10 days of University of Sheffield staff strike action scheduled ahead of exam season

10 days of staff strike action have been scheduled by the Sheffield branch of the University and College Union (UCU).

University of Sheffield staff who are Sheffield UCU members may walk out on the strike dates – which are set to take place ahead of exam season.

It follows 74 per cent of members voting to support industrial action amid plans for £23m in cuts to staff costs over the next two years – as part of efforts to curb the university’s £50m deficit by 2026 – and for the restructuring of academic departments through the “New Schools” project.

Professor Mary Vincent, Vice-President for Education at the University of Sheffield, said: “We understand that students may be concerned about the planned industrial action, following similar actions at other universities regarding difficult decisions institutions are making to address sector-wide challenges.

“We expect that the vast majority of our students will be unaffected by any action but, where there is disruption, we will do everything we can to support them and minimise the impact on their education.

“We have written to all of our students to share information about what they can expect during industrial action and ensure they are aware of the support available to them. We will continue to keep them updated.”

The strikes will begin in with one day on Wednesday 30th April.

Then, following May bank holiday, there is set to be a nine day walk out between Tuesday 6th May and Friday 16th May.

There will also be Action Short of Strike from 1st May until further notice. This means the union will recommend staff “keep to contracted hours” and “prioritise a balanced workload” during this time.

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In internal dispute resolution talks, Sheffield UCU asked University management to commit to avoid compulsory redundancies. The university could not provide this guarantee, citing the challenges facing the higher education sector.

The union branch has also asked management to “commit to reducing their own pay and forgoing bonuses until the university is back in surplus”.

Not all students will be affected by the strike action, as not all staff are members of the UCU or will decide to take part.

Teaching and assessments are expected to take place as normal, unless students have been notified otherwise by their school.

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