Industrial Action 2021
Updates and information for students on industrial action at the University.
Industrial action will be taking place across UK Higher Education institutions this Semester from 1-3 December 2021, with action short of a strike (working to contract only) starting on the same date.
While any strike action will naturally have an impact on the University’s operations, please be aware that not all staff will be taking part in the action and we will aim to keep disruption to you to a minimum.
We will continue to update this page as and when we have more information to share with you.
Reasons for the industrial action
This action is due to the University and College Union’s (UCU) dispute over changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) pension scheme – which many University staff are part of. An assessment of the pension scheme’s financial health has found that it is currently in a large deficit, which means that it requires significant changes to provide a valuable, affordable, and sustainable scheme. These changes are currently under consultation with USS members through to January 2022.
Summary of the USS pension scheme
Separately UCU also balloted for industrial action as part of what they are calling a Four Fights dispute around casualisation, inequality (equity of pay by gender/ethnicity), workload and the 2021/22 pay offer.
You can read more about the UCU position on the University and College Union website:
Our response
The University of Edinburgh, working alongside Universities UK (UUK) – which represents around 150 universities across the UK – is continuing to engage with UCU on the USS dispute. We hope that the sector and UCU can resolve the dispute without the need for further industrial action.
We want to minimise the impact on you as much as possible and will work to limit significant disruption to the delivery of learning and teaching, assessment, progression and student experience, whilst maintaining academic standards.
Guidance for students
Below, you will find further advice and guidance to support you during the industrial action. As preparations continue, we will add further information and will regularly update you.
If there is strike action, some of your classes and scheduled teaching activities may be cancelled, but other classes and activities may not. You should attend all teaching and assessment activity that does take place.
If you choose not to cross a picket line you may miss classes or other activities that are taking place and (if attendance is taken) you will be marked as absent. No alternative teaching or assessments will be offered in these circumstances.
If you have a student visa you are required to demonstrate regular engagement with your studies as a condition of your visa. If you choose not to cross a picket line and miss teaching or assessment activities as a result, you should continue to engage with your studies more broadly to ensure there is no impact to your visa. Your School can advise you on how engagement is monitored.
Where an activity is cancelled due to strike action, engagement and attendance monitoring procedures will be relaxed to ensure this does not impact your visa.
If industrial action becomes protracted, the University will follow guidance from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to ensure your visa is not impacted.
During the industrial action, the University will remain open as usual. You will be able to continue to access the library and support services, although there may be delays in some areas.
Many academic activities will continue to operate as normal, although some areas may be functioning with fewer staff.
The University, in line with its terms and conditions (section 15.4), will not be offering tuition fee refunds for cancelled classes or teaching time. However it will seek to offer support to students who will be affected by the strike. These include the mitigating steps the University has put in place to ensure that students are not disadvantaged in exams, dissertations or in progressing to the next year.
Viva/annual progression reviews
You should work on the basis that the viva (oral examination) or annual progression review meeting will go ahead as planned, and submit your thesis on schedule. However, you should contact your internal examiner, supervisor or your School’s Graduate School to confirm that your viva or progression review is going ahead as planned.
Contact us
If you have any further questions about the industrial action, please email ucu-action-queries@ed.ac.uk.