UCU Industrial Action
Further to industrial action in November 2022, the University and College Union (UCU), this month, confirmed that over 70,000 university staff at 150 universities will take part in further industrial action - over attacks on pay, working conditions and pensions. This strike action will include University of Salford. The first day of this industrial action will take place on Wednesday 1st February with a further 17 additional days in February and March being planned. The dates which UCU will be taking striking are as follows:
- Thursday 9 & Friday 10 February
- Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 & Thursday 16 February
- Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 & Thursday 23 February
- Monday 27 & Tuesday 28 February, Wednesday 1 & Thursday 2 March
- Thursday 16 & Friday 17 March
- Monday 20, Tuesday 21 & Wednesday 22 March.
As your students’ union, we are here for students and our job is to support and represent your interests. For some, this will mean supporting UCU to lobby the University for better working and pay conditions, however for others this will mean liaising with the university to ensure we can mitigate the impact of the strike action on your learning experience as much as possible. We will be doing the following:
- Providing advice and support on how to navigate the extenuating circumstances and appeals procedures, as well as support in raising complaints where you believe reasonable attempts to mitigate the impact have not worked.
- Lobbying the university to ensure that as much of the impact of the strike on students is absorbed and that the cumulative impact on teaching and learning is minimal.
- Lobbying the university to use withheld staff salaries to provide additional financial support and enhanced student experience activity on campus.
- Working with the university to ensure that they communicate in a clear and timely manner with all students regarding any impact to study, for example postponement of assessment or moving of deadlines, and to do what they can to mitigate the impact on strikes.
- Ensuring that our postgraduate research students who may well be part of UCU are supported.
The current industrial action is happening because of a national matter which the University of Salford cannot solve alone. This issue will only be resolved through negotiation undertaken by all parties; some ground will have to be given on both sides of this dispute for a resolution to be found.
We urge the university to put pressure on UUK and UCEA to get back around the table with UCU to find a resolution. We also ask that the Salford branch of UCU puts pressure on the national committee to come back to the table to find an appropriate solution.
USSU Officer Team 22/23
