UCL SU announces referendum on supporting further UCU strikes

All UCL students can vote in the referendum between 21 and 26 January


UCL Students’ Union have called a referendum to decide whether it should support further strikes this academic year.

This comes after “students started a petition in line with our democratic processes and received enough signatures” against the policy they passed to not support “potential upcoming nationwide strikes by academics” in October 2021.

All students can vote in this referendum from 21 to 26 January.

In November 2021 the SU released a statement on its stance against the strike, citing a need to”repair and rebuild the communities so damaged over the past few years.” A policy passed a month before that also promised actions like lobbying the UCU and UCL academics not to strike and challenging the position taken by the NUS NEC to support the strike. In response, students started a petition which collected enough signatures to trigger a referendum on the issue.

On 22 November 2021 three days of strike action planned to start on 1 December was announced by the UCU. UCU members also voted in support of “action short of strike” from 1 December 2021 to 22 May 2022, which involves working to contracted hours and duties and not volunteering to do more. Following the new policy passed in October, the Union did not support these strikes.

Referendum results will be announced on the SU website on 26 January. The outcome will only be binding if over five per cent of all UCL students vote – or around 2,195 students.

You can read the Union’s arguments for and against supporting future UCU strike action here.

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