Lecturers could strike over summer exams if demands aren’t met, UCU warns

UCU have confirmed that a third wave of industrial action may hit students during the summer exam season if lecturer’s demands are not met during this current period of strikes, The Tab can reveal.

UCU General Secretary Jo Grady told The Tab: “We have been clear from the outset that we would take serious and sustained industrial action if that was what was needed.

“If universities want to avoid further disruption they need to deal with rising pension costs, and address the problems at the heart of the dispute over pay and conditions.”

The current wave of strikes are set to begin in one week and take place over the period of a fortnight, affecting 74 UK universities.

Students are already concerned at the level of disruption to their degrees, with thousands of students signing petitions for compensation and some students even considering legal action against their unis. And they aren’t the only ones concerned about the disruption.

The Tab reported last week that Cardiff SU President Jackie Yip sent an email to multiple other SU presidents across the country where she confessed she was worried that some students have missed so much teaching they may be unable to graduate this year.

Students are especially worried about the possibility of exam season strikes. Ursula, a Cardiff student, said: “Lecturers have mentioned the possibility of a third wave of strikes which will fall around deadlines and exams, no explanation has been provided around the education that is being lost, with lecturers essentially just taking off the books and topics from the modules that’ll be missed, meaning we as the students don’t get the full education we were promised.”

Bethany, another Cardiff student, said: “What frustrates me is that we cant email or meet with our lecturers while we’re writing our essays and diss. We are studying for a degree, we’re in our final couple of months and we literally have zero guidance.”

Elser, a Sussex student, told The Tab: “It’s unnecessarily disruptive to students, and seems to be impacting pupils more than the administration at this point.”

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• Exclusive: Strikes will stop some students graduating, leaked email reveals

• UCU strikes: Almost 6,000 Hallam students sign petition demanding compensation in 24 hours

• Sheffield Uni student was sent to counselling for opposing lecturer strike