Edinburgh strikes confirmed with 11 days taking place in February and seven in March

The dates for the university strikes at Edinburgh have been confirmed. Overall there will be seven weeks of strikes and if they go ahead it will be the largest coordinated series of strikes to hit UK universities.

The strike dates are as follows:

• Week 1 – Wednesday 1 February
• Week 2 – Thursday 9 and Friday 10 February
• Week 3 – Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 February
• Week 4 – Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 February
• Week 5 – Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 February and Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 March
• Week 6 – Thursday 16 and Friday 17 March
• Week 7 – Monday 20, Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 March

BREAKING: NOTICE SERVED ON UNIVERSITY EMPLOYERS

18 days of strike action in February and March

1 Feb
9, 10 Feb
14, 15, 16 Feb
21, 22, 23 Feb
27, 28 Feb. 1, 2 March
16, 17 March
20, 21, 22 March

RT if you back our members

UCU and PROUD#ucuRISING pic.twitter.com/WpitQutIYs

— UCU (@ucu) January 24, 2023

On Wednesday 25th UCU members will meet with university employer representative the Universities and Colleges Employers Association. In order for the strikes to not go ahead the union needs employers to substantially improve on the pay offer of 4-5 per cent to avoid disruption.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “The university sector in the UK has over £40bn sitting in reserves, but instead of using that vast wealth to deliver a cost-of-living pay rise and reverse devastating pension cuts, university vice-chancellors would rather force staff to take strike action and see campuses shut down.

“There is a clear route out of these disputes, but at present vice-chancellors lack the political will to take it. They are failing staff who want to get back to work, and students who want to get on with their studies.

“Students understand that staff working conditions are their learning conditions and we are proud to have their support in these disputes. A system that relies on low pay and the rampant use of insecure contracts is a system which fails everyone.

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“A resolution can be reached, but that is in the gift of university vice-chancellors who need to urgently reassess their priorities and deliver a deal that benefits staff and students. From February, our union will begin reballoting its members to allow action to continue through the rest of the academic year, should they continue to drag their feet.”

The University is “working to minimise any potential impact of the industrial action on those who would be expecting to graduate, and we expect all eligible students to be able to graduate as planned.”

The “schools will continue to meet published deadlines for return of feedback to students wherever possible. However, the industrial action may mean that some feedback is returned later than expected. The University has however asked all Schools to prioritise teaching and assessment activities over other work where possible, in order to minimize any delays.”

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