UCU, the UK’s largest higher education Union, has decided to call three days of UK Wide strike action, which will take place on the following days; Thursday the 24th of November Friday the 25th of November Wednesday the 30th of November
This relates to pay and working conditions, and the USS Pension scheme. As a university we will do everything we can to reduce any possible impact the strike could have on you as students, and the University will remain open during the strike period. The University will continue to do everything possible to ensure there is no impact on your degree qualifications, and that any impact on your studies is minimised. Students will also be able to continue to access key services during these days, such as the Library and Student Services. Not all staff are taking action, and the impact is variable across the University. In addition, UCU members who do take strike action are under no obligation to inform the University that they are doing so. Several measures have been put in place to mitigate the effect of the industrial action, and to ensure that learning outcomes can be delivered. As a result, the University expects to be able to ensure that the necessary material can be delivered across its academic programmes. For this reason, and while it is unfortunate that some students may be inconvenienced, it is not anticipated that refunds will need to be made to students. Students should submit assessments as instructed by their Module Organisers. If the industrial action should affect any students’ preparedness for assessment, the University will take this into account when considering extensions or special circumstances that are submitted relating to the strike action. However, special circumstances will only be applied at the individual level if students have not been given extra time to complete assessments as a result of strike action, if exam papers have not been modified as a result of strike action, or if other global measures, at the discretion of University Senate, have not been applied to mitigate for strike action. The University Senate is the Academic authority of the University and has the power to enact special regulations governing assessments, to ensure that no students are disadvantaged in circumstances such as these. The University will not benefit financially because of this dispute, and any salary savings are ringfenced to address student Hardship. The University will keep the situation under review, and keep students and staff informed if the picture changes. Updates will be provided via e-mail and where there are developments, Undeb Bangor's Sabbatical Officers, will be regularly updated throughout the period of industrial action. Further detailed information is available in the Questions & Answers that follow. If you have further questions, please speak to your Personal Tutor or Head of School, and of course the Students’ Union are also available for further support, and you may wish to contact your sabbatical officer if you require further advice or clarification. In the meantime, we continue to liaise with the Students’ Union and will add to the FAQs as further information becomes available.