Industrial Action at UoE: FAQs
On this page, you’ll find answers to questions staff may have about taking industrial action in 2026. The page will be regularly updated to address new concerns and forms of industrial action.
FAQs about the local dispute in general (not specific to industrial action) can be found here.
If you have a question that is not answered below, please e-mail: ucu@ed.ac.uk
Industrial Action FAQs:
Are there any circumstances in which the strike will not go ahead next week?
I have teaching events/field trips planned during strike days — what should I do?
Will there be picket lines all week, or only Monday and Wednesday?
I am not in UCU/not a member of any union: can I join the strike?
I am not a UCU member. Can I refuse to cross the picket line?
I’ve been asked to cover work of a colleague who’s striking, what should I do?
Do I have to tell my employer in advance that I am taking industrial action?
I’ve heard there’s a Hardship & Fighting Fund. What exactly is that?
I am on a research-only contract. Is there any value to me participating in the strike?
I have annual leave booked on strike days. What should I do?
I will be working outside the United Kingdom during the strike, what should I do?
If I have external commitments on the day of industrial action, should I attend them?
How will it affect my pension if I participate in industrial action?
What if I am on a phased return to work during industrial action?
Are there any circumstances in which the strike will not go ahead next week?
Yes - if the employer agrees to our demands.
Given the strike, should I plan my classes/events?
We should proceed as if activities are to go ahead, with us there. There is always the chance that management will somehow see sense and negotiate with the union to resolve the dispute. This would be in everyone’s interest, staff and students alike.
I have teaching events/field trips planned during strike days — what should I do?
Just like any other teaching events, you should not run these activities on strike days. While you should not inform management of your intentions, you can inform your students that you will be on strike (template letter available here), explain why you are regretfully taking this action and encourage them to e-mail the Principal to urge them to negotiate seriously with UCU. Provide the information on the cancellation as late as possible, for example, but scheduling a message to be sent on the first strike morning to notify students you will not be there. You could include information on how current and planned cuts might affect their courses and programmes, and encourage them to come and talk to staff on the picket lines.
What should I do tell my students?
There is a template letter available here that you can use.
What are the ‘strategic strike’ days for?
The ‘strategic strike’ model seeks to simultaneously maximise industrial impact on the employer and minimise financial impact on individual members. Many members fear the consequences of pay deductions, even if they might support the goals of the industrial action. This is understandable – docking pay is the most powerful mechanism employers use to prevent strike! On any given day, some of us have a lot of leverage, while others don’t. ‘Strategic striking’ enables members to focus their strike action on days when the withdrawal of their labour will cause the greatest disruption. This has three effects: 1) it means members can avoid having pay deducted for striking on days when their absence causes comparatively little disruption; 2) it enables better-coordinated salary sharing because members can donate their pay on non-striking days to the Hardship and Fighting Fund, and 3) it encourages collective action by peer-groups of members in specific units or departments coordinating their action. This strategic strike model is new to this branch. As with every new form of action, it will be best run and most impactful if co-constructed: members are strongly encouraged to organise at the local level to fine-tune the strategy to their specific context.
Which ‘strategic strike’ days should we choose?
Everyone should strike on Monday and Wednesday, ideally, and every other day too, if possible, but if not: On Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, members in each unit or department should decide collectively how big an impact you can have on the other days. A good way to determine 'impact' is to consider which tasks would attract the biggest and most immediate consternation if you did not carry them out; target your strike action on the days when those tasks are scheduled. Picket lines on Monday are a good place for these discussions! For most members in Professional Services, EVERY DAY is impactful! For many academics, striking on those days with scheduled tasks (e.g. teaching, supervision, admin) will be immediately disruptive, unlike tasks with longer timelines (e.g. research, assessment) - they should donate their pay on those days to the Hardship and Fighting Fund (click here for details and suggested amounts). Members on part-time or hourly-paid contracts can strike all days, even days without scheduled teaching, and should report afterwards accordingly. Your local management will instruct hourly paid staff on how to report hours - or not report them - in line with pay deductions. Remember: Under industrial law, if tasks scheduled on a specific day are affected by strike, they do not need to be rescheduled.
Will there be picket lines all week, or only Monday and Wednesday?
There will be pickets all week, at multiple locations on Monday and Wednesday and single consolidated locations on the ‘strategic strike’ days. Pickets will be held 9am-1pm, (except for Wednesday, when we will finish at 11:45) at:
Monday: Moray House (Holyrood Campus); Old Medical School (Teviot Place); Chrystal McMillan Building; King’s Buildings, Main Gate; EFI; 50 George Square; Informatics; Bayes Centre; Old College.
