You will be aware that some members of UCU (University and College Union), including lecturers, will be taking strike action over the next three weeks. The action will begin tomorrow and is planned from Monday 14 to Friday 18 February, Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 February and Monday 28 February to Wednesday 2 March.
Given the disruption many of our students have faced over recent years, I want to reassure you that we will make every possible effort to minimise the impact of any action on you and your studies, and we will be discussing with academic staff the activities that should be prioritised to enable you to meet the learning outcomes of your course. This means that, while the learning outcomes will be met, it may not be possible to cover some material in the same detail. We are working with academic staff to identify this material and ensure that it does not form the basis of an assessment or exam.
I am sorry that some of you may again experience disruption to your classes. It is difficult to get detailed advance notice of which classes might be affected, as lecturers on strike do not need to tell us until after they have taken strike action. If you receive a message from your lecturer that your class is being cancelled, then you do not need to attend unless you have an in-class assessment, such as a test or presentation, in which case you should still attend.
If you incur costs attending a class which turned out to not have been necessary, as the class didn’t go ahead because of strike action, you can claim a reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred under the
Industrial Action Hardship Fund. You can read the FAQ
here.
When an activity does not take place, there will be no attendance register taken. For international students, UK Visas & Immigration has been notified, and there’s an understanding that there are some activities where we will not be able to take attendance. If any classes or contact points are missed because of the strike, it is recorded as authorised absence which will not affect your visa. If you are an international student with any concerns, please get in touch with our
International Student Support team.
We recognise that you may be concerned about the strike action.
A range of FAQs are available on the student intranet, and I would encourage you to continue to monitor
the student intranet for updates. If you are concerned that the action has impacted your studies you should, in the first instance, speak to your Personal Tutor, or your
School Office. If your questions aren’t covered in the information we have shared, please email
industrialactionroyalholloway.ac.uk and we will do our best to answer your queries.
James
Professor James Knowles
Senior Vice Principal (Education)