Lauren McGaun
It has been confirmed that industrial action at the University of Nottingham, led by the University and College Union (UCU), will take place between Wednesday 1st and Friday 3rd December. The announcement comes after a UCU ballot at the University resulted in majority support for such action. Lauren McGaun reports on the impact this will have on students and University management.
Academic staff are protesting over a multitude of issues, including staff working conditions, particularly in relation to casualised contracts, and a dispute over pensions
In an email released to students, shortly after the strikes were confirmed, Vice Chancellor Shearer West stressed that the impact of the strikes would be minimal, with 90% of the University’s UK staff not participating in the strikes. She did, however, note her profound disappointment at the decision, following a turbulent 18 months for students.
The statement added: “Your schools will explore options to reschedule sessions, provide resources through Moodle, extend deadlines where helpful and ensure that assessments reflect the learning that has taken place. Our libraries, computer rooms, and services will be available to enable ongoing support for your studies.”
Views within the student body are mixed over the protests
Individual departments have also reassured students of their specific plans, with many academic deadlines being pushed back as a result.
Views within the student body are mixed over the protests, with some concerned over the prolonged impact on their education, whilst others acknowledge the grievances staff have.
Strikes last took place in early 2020, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic which saw teaching being moved online. This has meant that for many current final year students, all three years of their university teaching has been disrupted.
The UCU are set to carry out a national ballot within the next few weeks, with the aim of extending the impact of protests next term and causing maximum disruption for university management.
Lauren McGaun
Featured image courtesy of Simarchy via Flickr. Image licence found here. No changes were made to this image.
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