Following on from the announcement from UAL UCU that they are taking part in the UCU Strikes from the 25th to the 29th of September, your Officer team felt that it was appropriate to inform our members of what is happening, and how they may be affected by the current ongoing industrial action.

What is happening at UAL?  

Since Wednesday 23 November 2022, members of the University and College Union (UCU) in 145 universities across the UK including UAL have been pursuing Action Short of Strike (ASOS). This has included not covering for absent colleagues or not extending work beyond contracted time and teaching role. From Thursday 20 April to 6th September, this also included a Marking and Assessment Boycott (MAB). There is a national UCU strike from 25-29th September, which UAL-UCU academic staff members will be participating in. 

Why is this happening and what is UAL-UCU’s stance? 

UCU members voted 'yes' to industrial action in two national ballots over disputes about pay and working conditions as well as pension cuts. The negotiations around resolving these were interrupted earlier this year, which is why continuing action was taken through the Marking and Assessment Boycott. The upcoming strikes are a continuation of these ongoing national disputes. 

UAL-UCU have told us that their immediate concerns throughout this period of industrial action are ensuring a managed, safe and fair process following the end of the Marking and Assessment Boycott and supporting UAL staff currently at risk of redundancy in relation to changes to contracts for Hourly Paid Lecturers. UAL-UCU have stated that they are acting in solidarity with all University staff who are trying to survive this latest cost of living crisis. 

You can find more in-depth information regarding the industrial action at our Strike Hub. 

What is UAL’s response?  

UAL have said that they are committed to ensuring a work environment where all staff feel valued and are treated fairly and with respect. UAL said that in regards to the two immediate concerns raised that they recognise and respect the right of staff to take lawful industrial action but have to respond to action taken, to minimise the potential negative impact on students. In regards to the staff at risk of redundancy, UAL have said that they are working with UCU and Hourly Paid Lecturers regarding their annual recontraction process for this academic year, and are working with those affected on an individual basis and supporting those that have contractual changes.

How will this impact students? 

UCU staff members at UAL who are partaking in the strikes will not be working in this period. Students may experience their classes, tutorials, lectures and other teaching being cancelled or postponed during this time and will not be able to access striking staff in a working capacity. There will be picket lines on rotation at different UAL sites, with some staff holding talks and teachouts, which is informal teaching taking place outside of the University. It is important that students note the legalities of joining picket lines, which can be found here. 

Students should also note that not all academic staff at UAL are part of UCU, so there is a chance that they will not experience a high impact from the strikes.  

UAL have stated that their priority is to mitigate the impact of any industrial action on our students. Course teams will let students know of any changes to timetables or assessments as a result of the industrial action, but this is not a legal requirement. UAL have stated that they will not be accepting teach-outs as a replacement for planned teaching for students and will ask for any missed teaching to be rescheduled.

You can read UAL’s FAQ article page regarding industrial action at the university here. 

What is the Students’ Union’s stance? 

During a referendum at our Annual Members' Meeting in November 2021, students voted to support strike action taken by UCU UAL staff members. Part of that resolution included an agreement to work with UCU and UAL to lobby UCEA to resolve the disputes and therefore end the current industrial action, with the aim of minimising the impact of action on the educational experience.  

How can students get involved? 

Students who wish to show support to UCU staff can write to James Purnell, Vice Chancellor and President of UAL, and call on him to to work with UCU to resolve this dispute as soon as possible. You can write to him at j.purnell@arts.ac.uk.  

Students can also join the picket lines in solidarity, but we highly encourage students to very carefully read through the legalities of joining them.  

If you are affected by the industrial action being taken, you can also submit a complaint to the University regarding your circumstances. Please see our Strike Hub for more information on this, and please note that you can also reach out to our Advice Team at advice@su.arts.ac.uk for assistance and advice on this. 

Other concerns and questions 

Your course remains the best source of information about how you may be directly affected, so please contact your course team if you have specific questions as all arrangements made by UAL to mitigate your circumstances will be course-specific. You can also reach out to the Arts SU Advice Team for any other support queries, as stated above. 

Students who are also teaching staff (e.g PhD students who teach as part of their PhD programme) can apply for the UAL Hardship Fund through the Dean of Students if their pay is affected by participating in the strikes. Find out more about UAL's cost of living support.

What actions will your Officers be taking? 

We have spoken with the Dean of Students, Mark Crawley, to understand what the university is planning to do to mitigate the impact of the strikes on students, as outlined above.  

We spoke with some of the UAL-UCU branch staff to hear in detail the purpose of the strikes and to discuss their plan of action, so that we could better understand and inform our students about it. We have suggested that they write a direct public statement outlining to students what is happening and why they have chosen to participate, so that students can have a better understanding of the dispute.

We will be calling on UAL to resolve this issue as quickly as possible, and lobby for James Purnell to resolve the dispute. 

We will continue to stay up to date with UAL and UAL UCU so that we can inform the student body of any changes or further action.  

— Written by Sophia Nasif on behalf of your 2023/24 Officer Team