UCU have announced the date for industrial action over February and March 2023.

 

“70,000 UCU members will walk out.

The full dates of strike action are:

• Week 1 – Wednesday 1 February
• Week 2 – Thursday 9 and Friday 10 February
• Week 3 – Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 February
• Week 4 – Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 February
• Week 5 – Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 February and Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 March
• [No action week commencing Monday 6 March]
• Week 6 – Thursday 16 and Friday 17 March
• Week 7 – Monday 20, Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 March

If the action goes ahead, it will be the biggest series of strikes ever to hit UK university campuses.”

 

Note the ‘IF’ in that quote.

 

Our hope is that action will not be necessary and the UK universities will make some more realistic proposals on pensions, workload, contracts, inequality in the sector and pay.

 

None of us want to disrupt the education of our students, or our important research and work in our communities. But many of us need to see meaningful change in our working environment if we are to be able to continue providing these things.