Tuesday: King’s Buildings (all striking members should join this picket)
Wednesday: Moray House (Holyrood Campus); Old Medical School (Teviot Place); Chrystal McMillan Building; King’s Buildings, Main Gate; EFI; 50 George Square; Informatics; Bayes Centre; Old College.
Thursday: 50 George Square (all striking members should join this picket)
Friday: Old Medical School, Teviot Place (all striking members should join this picket! … rug-up warm, it’s in the shade)
PLUS:
Strategy workshop: Monday 30 March 2pm – Union offices, 12 Buccleuch Street
All members who want to take part in designing our future action and industrial strategy are invited to join this workshop. We had a very successful organising workshop in the last strike wave. We pooled experiences from past actions – including the 2023 marking boycott - to identify choke points, vulnerabilities and best mechanisms for financial solidarity. We will draw on this, on data from the industrial leverage survey, and on inputs from members attending to collectively design strategic plans going forward. All members are warmly welcomed, and Professional Service Staff as well as members who were very active in organising in the last MAB are particularly encouraged to join if they can.
Joint strike rally with Heriot-Watt UCU: Wednesday 1 April 12:00 - Bristo Square
If you do one thing during the week, please join the rally! Friends, family, canine and feline attendants all welcome!
For our strike rally, we’ll be joined by Heriot Watt UCU where members are also on strike next week. Speakers will include STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer, UCU Scotland Vice President Cecile Menard, Heriot-Watt University President Kate Sang, reps from Unite and UNISON at UoE, and students in solidarity with the strike.
UCU Scotland election hustings & manifesto launch: Wednesday 1 April 14:00
For members who want to join the UCU Scotland Holyrood election hustings 2:00-3.30pm in person, UCU Edinburgh has booked the Methodist Church at 25 Nicolson Square for a viewing party – we will head over there together after the rally ends.
To join the hustings remotely, register here. Please note that questions for the hustings need to be submitted in advance, as there will not be live questions during the hustings. Send any questions to: scotland@ucu.org.uk
UCU Edinburgh branch meeting: Thursday 2 April 14:00
Check your email for details.
It seems like members working in Professional Services will be on strike every day – isn’t this an unfair burden, e.g. compared with academics? What about the financial toll on part-time and hourly-paid members?
'Strategic striking’ means that some of us will be on strike all week, while some will only be on strike for two days (the all-out strike days). We need to make sure the financial cost is spread across all of us and not focused on the subset of members with the most leverage. One of the central motivations of this model is to enable more members in Professional Services to strike. They have huge immediate leverage – on a day-to-day level the University literally cannot operate without them. Those with less immediate leverage who strike only on selected days can be backers instead of strikers on their non-strike days: this means we donate a fraction of our salary to support members who will be striking all week. In this way, we can mitigate the financial impact of the strike, so it evens out between all of us. It also ensures that, if we go on MAB, there is enough money to support all who participate in MAB. Instructions on how to donate can be found here.
UCUE emails initially said we’d be all out on Wednesday + strategic strike on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, but now the Branch says we’re all out on Monday and Wednesday + strategic strike on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. How was this decided, and what changed?
The email on Friday 20 March was based on initial/tentative plans made at Industrial Action Committee last Thursday, where it was argued that striking on Good Friday would probably have minimal impact. Branch Committee met on Monday 23 March to further refine these plans and agreed to add Monday as a second all-out strike day (so that we start the week with a bang) and extend strike to Friday (because classes are still running despite the holiday).
What shall I put in my automatic out of office responses?
Simple version: I am on strike/ASOS as a result of University of Edinburgh’s refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies. The University is not in financial crisis! The scale of cuts proposed will severely damage us & our students' experience.
Another version for ASOS: Please note that, as a result of the University of Edinburgh management’s refusal to rule out mass redundancies, I am taking part in action short of a strike (ASOS). This means that I am working to contract, will only fulfil the duties that are explicitly expressed in my contract and will only work the hours I am paid for. As a result, it may take me longer to respond to your email. Although UoE has no budget deficit, staff cuts of £90 million have been proposed and are already underway, undermining student learning conditions, staff job security, staff wellbeing and the future of quality higher education at the University. For more information, see the Joint Unions Finance Working Group posts.
