Strike FAQs
We have drawn up frequently asked questions (see below) to answer any queries that you might have in relation to the industrial action taking place nationally, and at DMU.
We would like to reassure you that we are working hard to avoid or minimise disruption to your studies as much as possible and we are in close communications with De Montfort University Students’ Union (DSU) to ensure there is the right support available.
If you have any questions or queries that are not addressed below, please contact industrialaction@dmu.ac.uk.
NB Please regularly check these FAQs for the latest guidance as they may change daily as the university seeks to minimise disruption.
Frequently asked questions
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What happens on the day of a strike in the UK?
Staff who are taking industrial action will not deliver scheduled teaching activities such as lectures, seminars or practical classes or engage in research or administration. Staff taking industrial action may carry posters and distribute leaflets at entrances to the campus.
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Why are staff at the university taking industrial action?
This is a national dispute between the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), which negotiates on behalf of universities, and the University and College trade union (UCU). De Montfort University is part of that national bargaining framework.
The UCU is a trade union which works on behalf of staff in the university sector, raising issues about pay and working conditions. The union is made up of university staff from across the country who have joined voluntarily. Within the union, elected senior members take part in negotiations to try and represent views and request changes on behalf of those employed in the university sector. Not all staff belong to UCU. In fact, two-thirds of all academics are not represented by UCU or any union at all.
The UCEA is collective which represents universities themselves. It is governed by a board drawn from Vice-Chancellors, Principals and Chairs of governing councils of universities. It can therefore set pay and working conditions on behalf of the sector.
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Will teaching be held online during strike days?
The planned strikes will take place from Monday 25 September to Friday 29 September, which is Welcome Week. Therefore, there are no plans to hold any online teaching during this time.
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Will campus be open on strike days?
The campus will be open as normal on strike days. Access to some controlled environments such as laboratories may be restricted but you should check this with your faculty Student Advice Centre.
When arriving on campus on strike days, you may need to pass staff taking part in the industrial action at the entrances to the university. Pickets are intended to be peaceful. Access to campus entrances will not be blocked and you should feel able to pass freely and easily.
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Will lectures, seminars and other teaching events be cancelled?
We will work to ensure the impact on your teaching is kept to a minimum. However, there may be events or meetings which are unable to run while staff are on strike. We will endeavour to let you know about these as soon as we can but this may not always be possible.
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How will I know if my teaching events will be cancelled?
We will do our best to contact you ahead of time via email or text message if an event is not going to happen. However, this may not always be possible as legally staff taking part in the industrial action are not required to tell the university in advance so you may not find out until the day an event is due to take place. If this happens, please continue to utilise alternative physical and online resources (Blackboard, DMU Replay, the library etc.).
Some staff may choose to tell you informally that they are striking in advance of the missed session. You should feel comfortable emailing a staff member in advance to ask whether or not they will be participating in industrial action, but they are not obliged to let you know.
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What happens if I come onto campus and my lecture or seminar has been cancelled?
In cases where the university was not told in advance, we will not know this until the event is scheduled to start. If a member of staff does not arrive within the first 15 minutes of the scheduled start time, you can assume the class isn’t taking place and you may leave.
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Will DMU Replay still be available?
DMU Replay will continue to be available for those teaching events which are taking place and for modules with teaching events previously recorded via DMUReplay, but this will not cover all previous teaching events. You are encouraged to use the time to revisit materials on Blackboard.
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Should I still register my attendance at my classes?
If we know in advance that the event is cancelled, we will do our best to contact you ahead of time via email so please regularly check your university inbox for updates (we may also send you a text message). However, legally staff are not required to tell the university in advance if they will not be at work, so if you have not been told an event will be cancelled you should assume that it will take place, attend and record your attendance as normal within the first 15 minutes of the class (using either the swipe reader or the Submit Attendance app on MyDMU). If a member of staff does not arrive within the first 15 minutes of the scheduled start time you may leave.
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Will students be penalised for missing classes that have not been cancelled but fall within the strike?
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Will affected teaching events be rescheduled?
While we will make every effort to support your learning experience, it may not be possible to reschedule affected events.
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Will my attendance record be affected if an event is cancelled?
Your attendance record will not be affected if an event does not take place, whether you were told in advance or not. We will have a record of all events which did not take place.
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Should I submit my assessments if they are due to be submitted on a strike day?
You should submit all work by the published deadlines. If there is any delay in marking work, you will be advised by your faculty. If you have any specific concerns about this, please contact your faculty Associate Professor Student Experience (APSE). Please see below for their contact details:
Anna Chesters - HLSstudentexperience@dmu.ac.uk – Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Pamela Hardaker - CEMstudentexperience@dmu.ac.uk – Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Media
Paul McNicoll - paul.mcnicoll@dmu.ac.uk – Faculty of Arts, Design and Humanities
Chris Odindo - codindo@dmu.ac.uk – Faculty of Business and Law
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Will I be assessed on topics which should have been covered in teaching events which were cancelled?
You will not be assessed on material which has not been covered.
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Will this affect my outcome at the end of the academic year?
No impact on outcomes is expected but we are keeping the situation under close review and we will update you as the year progresses if necessary.
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What if my personal tutor/key staff member is on strike?
Support will continue to be available through your faculty’s Student Advice Centre and the Student Gateway. In many cases academic support will continue to be available in schools where colleagues are not participating in the industrial action. We cannot guarantee that any staff member taking industrial action will respond to any communications received during the strike period.
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How will distance learning students be affected by the industrial action?
As distance-learning provision is different from campus-based learning with materials typically made available to students for self-study, we anticipate that the impact on our distance-learning students will be limited. You may experience some delay in receiving responses from staff who are participating in the industrial action. There may also be some delays to feedback on assessed work. We are monitoring the situation closely to understand what impact there may be on particular programmes and students and will take appropriate mitigating action as required.
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I am a research student, how will my studies be affected?
If your first supervisor is taking industrial action you can consult another member of your supervisory team if they are available. If you had a supervisory meeting scheduled and this is cancelled, you should rearrange a new meeting with your supervisor as soon as possible after the strike days.
If you have a viva scheduled for a strike day, you should consult your supervisor if possible or the Doctoral College to see if it will go ahead. Staff will be encouraged to notify students if they will not be attending a viva but they are not required to tell the University if they are taking industrial action. If your viva does not take place, it will be rescheduled at the earliest opportunity.
If you need any advice about other issues, please consult the Doctoral College Office where staff will be able to help.
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What is the UCU and what is UCEA?
This is a national dispute between the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), which negotiates on behalf of universities, and the University and College trade union (UCU). De Montfort University is part of that national bargaining framework.
The UCU is a trade union which works on behalf of staff in the university sector, raising issues about pay and working conditions. The union is made up of university staff from across the country who have joined voluntarily. Within the union, elected senior members take part in negotiations to try and represent views and request changes on behalf of those employed in the university sector.
The UCEA is collective which represents universities themselves. It is governed by a board drawn from Vice-Chancellors, Principals and Chairs of governing councils of universities. It can therefore set pay and working conditions on behalf of the sector.