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ucuRISING strike dates

UCU Rising - winning the dispute

8 November 2022

Following our historic ballot result and a meeting of the union's Higher Education Committee (HEC), I can today confirm that we have served notice to the employers that we will be taking strike action on:

  • Thursday 24 November
  • Friday 25 November
  • Wednesday 30 November (with a national demonstration at Kings Cross in London)

Alongside this we will be commencing ASOS (Action Short of a Strike) to commence on Wednesday 23 November (Friday 18 November in Northern Ireland). This means that we are asking all of you to:

  • work to contract (meaning that you only fulfil the duties explicitly expressed in your contract)
  • not undertake voluntary activities
  • not cover for absent colleagues
  • refuse to reschedule classes missed due to industrial action
  • remove materials for classes that would have taken place on strike days from online learning platforms.

We have not taken the decision to call this action lightly. I know that you will all be making financial and emotional sacrifices to take part in this action. We know that you are all committed to education and that taking strike action is your last resort. For those who need it the union's fighting fund will be available, with more information to be circulated shortly.

The job of every single UCU member now is to build the strike. You can do this by:

  1. asking every colleague to join the union. Next week is Join the Union Week with every branch focused on building our union
  2. making sure the picket lines at your workplace are bigger and more vibrant than ever
  3. attending the national demonstration at Kings Cross in London on 30 November.

Our message to the employers for these three days is very clear - put a proper offer on the table or this is just the start of our fight back. If negotiations are not where we want them to be by the new year, then the HEC has authorised us to take escalating action including a marking and assessment boycott.

This strike will be like no other we have called before. The ballot was different, the action will be different, the result will be different.

The longer the picker line, the shorter the dispute.

In solidarity

Jo Grady
UCU general secretary

Last updated: 8 November 2022