More detailed version (append to simple version above):
A huge number of casualised staff on hourly and fixed-term contracts have already lost their jobs through hidden redundancies. Staff cuts of £90 million are underway, undermining student learning conditions, staff job security, staff wellbeing and the future of quality higher education in the University. Support the union during our strike! We ask that you not cross a picket-line.
Please show your support by a) joining a union (UCU www.ucu.org.uk/join or another trade union www.tuc.org.uk/join-a-union) b) emailing the Principal (principal@ed.ac.uk) to tell him to listen to and negotiate meaningfully with staff c) giving to the Hardship & Fighting Fund (UCU Edinburgh University Hardship Fund Sort code: 60-83-01 Account No: 20392905), and d) sending a message of support to UCU Edinburgh (ucu@ed.ac.uk)
Can I access my UoE e-mail while on strike?
As well as putting on an out of office message, all members should avoid responding to any e-mails from their work account during the strike. We maintain ‘digital pickets’ as well as physical ones. This is a chance to switch off from your digital engagement with UoE work, which is often overwhelming!
I am not in UCU/not a member of any union: can I join the strike?
Yes! According to the law (see the guidance from ACAS), in a ‘bargaining unit’ (in our case, our employer, UoE) where a strike has been legally called, any member of staff can join the strike. We encourage members of other unions to join us on strike. If you are not a union member, and want to join us, we strongly urge you to join a union before doing so, to ensure that you are protected if you face problems with your manager as a consequence. Please note: HR and management do not have lists of union members, and do not know who is in a union.
If you have recently joined UCU and have provided the details requested on the UCU member application form, your UCU membership will be active from the date of application. This means that you are able to take part in any strike action while awaiting your membership card.
If you are not a union member, see the Joint Unions Liaison Committee for information about all recognised campus unions at UoE, and join today!
I am not a UCU member. Can I refuse to cross the picket line?
We ask everyone to respect the picket lines, whether they are a member of UCU or a member of another union. If you are eligible to join UCU we recommend that you join the union, on the picket line if necessary, and do not cross the picket line. We will support any member who is subject to disciplinary action for refusing to cross a UCU picket line. Individuals can join UCU at any point up to and including on the picket line on the day of strike action and lawfully participate in the strike.
I’ve been asked to cover work of a colleague who’s striking, what should I do?
This happened during the 20 June Open Day strike. You should push back on taking on additional work, especially when it is not part of your job description and you are not adequately prepared for it. Please see the statement from Unison and UCUE on what happened on Open Day, or contact a union rep.
This is my first time striking. What should I expect?
Expect camaraderie, good vibes, and a fair bit of standing around on the picket line. Dress for all weather. Bring water and snacks. Be polite and greet those going into the building, and chat about the strike if they stop to speak to you. If you’re nervous, arrange to meet someone on the picket, and if you don’t know anyone, post on one of the branch’s communication channels. If you’re professional services, especially in areas with few UCU members, sending a message on one of the branch’s communication channels to coordinate meeting up with other ARPS members.
I am a PhD/postgrad member, should I join the strike?
Yes! Do come along and join us! If you’re a PhD student with an employment contract with the university, you are a member of staff and can take part in the strike. If you don’t have an employment contract, you can’t go on strike as you have no labour to withdraw, but you can join the picket lines, speak up and support the strike visibly among your colleagues and peers, and volunteer to help. We are striking for the future of PGRs too. We ask all staff not to cross picket lines, which means not using your University office/lab on that day. Guidance from UCU is here.
Do I have to tell my employer in advance that I am taking industrial action?
No. It is often the case that management will send out emails/letters demanding that you declare in advance whether you will be taking industrial action. This can have the effect of misleading and intimidating members, and will enable your employer to minimise any disruption.
You are under no obligation to inform management in advance as to whether you will be taking part in strike action or action short of a strike. UCU will provide your employer with all the information about the action required by law including those categories of members who we are calling on to take action.
As noted above, once you are back to work following the strike action, you should respond truthfully to any query from your employer as to whether you have taken industrial action on specific days. You should not, however, respond to any such query while you are on strike.
How and when do I notify my employer that I’m on strike?
You do not need to notify anyone in advance of going on strike. If you are asked ahead of time if you will be working on a planned strike day, you do not need to answer, and we recommend not doing so.
After any strike action, management (usually in the form of an all-staff email from head of HR James Saville) will send instructions about reporting if you were on strike. There is usually a form that we fill in, and there will usually be a deadline to complete the form. Some people in the past have reported that their local HR colleagues asked them to confirm if they were on strike, you can decline to confirm and say you have followed the instructions sent by management, or ask them to clarify why they need to know in addition to the formal process.
