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The UCU Trade Union has informed BU that it plans to take industrial action on 14 dates over four weeks, as follows,

Week 1 – Thursday 20 and Friday 21 February

Week 2 -  Monday 24 Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 February

Week 3 – Monday 2^, Tuesday 3 Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 March

Week 4 – Monday 9, Tuesday 10, Wednesday 11, Thursday 12 and Friday 13 March.

The above is in addition to continuing action short of a strike (ASOS), which consists of:

• Working to contract
• Not covering for absent colleagues
• Not rescheduling lectures or classes cancelled due to strike action
• Not sharing materials relating to lectures or classes cancelled as a result of strike action
• Not undertaking any voluntary activities.

Please be reassured that at this stage there will be no impact to marking of assessments, which is not included in this strike action.

This is a national dispute, and any resolution needs to be made at a national level and negotiations are ongoing. We remain hopeful that the dispute can be resolved without the need for further industrial action but are working in the meantime to minimise the potential impact on students and staff.

We understand that this may be a difficult time for you and have provided some more details below. Updates will be provided as the situation becomes clearer.

Student experience remains at the centre of all we do at ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥, and we will work to ensure you have continued success in your studies.   

Jim Andrews
Chief Operating Officer

FAQs - updated 19 February

We have provided below answers to the most frequently-asked questions regarding industrial action.  If your query is not answered, please contact [email protected].

1. Should I still turn up for lectures and other timetabled activities?

Yes. We will try to identify which sessions are affected and inform you in advance of any postponements, but you should continue to attend sessions and submit assignments as planned.

The university is unaware of how many staff may take industrial action. We know that 127 UCU members voted in favour of industrial action but we do not know who they are or what their intentions are and they are not obliged to tell the university in advance of taking action. Consequently, it might not be possible to give advance notice of a session being cancelled. However, we will endeavour to do so, wherever possible.

2. Will laboratory work and practical sessions for students take place if the academic or technical members of staff are on strike?

To ensure your safety, these can only proceed if the appropriate staff are present; if they are not in attendance, then the session will be re-arranged.

However, please do attend your timetabled session, unless you are advised otherwise.

3. What should I do if my session is disrupted by industrial action?

Our libraries, open access centres and other student services will be available throughout the period to enable you to continue your studies and independent learning. 

If any sessions are cancelled during the strike period, the university is committed to rescheduling these as far as practicably possible. If we are not able to arrange this with the academic teams, then we will seek to provide any teaching materials to students via other methods.

4. Will my coursework or assignments be affected?

Please continue to complete your coursework and submit assignments as planned. The current strike action does not include disruption to marking or assessments.

5. What about postgraduate assessments and vivas?

Please continue to complete coursework and submit assignments as planned. The current strike action and action short of strike does not include a boycott of marking or assessments.

6. Will my lecturers be on strike for all 14 days?

Only 375 of our academic staff are members of UCU and not all of these will choose to go on strike; some members of staff may choose to take action on some days and not others. If we receive prior notification of intended action by UCU members, we will advise you accordingly. However, staff do not have to inform the university in advance that they intend to take industrial action, so it might not be possible in every case to give you forward notice of a session being cancelled.

7. What does Action Short of a Strike (ASOS) mean?

ASOS means that the UCU member(s) comes to work on their usual working days but may choose to do one or more of the following:

• Working to contract
• Not covering for absent colleagues
• Not rescheduling lectures or classes cancelled due to strike action
• Not sharing materials relating to lectures or classes cancelled as a result of strike action
• Not undertaking any voluntary activities.

8. Why are staff going on strike?

The national dispute on pay and working conditions is concerned with levels of pay, equality, the use of different types of casual contracts and workloads. The Employers Association are engaging with trade unions and have presented proposals in order to reach a resolution.

9. How will Tier 4 visa holders be affected?

If you hold a Tier 4 visa your status will not be affected by any industrial action.

Your Tier 4 visa conditions are not affected by the industrial action. Unless you are specifically advised that a session has been cancelled, please attend as normal.

10. I am unsure how this situation might affect my results. Who can I speak to?

For your assessments and exams, we will continue to ensure that assessment requirements relate to the learning outcomes of your programme. If you would like to discuss this further with a member of staff, please refer to our student support pages for the most appropriate service for you:

www.bournemouth.ac.uk/students/help-advice/looking-support or contact one of our advisers in AskBU.

11. Will I still be able to contact my lecturer?

Yes, you can contact members of staff in the same way as you do now; it is possible that there may be a slight delay in responding to you if that staff member is taking industrial action.

12. Will I be compensated for any lectures or timetabled sessions which are cancelled?

Your student fee covers a wide range of activities and services, including lectures and timetabled sessions. Please be assured that ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥ remains open throughout the period of industrial action and we actively encourage all students to continue to come to university during this time, unless they are otherwise advised. If any sessions are cancelled during the strike period, the university is committed to rescheduling these as far as practicably possible. If we are not able to arrange this with the academic teams, then we will provide any teaching materials to students via other methods. If necessary, we may review assignments and assessment criteria. All university facilities and services will remain open including, but not limited to, the libraries, open access centres and student support services, and students will continue to have full access to them.

13. What will happen to the salary that you deduct from striking lecturers?

Staff are not entitled to be paid for the days they are on strike. The money is not reallocated to other budgets because we will be working in different ways to ensure that we provide as normal a service as we can.  

14. What is the university doing to minimise disruption?

We are used to planning for potential disruption, for example during periods of extreme weather. We have a group of people, including SUBU, working together to ensure that contingency plans are in place and we will continue to share information with you.

The university is committed to rescheduling any sessions which are cancelled during the strike period, as far as practicably possible. If we are not able to arrange this with the academic teams, then we will provide any teaching materials to students via other methods.

All university facilities and services will remain open including, but not limited to, the libraries, open access centres and student support services, and students will continue to have full access to them.

15. Will I have to cross a picket line?

Picketing is a form of protest in which people gather outside a place of work, often to dissuade others from going in to work or to draw public attention to a cause. Where this takes place is called a picket line.

There may be picket lines at some of the campus entrances. People who picket are not allowed to obstruct people or property, or to create a nuisance for neighbours or trespass on private property.

Picketing must be carried out peacefully and you are allowed to proceed as you wish without being stopped or harassed. 

16. I want to make a complaint, how do I do this?

Information about complaints, exceptional circumstances and student protection plans is available here: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/students/help-advice/important-information