Everything you need to know about the upcoming strike action

Cameron Scheijde -

With staff strike action set to start on Thursday over a pensions dispute between the University and College Union (UCU) and Universities UK, keep up to date with our guide.

When is the strike action happening?
Thursday 22 – Friday 23 February 2018 (two consecutive days)
Monday 26 – Wednesday 28 February 2018 (three consecutive days)
Monday 5 – Thursday 8 March 2018 (four consecutive days)
Monday 12 – Friday 16 March 2018 (five consecutive days)

Dependent on whether UCU’s demands are met, the strike action could last longer or end sooner.

Action could be extended to disrupt exams and graduation ceremonies if the dispute isn't solved, with Sally Hunt, UCU's General Secretary, telling The Guardian: 'We are keeping the channels of communication open. There is no sign they intend to shift. There will be significant strike action from Thursday. It will be ongoing until we find a resolution.'

Action short of a strike will commence on the 22nd February and may continue up to June 19th.

What is happening?
Across the country, staff at 61 universities are planning to strike. Following a successful ballet which saw 90.5% of Bristol UCU members vote ‘yes’ to a strike, action will also take place in Bristol. There are around 7000 members of staff at Bristol, but not all are members of UCU and some UCU members may not take part in strike action. It is not yet clear the extent of action as staff members are not required to inform management of their decision to strike.

On strike days, striking staff members will not attend scheduled teaching, consultation hours, assessments, reply to emails or mark work. They are encouraged by UCU not to reschedule teaching in order to cause maximum disruption. A main picket line is to be set up from 8am outside Senate House, and members will march to Wills Memorial Building for a rally.

Action short of a strike is a continuous action and means UCU members will work to contract but will not undertake voluntary duties, cover for absent colleagues and will not reschedule teaching cancelled due to strike action. The University of Bristol have said: ‘We have asked staff who are working to contract in this way to prioritise student wellbeing support activities (including personal tutoring) and the preparation and delivery of teaching, coursework assessment, marking and feedback activities.’

The university have also said they are expecting student-facing services, such as libraries and the careers service, to remain open.

Staff will not be paid for days they strike. In an email sent to all staff from the University of Bristol’s HR department and leaked to Epigram, it is stated staff members who strike are being regarded as having breached their contract and the university will withhold 100% salary, at a daily rate of 1/365th of the annual salary.

For action short of strike, the university will withhold 25% of pay at a daily rate of 1/365 of annual salary. The university add: ‘The payment of the remaining 75% of salary is discretionary and is conditional on all other contractual responsibilities and attendance commitments being met.’

In the email, the University also say: ‘The action has the potential to have a serious adverse effect on our students and the reputation of our institution. We also consider that this impact would increase over time, particularly if the action continues for several weeks.’

Why is strike action happening?

Pensions given to Higher Education (HE) staff are currently under a system of Defined Benefit - the payouts given to staff are guaranteed.

The changes, proposed by Universities UK (UUK), the employers' Union, have been proposed in order to combat the pension scheme (USS)'s financial difficulties. The change is to a Defined Contribution scheme, so the payouts will be more dependent on market conditions.

Talks between UUK and the UCU broke down after the failure to find an agreement, which has resulted in staff taking industrial action.

UUK say 'Difficult economic conditions mean the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) pension scheme must address significant funding challenges: there’s a £6.1 billion deficit, which coupled with a one-third increase in the cost of future pension benefits means it would cost an additional £1 billion annually to afford the current benefits. Without changes, universities could struggle to pay state pensions in the future without diverting money from teaching towards pensions'

They continue: 'To avoid this, universities have proposed changes to make the scheme secure and sustainable'

The UCU say that these changes will have an impact that will leave a typical lecturer £10,000 worse off in retirement.

The School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies (SPAIS) emailed all students will an open letter, saying why their staff are striking:

'There is no justification for this pension attack. By any normal commercial measure, USS’s finances are strong. None of us want to strike. We want to teach our students and provide you with the education that you deserve. The NUS has also voted to support the strike.

'As lecturers of Sociology, Politics and International studies, we encourage all of our students to think critically about the world we live in, and to stand up for what they believe is right. We are committed to practicing what we teach, and protecting employment conditions in higher education is essential'

Tracey Hooper, President of the University of Bristol's UCU Branch, said:

'No one takes strike action lightly, but when Bristol UCU members are faced with a 40% cut to expected retirement income, then the choice is stark. USS is in rude health; it supports top quality researchers and teachers: UUK must return to the negotiating table and secure decent income in retirement for all Higher Education staff.'

What is the potential impact of strike action on students?
Currently, the university are advising students to attend all of their teaching as normal unless advised otherwise. As staff members are not required to tell management they are striking, students may not always be informed in advance of any cancellations.

All assessments and exams are currently expected to take place as planned. Strike action will not count as extenuating circumstances, but the university have said ‘If any courses are affected by strike action we will address this on a unit-by-unit basis, not via individual extenuating circumstances claims’.

Despite a student petition that demands compensation for strike action, the university ‘do not plan to provide financial reimbursement for any specific missed teaching sessions due to industrial action. Tuition fees relate to your education as a whole, including the other services and facilities that you receive as a student, and not to individual teaching sessions.’

What have the University of Bristol said?
Professor Judith Squires, Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of Bristol, sent out an email to all students on the 12th February with details about the strike action. In the email, is it stated: ‘Remember that it is your responsibility to keep up with your studies to the best of your ability.' The email finishes: ‘we support the right of our staff to take strike action and make their voices heard. We know that they will not have taken this decision lightly as they are dedicated staff who want to provide the best possible teaching and support for all their students.’

It is not yet clear what action the university will take to mitigate the impact of strike action on students.

What have the SU said?
Bristol SU have come out in support of strike action in a statement released on February 14th. On Twitter, Mason Ammar, Undergraduate Education Officer, said ‘Bristol SU will wholeheartedly support our lecturers and academics who are striking. It is so important that students get behind this by attending the rally, voting to renew the policy at AMM and by not crossing picket lines!’ There is due to be a motion discussed at the upcoming AMM that will decide the degree of support the SU will offer staff.

What have students said?
A survey conducted by Epigram found that 80% of students appear to support the upcoming strike action, although many were angry by the lack of communication from the university about potential disruption. One respondent wrote: ‘I support the strike action because I think it’s incredibly unfair that the staff are losing out on their pensions when the higher paid staff such as the vice chancellors are better off.’

Related article: Bristol staff and students give their opinions on the upcoming strike action

Others agreed with the dispute, but questioned the methods used: ‘The staff dispute is valid but is with their pensions provider, not the students, so the student shouldn’t suffer. I will be writing to feed department for the refund on hours of teaching missed which adds up to around £600.’

Although in the minority in the survey, some student respondents disagreed entirely with the action: ‘Completely unacceptable. I pay £9000 a year for tuition, not to subsidise tutors to go on strike’ and another stressed the strikes were ‘very disruptive to student learning’.

Students at the University of Bristol have also created a petition demanding compenstion for the strike, while many are sending emails through the UCU site to Vice-Chancellor Hugh Brady with the intention of putting pressure on Bristol encourage UUK to reopen negotiations to end the strike.

Featured Image: Facebook / Univerisity and College Union

By Alex Boulton and Cameron Scheijde

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