Do I need to confirm that I’ve been on strike?
Yes. You could face disciplinary action if you’ve taken strike action and failed to report it. Also, reporting that you’ve been on strike is crucial to demonstrating the strength of our action. Management counts up how many staff have been on strike, to assess the risk of disruption posed by future strike action.
Will I lose money for participating in strike action?
Yes, your employer is entitled to deduct your pay if you participate in industrial action. For strike action, the union contends that any deduction should be at 1/365th of any annual salary or equivalent. For part-time staff or those employed on a session-by-session basis, deductions should only reflect the pay normally due for the work not undertaken and no more.
UCU members can perform their own calculations and estimate how much of their pay might be deducted, by using online tools such as The Salary Calculator. Members can insert their own tax code (which usually appears in their pay slips), student loan repayments, pension contributions (for example TPS or USS contributions), and other details. Please note that users may need to look under 'Additional Options' to obtain the 1/365th of annual salary or equivalent.
I’ve heard there’s a Hardship & Fighting Fund. What exactly is that?
The UCUE Hardship & Fighting Fund (HFF) is our branch’s way to support UCUE members who lose pay from participating in strike action. Following a strike, members can make a claim to get at least a portion of their lost pay back (it varies, depending on your grade, type of contract, etc.). Details of the claims process can be found here.
Below is the indicative guidance for our financial solidarity (aka wage-sharing) model. If you can afford to donate more, please do so, and if this doesn’t seem feasible, simply donate what you can!
If you declare:
2 days of strike (Mon & Wed): please donate one day's pay to the Hardship and Fighting Fund, if you can (one day’s pay = your monthly net pay / 30).
3 days of strike (Mon & Wed plus one day): don’t claim strike pay, unless you need to, donate if you can
4 days of strike (Mon & Wed + two other strategic day): claim one day strike pay back
5 days of strike (Mon & Wed + three other days): claim 2 days strikepay back
Members who strike for more than two days can claim strike pay from the Hardship and Fighting Fund for each day beyond the second according to the following scale:
£50/day for salaried staff earning more than 30k
£75/day for salaried staff earning less than 30k (the committee has received a request from the ARPS group to up this threshold to 37k and will vote on this next week)
Full pay remuneration for hourly-paid staff for ALL strike days (i.e. full compensation for all strike-related loss of pay)
Those members for whom loss of pay due to striking will cause significant financial hardship that the amounts above will be insufficient to address can apply for additional support.
Can I make a donation to the Hardship & Fighting Fund?
Yes, please! We are currently running the HFF Fundraiser to replenish our kitty.
Rather than asking for a one-off donation, in this campaign we are asking you to make a commitment to a smaller, sustainable contribution over a period of 6 to 12 months. (Of course, we’re happy to accept one-off donations as well.) Any amount, whether £1, £5 or £50 per month, will go a long way to support our members!
Through the Hardship and Fighting Fund campaign, we want to raise £100k. That is about equal to 835 people donating £10 per month for the next 12 months. We are asking you to set up an ongoing monthly standing order to support your fellow colleagues in our collective fight.
Our bank information:
‘UCU Edinburgh University Hardship Fund’
Sort code: 60-83-01
Account No: 20392905
Please consider making a donation, especially if for any reason you’re unable to participate in other forms of industrial action. Activism has many faces!
I’m professional services and I’m not sure that striking will have any impact / I am the only person in my team who would be on strike
Even if you are one person, you add to the numbers that HR sees once it compiles the data on strike participation. Every person that joins contributes to this.
I am on a research-only contract. Is there any value to me participating in the strike?
Compulsory redundancies mean fewer posts in the future. Your group, institute or department is likely to have fewer opportunities for progression. Ongoing budget cuts have already reduced the number of opportunities for research staff: many Schools have further limited the number of fellowships research staff can apply for and negotiations for research staff being remunerated for their contributions to teaching and supervisions have been halted. Like all academics and professional services staff, this strike is about fighting for your job and those of your colleagues.
My salary is externally funded. If I go on strike, will the University still receive the funds—or is there another way that money could be used?
This depends on the funding source of your salary, but in general (for example for research grants) the University cannot recover salary funds they did not spend, so the money is ‘lost’. In some cases, the project lead can ask for permission to use those funds for something else within the project.
