No UCU strike action next week at Bristol

By Roya Shahidi, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Bristol UCU has announced that there will be no campus picket lines or any other similarly ‘disruptive’ action next week.

UCU had previously announced that there would be five days of strike action from Monday 25th to Friday 29th September.

However, due to a previous agreement with the University regarding the Marking and Assessment boycott, Bristol UCU has to ‘minimize any disruption during any period of targeted strike action.'

This means that the previously planned strike action would not have affected most teaching.

In a statement released yesterday, Bristol UCU confirmed that 'this embeds and secures the local progress to date, as to be evidenced in the forthcoming joint statement and local pay structure negotiations with our fellow campus unions.'

On a local level, like Bristol, other UCU branches are also in the process of deciding whether to continue with industrial action at the end of this month.

However, at a national level, the 5-day strike has not been called off.

UCU members will vote from today on whether to renew the strike action mandate.

A University of Bristol spokesperson said: 'We are really pleased that Bristol UCU has decided not to take part in the national industrial action planned for later this month.'

'We remain committed to continuing conversations and discussions with our union colleagues on issues that are of concern to them.'

There will be a joint statement from Bristol UCU and the University of Bristol coming soon.

Do you think UCU members will vote to renew strike action again?