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Essentials The Important Stuff UCU Industrial strike action

6 March 2023

UCU announce additional strike day on 15 March


The University and College Union (UCU) has announced a further strike day on Wednesday 15 March, following a pause in industrial action as negotiations take place.
 
The additional day of action means the next and final block of strike action this month will now consist of six consecutive days, commencing on Wednesday 15 March and ending on Wednesday 22 March.

This action is part of the ongoing dispute in the sector regarding pay and USS pension arrangements, and follows the last round of industrial action in November 2022. You can find out more about what strike and Action Short of Strike mean in the following information.

We understand that you may be concerned about the possible impact of this action.  We are committed to taking all reasonable steps to ensure that any disruption is kept to a minimum.

Key points

  • Not all members of staff take part in industrial action, and some students will face little or no impact.
  • There is a possibility your teaching activities could be cancelled with or without notice, but you should assume that your teaching is taking place on strike days unless you are told otherwise. We have seen in the past that most teaching goes ahead as normal.
  • Schools will arrange to reschedule or provide opportunities to meet your learning objectives in the case of cancelled teaching and associated content/materials.
  • We expect that the Support Centres, Library, cafes and other facilities on campus will remain open.
  • You should attend any appointments with teams such as the Student Welfare Team, Counselling & Wellbeing, Disability Advisory Service, Careers etc. as planned, unless you are notified in advance that these have been re-scheduled.
  • Asynchronous online materials will continue to be available to support your learning.
  • Although members of staff are not obliged to tell us in advance if they plan to take action, we are putting in place a number of measures outlined below to help minimise the impact you may face.

 QUICK LINKS & FORMS

  • Impact of Strike Action on Academic Performance form
  • Reporting cancelled teaching sessions form
  • Travel expenses form (word)
  • RUSU advice service

About the industrial action

What is the industrial action about?

The current industrial action forms part of a national dispute affecting more than 60 UK universities, not just the University of Reading. It arises out of an ongoing dispute between the UCU, a trade union of which some of our academic and professional services staff are members, and university employers about proposed reform to pension arrangements.

UCU members are exercising their lawful right to take industrial action, following a ballot of members.

What is strike action?

Strike action is when staff refuse to work for a defined period. At universities, this includes not doing any work-related activity, such as teaching students, marking coursework, attending meetings, sending emails related to work and carrying out administrative tasks. It also includes not preparing for work scheduled after the member returns from strike. 

Striking staff may create a picket line by standing outside their workplace to tell people why they are taking part in industrial action and ask them not to cross the line.

What is Action Short of Strike (ASOS)? 

Whereas full strike action involves not working entirely for a defined period, Action Short of Strike means continuing to work but not doing some activities. 

The UCU has advised that it defines ASOS in this period of action to be working to contract - that means not doing any voluntary work outside their contractual duties.

What we are doing to support you and minimise disruption

Cancelled teaching session form

Please complete the cancelled teaching form if your class or other teaching activity does not go ahead on a strike day.

Staff do not have to tell the University in advance if they plan to strike, so we will not know in advance what classes will be cancelled. Letting us know that your teaching did not take place helps us to ensure that cancelled teaching is made up or learning is provided in other ways.

Impact of Strike on Academic Performance

If you feel you have been academically disadvantaged as a result of industrial action, please complete the Impact of Strike Action on Academic Performance form.

This includes for postgraduate research students who are undertaking taught modules as part of your PhD Programme Specification.

Read more detail on the Impact of Strike on Academic Performance Process.

Making up for cancelled teaching

Any teaching that is cancelled during the strike action will be made up for in several ways. You can find more information about different ways this can be done in the FAQs below.

Travel expenses form

If you paid to travel to campus on a day of strike action and all your scheduled teaching that day was cancelled with no prior warning, please complete the travel expenses claim form (Word version) where you can submit a claim to be reimbursed for these travel costs.  We will ask to see evidence of the costs incurred, or details of mileage where applicable with information about your journey. We recommend that you wait until the end of the planned action.

Keeping you informed

We will keep you updated as further information becomes available. Please continue to check your University email account, the UoR Student app and Me@Reading regularly for the latest information.

Who to contact?

