Following our historic ballot result and a meeting of the union’s Higher Education Committee (HEC), I can today confirm that we have served notice to the employers that we will be taking strike action on:
Alongside this we will be commencing ASOS (Action Short of a Strike) to commence on Wednesday 23 November (Friday 18 November in Northern Ireland). This means that we are asking all of you to:
We have not taken the decision to call this action lightly. I know that you will all be making financial and emotional sacrifices to take part in this action. We know that you are all committed to education and that taking strike action is your last resort. For those who need it the union’s fighting fund will be available, with more information to be circulated shortly.
The job of every single UCU member now is to build the strike. You can do this by:
Our message to the employers for these three days is very clear – put a proper offer on the table or this is just the start of our fight back. If negotiations are not where we want them to be by the new year, then the HEC has authorised us to take escalating action including a marking and assessment boycott.
This strike will be like no other we have called before. The ballot was different, the action will be different, the result will be different.
The longer the picker line, the shorter the dispute.
In solidarity
Jo Grady
UCU general secretary