In May, the BU branch of the University and College Union (UCU) undertook a ballot for industrial action about the proposed restructure and staff redundancies. Enough staff members voted for both strike and action short of a strike.
I am, therefore, very sorry to have to tell you that strike action will take place on:
- Wednesday 11 June
- Thursday 12 June
- Monday 23 June and
- Tuesday 24 June.
In addition, action short of strike (ASOS) will begin on Wednesday, 11 June and continue until Wednesday, 19 November. This means that staff who are taking part in ASOS will work to contract and not undertake additional activities, including covering for absent colleagues or won’t reschedule classes cancelled due to strike actions or upload materials related to classes cancelled due to strike action.
I am saddened that BU is faced with such action at a time when we are focused on securing the future of the university through consultation with all staff, students, SUBU and both our trade unions. However, we have processes in place to deal with industrial action and will take all the necessary steps to minimise any impact on you, your learning and your wider student experience.
Unless you hear otherwise, you should continue to attend your planned activities as normal and meet any assessment deadlines for your studies or research. Though it is difficult to predict how many staff members may participate in the action, we are anticipating minimal disruption, and many activities will continue to take place as scheduled. Legally, staff who may participate in industrial action are not required to tell us in advance of their intention. Therefore, while we understand that it may be frustrating for you, we are not able to let you know in advance of any sessions that may not go ahead due to strike action. We’re also unable to advise which staff members are part of the union, even where we know this information, to protect the privacy of our colleagues.
Our student services, including the libraries, AskBU, Student Wellbeing and SportBU, will be operating as usual throughout this period.
If you have specific concerns relating to your studies or research, please contact your personal tutor, programme lead or your supervisor. There is also a range of support and resources on our website. You can also get in touch with AskBU and take a look at our industrial action FAQs.