Nottingham UCU to strike for two months and start marking boycott

Staff at the University of Nottingham are set to go on strike for two months and begin a marking boycott in a dramatic escalation of their campaign against planned job cuts at the institution.

Nottingham has announced a major transformation plan that will see it shed 608 jobs, with 2,700 staff put at risk, on top of 350 roles cut from the institution last year – one of the most severe restructures in the sector during its current financial crisis.

The university has indicated that without such cuts, it would run out of money by 2031, and the announcement comes after it reported an £85 million deficit in its most recent financial accounts. 

On 20 May the university’s UCU branch said it will take 61 days of strike action from Monday 1 June to Friday 31 July, on top of a pre-scheduled strike day in May.

The union has also begun a marking and assessment boycott, which will see its members refuse to carry out all assessment duties, potentially delaying student graduations planned for this summer.

Lopa Leach, branch president, said it was “terribly sad” the union has been forced into this position, “but management’s unwillingness to change its destructive course leaves us with no alternative. We fight for staff jobs, student learning conditions and the very survival of the university as we know it.”

In a recent interview with Times Higher Education, Nottingham’s vice-chancellor, Jane Norman, said while the scale of cuts was “not easy”, she maintained that the transformation was “exciting” for the university, and a “huge opportunity”. 

A spokesperson for Nottingham said: “While we respect our employees' right to take industrial action, the fact this is being done to create maximum disruption for our students at an already stressful time is really disappointing.

“While many of our students will be unaffected by this action, we understand this will cause concern and want to reassure them we have clear procedures and support in place to minimise any disruption.

“These are still proposals which are subject to meaningful consultation with the unions. Nothing will be finalised or implemented until a final Business Case is approved by Council in the autumn.”

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com