For factual information about what is happening please email StudentFirstResponse@reading.ac.uk.

If you want to know if a specific class will take place, please ask the member of staff due to teach it, but please remember staff do not have to tell you if they intend to participate in industrial action,

If you are worried about the impact on your studies as a whole, you can also contact your Academic Tutor to discuss.

For independent and confidential advice, you can also contact the free advice service from RUSU Advice.

Students with a disability or specific learning difficulties worried about the impact of strike action should talk to your lecturer or your Academic Tutor/supervisor as soon as possible so that we can understand your concern and identify what action needs to be taken.

Postgraduate research students affected by the strike action should speak with your School Director of Postgraduate Research Studies in the first instance, or the Graduate School.

FAQs

    What will happen on strike days?

    On strike days, those members of staff who are choosing to participate will not be working. The impact of this will vary across Schools, with some facing minimal or no disruption. You should assume that your teaching is taking place on strike days unless you are specifically told otherwise. We have seen in the past that most teaching goes ahead as normal. 

     

    There may be picket lines at some of the major University entrances on strike days. This may involve small groups of staff with banners and placards speaking to people about the dispute and handing out information about the strike.  Most University staff will be working on campus as normal and you should not be at all worried about walking past the picket line.

    How will I know if any of my classes will be cancelled on the days of the strikes?

    We do not know in advance as colleagues do not need to disclose if they intend to take part in the industrial action.

    It is really important to note that not all members of staff take part in industrial action, so you should attend all scheduled activities as normal, including online sessions, unless you have been advised otherwise by a member of staff. 

    You can ask your individual lecturers or tutors about their plans, but please understand that they do not have to provide you with this information. We also recommend that you regularly check your University email, the UoR Student app and this webpage for the latest information.

    What do I do if my class is cancelled without notice on strike days?

    If teaching does not take place on a strike day, please let us know using the report cancelled teaching form.

    If this happens, you could consider using the room and the time to review materials on Blackboard independently or with your classmates.

    Will there be any impact to wider University support services?

    We anticipate that other services and facilities like the Support Centres, the Library, and cafes will be open as usual. You should attend any appointments with teams such as the Student Welfare Team, Counselling & Wellbeing, Disability Advisory Service, Careers etc as planned, unless you are notified in advance that these have been re-scheduled.

    Services in Halls will also be unaffected.

    Will cancelled classes be re-scheduled?

    A range of measures will be used to make up for any cancelled teaching, and this may include rescheduling teaching where the timetable allows.

    Specific arrangements to cover any cancelled teaching and materials will be coordinated by your School as they understand the impact on individual modules best, and they will communicate these to you directly if your teaching activity is cancelled.

    Any classes that are rescheduled will appear on your timetable but you should also monitor your University email, the UoR Student App, Me@Reading and Blackboard for further information.

    What will happen if cancelled classes cannot be rescheduled?

    A range of measures will be used to make up for any cancelled teaching if teaching cannot be rescheduled. These could include, for example, combining cancelled classes, providing materials for you to review independently, or providing online asynchronous teaching sessions.

    Specific arrangements to cover any cancelled teaching and materials are being coordinated by your School as they understand the impact on individual modules best, and they will communicate these to you directly if your teaching activity is cancelled.

    You should also monitor your University email, the UoR Student app and Blackboard for further information.

    What is the Impact of Strike Action on Academic Performance (ISoAP) process?

    Instead of the usual Exceptional Circumstances process, we have set up a specific process called the Impact of Strike on Academic Performance (ISoAP) process. If you feel you have been academically disadvantaged as a result of this action, find out more about the ISoAP process.

    Can I get a submission extension for my coursework, dissertation or project?

    If your submission date falls on one of the strike dates, you should submit as scheduled.

    Given the timing and duration of the strike action, we do not anticipate major impacts on your ability to complete assessed work. Decisions on any possible submission extensions for dissertations or projects will be determined by each individual School. Please contact your Academic Tutor or Head of School to discuss these arrangements.

    If you are unable to do this, or you feel your dissertation or project has been impacted by the industrial action, you can bring the issue to the attention of your School using the Impact of Strike on Academic Performance (ISoAP) process.

    Can I submit an (ECF) citing the industrial action as a mitigating factor in my exam/assessment performance?

