UCU members are currently involved in disputes over unsafe workloads, casualisation and equality failings, and USS pensions and pay. These issues are negotiated at a national level between representative bodies of Universities (e.g. UUK) and workers (e.g. UCU). Strikes are a legitimate tactic used by trade unions when they feel that the bodies they are negotiating with are not meeting their demands or making a reasonable compromise to resolve the issues they raise, and are generally seen as a last resort. 

On pay and working conditions, UCU argues that staff pay at Universities has dropped by over 25% in real-terms since 2009, meaning staff are being paid almost a quarter less than they would be if pay had kept pace with inflation (RPI) over this period. In addition, they argue staff’s working conditions have deteriorated, with increasing use of short-term, insecure or casual contracts which leave staff at risk, and excessive workloads which impact staff wellbeing. 

The ballot over pensions comes after employer body UUK voted to cut thousands of pounds from the retirement benefits of university staff, an action that most detrimentally affects members of university staff at the beginning of their careers. UCU believes the cuts were not necessary and can now be revoked.

Strike action has been confirmed as taking place on the following days:

• Thursday 24 November
• Friday 25 November
• Wednesday 30 November

Staff will also begin industrial action short of strike action from Wednesday 23 November, which includes working to rule, refusing to make up work lost as a result of strike action and refusing to cover for absent colleagues.

Action short of a strike means that staff will not be doing any work beyond what is required to fulfil their contract; this includes not working extra hours, not covering for absent colleagues, not rescheduling lectures or classes cancelled due to strike action and not undertaking any voluntary activities. 

No, not all staff will be on strike. Some staff are members of other trade unions who have not secured a mandate to go on strike and so are not permitted to.  Lecturers do not have to notify the University before they go on strike so we cannot know exactly who will strike on any given day. In our experience, many lecturers will let you know if your teaching is going to be cancelled.

On Thursday 24 November and Wednesday 30 November, it is planned that members of UNISON (usually professional services staff) will also be on strike, so there may be greater levels of disruption.

A picket line is a boundary established by staff on strike, especially at the entrance to the place of work, which striking staff ask others not to cross. It is likely that you will see picket lines outside some University buildings on strikes days, with staff holding placards, handing out campaign materials and talking to students and staff about their cause. In our experience they are peaceful and friendly demonstrations, so please don’t feel like there is anything to be nervous about if you see them.

If you are thinking about making a complaint, we would encourage you to wait to see how the University responds to the impact of the strike first. This is so you can explain why the arrangements that have been made have not mitigated the impact on your studies.

If you are unsure about what arrangements have been put in place, you can contact your School Office, but please bear in mind that some mitigations will only be applied later in the year. You can see more guidance on how Universities are expected to respond here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-students/student-rights-and-welfare/student-guide-to-industrial-action/

If you do decide to make a complaint, the SU’s independent Academic advice service is on hand to help you. Our advisers can give you information about the complaint process and feedback on draft complaint forms.

The SU will also be working with the University to decide where with-held pay will be spent, as well as lobbying to ensure that it is spent in the interest of students. Officers will work towards increasing transparency with regard to the expenditure of with-held pay.

Bristol SU will be working with the University to decide where withheld pay will be spent, as well as lobbying to ensure that it is spent in the interest of students. Officers will work towards increasing transparency with regard to the expenditure of with-held pay.

Withheld pay from the 2021/22 industrial action was spent on a range of different areas to support students including:

• Reimbursing students for expenditure incurred as a result of industrial action 
• Library resources
• Increased study skills support
• Reducing costs related to physical activity (including Run series and 'Summer Six' memberships)
• Funding to a 2 year project to improve the provision and impact of Academic Societies
• Community building events and support for international students
• Harm reduction work and resources

Yes, Bristol SU supports our striking lecturers and postgraduate students who teach.

We released the following statement on anti-marketisation as part of our work in supporting the strikes:

Bristol SU stands against the marketisation of higher education, and we recognise the key role that it plays in causing the issues that university staff are striking over, as well as many of the issues currently faced by students. 

In 2010, following the release of the Browne Report, the Government voted to raise the cap on tuition fees from £3,290 a year to £9,000 a year. This move has had a detrimental impact on the higher education sector, with universities forced further into competition, which has changed education from a right to a commodity.  

We recognise that the rise in tuition fees has not only negatively impacted higher education institutions themselves, but it has also greatly harmed the student experience. Students have been forced into the position of consumers, and sector-wide issues on the subjects of wellbeing, housing, and community building have grown in severity and complexity.  

Going forward, we will be using our voice as a member of the National Union of Students (NUS) and Russell Group SUs to amplify and bring further attention to the issue, and fight for a democratised, demarketised, and decolonised education. We will challenge the University on mitigating the local impact, through addressing the need to continue improving wellbeing support, challenging the unsustainable expansion of the institution, and supporting student-staff solidarity.  

In November 2021 we took a motion to Student Council to hear from elected representatives about how students feel about the upcoming industrial action and to make sure we put student needs at the heart of our response. 

Results of the vote on our student council motion show that students have voted to pass the motion, with amendments. You can view the amended motion here. This is now active policy for three years.