If you are a researcher—for instance a postdoctoral research assistant (PDRA), research associate or research fellow—although your funding might be from an external body, your contract of employment is usually with the university or college. In this case, if your branch is being called out on strike and taking action short of a strike (ASOS), you should join the industrial action. If you are directly employed by an external funding body or with a body that is not part of the current dispute over the threat of job cuts, you should not take action but try to arrange to work from home. If you need further advice contact UCU Edinburgh: ucu@ed.ac.uk or UCU’s Scotland office: scotland@ucu.org.uk.
I have annual leave booked on strike days. What should I do?
If your annual leave is essential, you should take it as planned and consider donating to the fighting fund or local strike fund. If your leave is not essential, you may wish to move it so that you can participate in industrial action alongside colleagues. If you do take annual leave, consider donating to the Hardship & Fighting Fund to support your colleagues who are striking.
I will be working outside the United Kingdom during the strike, what should I do?
While the legal position varies depending on where you will be, UCU's advice is that, if you are working outside the United Kingdom on a strike day, you should work normally and donate to the Hardship & Fighting Fund. If you are due to travel as part of your work on a strike day, you should not do so.
I’m on a visa. Is it safe for me to strike?
This is the latest advice from the UCU Migrant Members Subcommittee:
Visa holder on a skilled worker or Global Talent visa, no dependents: can take all the called strike action, must ensure employer has accurate record of days of absence. If strike action will run over 10 continuous days, visa holder MUST notify before the 10th day – not after the action ends – as 10 continuous absences without a notification can trigger visa penalties.
Visa holder of a student visa (e.g. our PGR members): can take all the strike action, but can only withdraw labor from activities related to employment at the University. Activities related to their studies – e.g. classes they are taking – they are still required to attend.
Visa holder of a spousal or family visa: can take strike action up to the point that their salary for the year drops below the threshold for the relevant visa category. How many days of action that means will be highly individual and the union does not currently provide any tool for calculating it. Important to convey that there is no exemption to the income threshold for strike action on the family visa categories.
Visa holders on any category, or even UK citizens, who act as visa *sponsors* for dependent family members (e.g. children): can take strike action up to the point that their salary for the year drops below the threshold for the relevant visa category. How many days of action that means will be highly individual, but important to convey that there is no exemption to income threshold for sponsors whose income is reduced by strike.
If you are a Migrant Member, and you have a query, please contact our Migrant Members Reps: Idil Akinci or Marion Lieutaud
If I have external commitments on the day of industrial action, should I attend them?
If your external commitments arise from your employment with the institution where a strike is taking place, whether they are offline or online, then you should not fulfil them. For example, if you were due to attend a conference in your capacity as a lecturer at a strike-bound university you should not go.
What is the law on picketing?
The purpose of the picket is to persuade workers peacefully not to cross our picket lines i.e. not to go into work. Picketing is a legal activity and picketers should wear an armband indicating that they are on duty.
Picketing should be carried out at or near an entrance or exit from a site at which the pickets work; placards and posters should be displayed stating 'OFFICIAL PICKET'. When others who are not in dispute come into work or use these entrances or exits, pickets must not interfere with them. Please be sensitive towards students who may not be familiar with trade unions, industrial disputes, or picket lines. Note that it is a criminal offence for pickets to use threatening or abusive behaviour to people crossing the picket line. You can read UCU's picketing guidance here.
How will it affect my pension if I participate in industrial action?
Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS): members taking strike action will see their scheme membership 'paused', but the scheme rules allow for members and employers to keep paying into the scheme for these affected days. In previous strikes it has been the experience of UCU that most employers do continue to make pension contributions and therefore participation in strike action has not generally affected members' pension benefits. Should the employer choose to withhold contributions, the scheme rules are clear that continuity of membership is not broken but pension benefits will not accrue for the days in question when membership is paused.
What if I am on a phased return to work during industrial action?
If you are on full pay during a phased return to work, then deductions for strike action should be made at 1/365th of annual salary or equivalent.
If you are only being paid a percentage of your salary for your phased return to work, then UCU believes that any strike deduction must be pro-rata. Please contact your UCU branch for support in challenging any greater loss.
Am I breaking my contract by taking strike action?
All industrial action—other than 'working to contract' as part of action short of a strike—is a breach of your contract of employment. As UCU has carried out a statutory industrial action ballot and the action has been formally called, the law protects workers from dismissal while taking part in lawful industrial action or at any time within twelve weeks of the start of the action and, depending on the circumstances, dismissal may also be unfair if it takes place later. This kind of dismissal has never happened in higher education.