As you may be aware, Monday 24 February marks the start of 14 days of strike action, over four weeks, called for by the University and College Union (UCU). I recognise news of industrial action is concerning, particularly in the term before most student assessments and examinations are due, and that this action is likely to cause stress and anxiety. I am also aware that, if you are a final year student, you may be experiencing industrial action for the third time in the course of your studies.
Yesterday, on Tuesday 18 February, I wrote to all staff and provided an update on the areas which have been the catalyst for this industrial action; remuneration (pay and pension), which are negotiated nationally and areas which, although relevant to all universities, are managed locally; workload, casual contracts and the gender pay gap.
These are complex issues that will take time to resolve, but I believe genuine progress is being made. In my
email to colleagues I set out both the progress made and my hope that we can give our national negotiation bodies and local teams the time and space to act so that we can avoid further industrial action that we know hurts you, our students, and complicates genuine attempts to resolve our challenges.
Colleagues are entitled to take industrial action and we cannot force academics who are members of UCU and who choose to take action to replace lost teaching. Your curriculum reflects the research of individual academics, and so we cannot bring in replacement lecturers to provide alternative teaching.
However, Royal Holloway is distinctive in the passion, care and commitment our academics have for you, our students, and your learning outcomes. To seek to minimise the impact of the action we have explained to colleagues that we expect that, on working days, activities will be delivered that will enable you to meet the learning outcomes of your course and which will ensure you are prepared for assessments and examinations in the third term. We have also asked academic colleagues to give priority to these activities.
During the strike action we will monitor closely which classes take place so that we can understand the impact of the action on your course. Please be aware that support services such as the Library, Student Services Centre and CeDAS should be operating during the strike period.
In order to provide additional revision time and the opportunity for schools and departments to offer additional exam preparation activities, we have taken the decision to move the start date of final year undergraduate examinations from Tuesday 28 April to Monday 4 May. There is no change to the start date of examinations for first and second year undergraduates or postgraduates, these will begin on Tuesday 28 April. The examination period will end by Friday 29 May as planned.
It is a normal part of assessment and exam review to consider the context within which the assessment or exam took place and take into account any factors that may have negatively impacted a student’s performance. I would like to reassure you that no Royal Holloway student will be disadvantaged in their assessment or exam outcomes as a direct result of this industrial action.
Through my weekly newsletter,
intranet and social media I will keep you updated on any developments and ensure that you have information as it becomes available. I will also ensure the Students’ Union are kept informed.
We will be publishing contact details for your schools who will hold drop in sessions where you will be able to talk about your individual circumstances. I would also like to draw your attention to the
Industrial Action Hardship Fund and encourage you to use this if you incur unnecessary expenses as a result of strike action.
I very much regret that your studies are being affected by the planned strikes and I ask for your patience as we engage with colleagues in order to seek to minimise the impact of this action on you.
Professor Paul Layzell Principal