You may be aware that some members of UCU (University and College Union) have voted to take strike action this week, from Wednesday (1 December) – Friday (3 December) 2021 inclusive. Some members also voted to take Action Short of Strike, which involves working to contract, for up to five months. Negotiations will continue with a view to finding a resolution which may allow future strike action to be cancelled.
Given the disruption many of our students have faced over recent years, we are very mindful of our responsibility to mitigate the impact of any strike action 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 will work 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 experience disruption to your classes. Anyone taking strike action does not need to give notice in advance, which means it is difficult for us to anticipate what classes might be affected. 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 and 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. There are some FAQs on the student intranet that you may find useful, and I would encourage you 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.
James
Professor James Knowles
Senior Vice Principal (Education)