay gaps – what UCU calls its ‘four fights’. To achieve this, the industrial action will include walkouts (strikes), as well as ‘action short of strike’ where staff will work strictly to their contract and not take on additional duties during the industrial action mandate.
The University has made pledges to tackle the three of these four issues which can be improved at university level – you can find out more on the Fairer Future For All page.
UNISON members at 10 higher education institutions have voted to take industrial action on the current year’s pay offer and pensions. At Leeds, UNISON members are taking action due to changes to their pension and the recent pay offer from the University.
Latest updates
Following periods of strike action in December 2021 and February-March 2022 and the achievement of a new mandate, UCU has announced it will continue strike action and action short of strike (ASOS) starting 23 May. This will include a further 10 days of strike action and a marking and assessment boycott, which is reported to be the first UK-wide boycott of this kind in over a decade. The mandate is based on ongoing disputes regarding USS pensions and pay and working conditions
What does the strike action mean for me?
During strike action, members of academic and professional staff who are members of UCU will not work on these days, and there may be picket lines on campus. Staff don’t need to tell the University if they plan to go on strike in advance of the action.
During ASOS striking staff will be working to their contracted hours only, which means they will not work outside of these hours or cover additional duties, such as for other staff who are on annual leave or off sick. The marking and assessment boycott will mean that striking staff will refuse to complete any marking or assessment of students’ work. You should still continue to submit your work on time however as the marking boycott only affects the marking of your submissions and not the collecting of assessments.
Not all teaching staff are members of the UCU. Your timetable and assessments therefore might not be affected, but if they are, the relevant member of teaching staff should contact you following the strike action to let you know how any teaching or marking will be provided.
We are encouraging the University to keep you as up to date as possible and will be asking your School Reps to feedback on the various communications being shared with you so we can make sure you have the information you need. If you have any concerns, contact your school or programme support team in the first instance.
Remember it’s important to check your University email and other University platforms to make sure you have up-to-date information about any rescheduled sessions and activities, so you are able to attend all the sessions that are rescheduled after the strike period.
If after doing this you have any concerns or are uncertain about what to do next, contact our Help and Support team.
The University’s priority during this time will be minimising disruption to students, and at LUU we continue to encourage you to share your views and concerns with us which we will use to influence discussions with the University and UCU.
How students can share their views
As your students’ union, LUU is here to represent your views and interests. It’s important to us that the stance we take represents the views and concerns of as many of our students as possible, and to make that happen it’s vital that we hear your opinions, whether you are supportive or unsupportive of the strike action, or just have concerns about your University experience.
There are loads of ways that you can feed in your views, opinions, questions and concerns around the strike action as a Leeds student. These include drop-in sessions with Exec Officers for students at all levels, including Postgraduate Researchers, and communication with your School Rep, who will have been invited to an assembly on the matter and will be able to discuss this with you after the event.
Watch Scott, LUU’s former Head of Academic Engagement, as he provides a simple overview of the UCU strike action, including an explanation of what a strike is and why UCU are taking this action, our response, and the support available to you.
This video is intended to provide students with a baseline understanding of the situation, to enable them to engage in discussions and to access relevant support and information.
Union Affairs and Communications Officer Aysha also chatted to LSR earlier this year alongside UCU and the University about the strike action, our position and how you can contact us and find information. Listen on Spotify now.
Common FAQs
LUU is committed to supporting all of its members, and ensuring that students have all the right information, as well as to hearing your views and concerns. Visit our ‘Have your say’ page to discover all your options for sharing your views.
You can find out more about the strike action on the Leeds UCU site, and the University’s guidance and updates here.
Unfortunately the impact of strikes on teaching will not be accepted as a reason for mitigating circumstances as a single issue.
However, if the strike has exacerbated an existing issue that was previously reported, please contact your Parent School to let them know about the changes. You can find details on how to apply for mitigating circumstances here, plus other FAQs on mitigating circumstances on this page.
If you are unable to resolve the issues you are experiencing at School level, you can make a complaint using the University’s Student Complaints Procedure.
You may be able to claim compensation if your teaching has been significantly disrupted by the strike action. These claims require a high level of evidence, so come and speak to LUU Help & Support about your case – we encourage students to consult LUU before seeking legal advice.
Please note that you cannot claim compensation just because lectures and seminars have been missed.
Yes. As part of your School’s attendance policy, throughout any strike action you are expected to attend all sessions. If you experience any problems with attendance, speak to your School in the first instance, but if this doesn’t resolve the issue feel free to contact LUU Help & Support.
Help and Support
Over on Knowledge Owl, our 24/7 self-help tool, you can find all our frequently asked questions about strike action at Leeds. Covering everything from compensation to PGR pay and visas, this page is your first port of call for questions on strikes. If you still have concerns after reading the FAQs, just get in touch with the Help & Support team.
We know the disruption of strike action can be stressful for students – if you’re struggling, why not join one of our free wellbeing sessions like meditation or relaxation? You can see what’s on here. As ever, we’re here to support you no matter the issue. Just get in touch if we can help at helpandsupport@luu.leeds.ac.uk.
Academic Engagement Team
During the strike action you may wish to contact your Course or School Rep – to find out more about what discussions are being had within your School or programme.
Who is my School Rep?
To find out who your School Rep is and how to contact them, please use the Find My Rep tool.
I’m not sure who best to contact in my School?
If you’d like to get in touch with your School but are not sure who best to speak to, our Academic Engagement Team can point you in the right direction. Contact us at: academicsupport@luu.leeds.ac.uk