    Instead of the usual Exceptional  Circumstances process, you should use the Impact of Strike on Academic Performance (ISoAP) process that has been set up specifically to address any academic impact of the strike action.

    Can I claim travel expenses if all my teaching is cancelled without notice?

    If you paid to travel to campus on a day of strike action and all your scheduled teaching that day is cancelled with no prior warning, please complete our travel claim expense form where you can submit a claim to be reimbursed for these travel costs.

    We will ask to see evidence of the costs incurred, or details of mileage where applicable with information about your journey. We recommend that you wait until the end of the current action (after 30 November) to submit one claim for multiple journeys, if required.

    The closing date to submit a claim for costs incurred is 29 March 2023.

     

     

    What happens if I miss an in-class test or an assessed practical due to strike action?

    If your class or practical is cancelled on a strike day, please let us know using our online form.

    Will I still get coursework returned within 15 days of the submission deadline?

    Members of staff will be asked to prioritise marking of coursework at the end of the industrial action period, and we anticipate that they should meet the 15 day turnaround deadline. If you have any questions, please speak to your Module Convenor, Academic Tutor or Head of School.

    What do I do if I feel the strike has affected my academic performance?

    Instead of the usual Exceptional Circumstances process, we have set up a specific process called the Impact of Strike on Academic Performance (ISoAP) process to ensure students are not academically disadvantaged as a result of this action.

    Can I make a formal complaint?

    If you do not feel the University has sufficiently mitigated the impact of the industrial action on your studies tell us via the complaints form.

    Please do first consider speaking to your School about the arrangements they have put in place, or using the Impact of Strike on Academic Performance process, where appropriate.

    Where a number of complaints are received about the same missed teaching, they may be considered together. In exceptional cases where our complaints process finds that there has been significant personal disruption to an individual despite the University’s mitigation efforts, compensation may be an appropriate remedy.

    Will the University offer compensation to students affected by the industrial action?

    The University is not intending to offer compensation as a matter of course, as our focus is on mitigating impact in a variety of ways outlined above.

    The majority of University employees will not participate in strike action and there will be Schools and Departments where impact is minimal. This means we anticipate that most classes will go ahead as normal on strike days. Other services and facilities like Support Centres, the Library and cafes will also be open.

    Where there is impact, the University’s first response will be to minimise this and make up for lost teaching in a variety of ways. Schools are working hard to identify the most appropriate way to deliver teaching or materials for any classes affected so that students’ learning is not unreasonably affected. This may include rescheduling, combining missed classes with other classes or providing materials for you to review independently, or any other measures appropriate to the subject or material.

    If students consider that they have been academically disadvantaged in an assessment as a result of strike action, we have set up a separate process for reporting this called Impact of Strike on Academic Performance.

    If you do not feel the University has sufficiently mitigated the impact of the industrial action on your studies, there is a complaints form for you to use. Please do first consider speaking to your School about the arrangements they have put in place, or using the Impact of Strike on Academic Performance process, where appropriate. Where a number of complaints are received about the same missed teaching, they may be considered together. In exceptional cases where our complaints process finds that there has been significant personal disruption to an individual despite the University’s mitigation efforts, compensation may be an appropriate remedy.

    Who can I talk to if I have questions?

    If you have questions that we have not answered here, please email StudentFirstResponse@reading.ac.uk.

    I have a disability or specific learning difficulty and I am worried about the impact of the action. What can I do?

    We understand that some students may need additional support at this time, including some with disabilities or specific learning difficulties. If this is the case, please talk to your lecturer or your Academic Tutor/supervisor as soon as possible so that we can understand your concern and identify what action needs to be taken. If you are unable to contact your lecturer or Academic Tutor please speak to a member of staff in your Support Centre, Henley Help Desk or the ISLI admin office.

    I am a postgraduate research student. Who can I speak to about the industrial action?

    If you have been affected by the strike action, please discuss with your School Director of Postgraduate Research Studies in the first instance, or the Graduate School. If you are undertaking taught modules as part of your PhD Programme Specification, and you have been academically disadvantaged as a result of the industrial action, you can notify us through the Impact of Strike on Academic Performance process.

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