A common way that you might be asked to show support to striking staff is to avoid “crossing picket lines” during the strike, e.g. by not attending teaching on strike days. The University advise that students who chose not to cross picket lines will need to take personal responsibility for the teaching and learning that they will be missing. We believe it is up to individual students to make up their minds about whether to cross picket lines, but will ensure that students are informed about this is as a way of supporting the strikes. 

Other ways that you can support striking staff are: 

• Join one of the picket lines, rallies or teach-outs led by UCU
• Like UCU Bristol on Facebook and attend any rallies or teach-outs that are advertised 
• Join UCU if you are a postgraduate student 
• Write to key decision-makers (e.g. the Vice Chancellor or UUK) highlighting your support for UCU’s demands and asking them to go back to the negotiating table 

As part of our policy on supporting Industrial Action, the SU will be making £175 available for students, in student-led initiatives, who choose to bolster University staff on the picket. 

If you would like to submit a bid, please contact: bristolsu-democracy@bristol.ac.uk 

UCU will be hosting picket lines on Thursday 24 November and Wednesday 30 November from 08:30am. On both days there will be a joint rally with members of UNISON outside the Victoria Rooms at 11:00.

Planned Teach-Outs

Thursday 24 November - The Cube, Dove St, BS2 8JD

11:00-12:00 : AGAINST THE EXPLOITATION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS w/Hannah Goodwin Sharman + Alex Kidd

12:00-13:00 : FOR TRANS HEALTHCARE w/ Trans LiberationFront + Ruth Day

13:00-13:30 : FREE LUNCH FROM STUDENT ACTIONBRISTOL

13:30-14.30 : DECRIMINALISE SEX WORK NOW w/ BristolSex Workers Collective + Katie Cruz

14:30-16:00 : REIMAGINING THE UNIVERSITY w/ Emma Crowley, Richard Pettigrew, Martin Parker Max Jones

16:00-17:30 : CAN ELECTORAL POLITICS SAVE US FROMCLIMATE DISASTER? W/ Oscar Berglund, ColinDavis + XR Youth

Friday 25 November - Hamilton House, Stokes Croft

13:00-14:00 : DISABILITY IN THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM w/ Izzy Russell

14:00-15:00 : HOW TO ORGANISE AND WIN W/ UOB Physics + Arts Post Graduate Researcher Organisers

15:00-16:00 : THE STUDENT HOUSING CRISIS w/ Student Tenants' Union, Bristol Student Housing Cooperative, Izzy Russell + Ruth Day

16:00-17:00 : LESSONS FOR REVOLUTIONARY YOUTH w/Kurdish Youth Movement

17:00-18:30 : NAVIGATING ABOLITION AFTER KILL THE BILL W/ Bristol Anti-Repression Campaign, Bristol Defendent Solidarity + Chris Rossdale

18:30 onwards - Drinks at The Bell, 16-18 Hillgrove St BS2 8JT
 

Only some lectures, seminars and tutorials will be cancelled due to strike action. Striking staff do not need to notify the University before they go on strike, so it is not possible to know in advance which teaching will be affected. In our experience, many striking staff will choose to let students know in advance if they are going to go on strike. We will be working with our network of course reps to look for ways that we can help disseminate any information about cancelled teaching to affected students. 

The university have taken a position that where lectures are cancelled due to the strike, lecture recordings will not be made available without permission of the lecturer. This supports the right of staff to take industrial action.

The SU are working to mitigate the impact of the strikes on student’s educational experience. If you have concerns about how the strikes are affecting your education, please speak to your Course Representative.   

Picket lines are likely to be peaceful and friendly. We know that UCU members appreciate the show of solidarity from students who choose not to cross the picket lines, e.g. by not attending teaching on strike days. If you do not cross the picket line, the University expects you to take personal responsibility for missed teaching and learning.  

Yes, all University buildings are planned to be open as usual.

Some student services staff may be members of UCU and on strike, but the services will generally remain open. If individual appointments are cancelled, you will usually receive an email to let you know in advance.

Your visa should not be affected by strikes. If your lecturers are on strike, you will be given an authorised absence with a note to say that your absence is due to strikes. If your lecturers are not on strike, attendance monitoring will continue as normal. We have asked the University to ensure they provide specific information to international students about the strikes, but if you have any questions please contact Student Visa Services at the University. 

If you have a viva that is scheduled for a strike day, the University should email you on an individual basis to let you know whether the viva will be taking place. You should assume that your viva will go ahead unless you hear otherwise.

Make sure you take time to de-stress and talk about what's bothering you with those around you. The student counselling service have lots of tools for relaxation and stress management that you can find here.

You may also want to speak to someone within the University and you can find details of the support available here: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/students/wellbeing/.

Bristol SU is working closely with University of Bristol staff to ensure that no student should be unfairly disadvantaged by the strike - for example, to make sure that students who have missed out on teaching can get changes or extensions to their assessments. If you feel that you have been unfairly impacted by the strikes, you can speak to one of our Academic Advice team who can advise you on how to tell the University about any extenuating circumstances, submit a complaint, or even appeal a final result.

To contact a member of the Bristol SU Academic Advice team, please email bristolsu-advice@bristol.ac.uk.

Student Expense Fund 

If you have experienced disruption due to the industrial action, you may be eligible to claim for out-of-pocket expenditure. 

Further details, including how to make a claim, can be found here.