Industrial Action – FAQs for Students

The University opened consultation with staff and trades unions in April 2025 on a series of local restructures in which some posts would be at potential risk of redundancy. This followed the launch of a Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme (MARS) which enabled colleagues to leave the university by voluntary exit with enhanced terms. The University and College Union (UCU) balloted its members on industrial action because the University could not provide a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies from the restructure proposals.

Strike action is when staff withdraw their labour (refuse to work) for a defined period. At universities, this can include refusing to undertake activities such as teaching classes, marking coursework, attending meetings, sending emails related to work, and carrying out administrative tasks on specified strike days. 

Whereas strike action involves staff members withdrawing their labour entirely for a defined period, action short of strike (ASOS) means continuing to work but refusing to do some activities deemed to be outside the terms of the employment contract. Sometimes this is called 'work to rule' or 'work to contract'. The definition of 'working to contract' is open to interpretation but may mean some academic staff will not undertake activities they consider outside of their contracted duties, for example, working at open days.

No. About a third of academic staff at Lincoln are members of UCU and some may choose not to participate in industrial action.

Union members are not obliged to tell their employer in advance if they intend to take part in announced strike dates but some may choose to do so. The University will be fully open on any strike days, and most timetabled sessions will go ahead as scheduled. We encourage students to attend university as planned. The University will try to inform you as soon as possible if your teaching session is going to be affected but this may not always be possible in advance. Please do be prepared to undertake independent or group study if necessary on days you attend campus.

Most university services will not be affected by any industrial action. Key services like the Library, Careers, Wellbeing Service, and Student Support Centre will be open as normal. It is possible some Personal Tutor appointments could be affected on the day of a strike but your School Office will be open and able to help you rearrange appointments if necessary.

Staff members taking part in industrial action can lawfully form official picket lines. These are usually small, peaceful gatherings near to striking workers’ main workplace. If strikes occur, there may be picket lines near the main entrances to the University campus where union members and supporters display information about the strike or hold flyers. Students and staff are free to enter the University when there are picket lines. Picketing staff can talk to people as they pass about the purpose of the industrial action but must not use intimidating or abusive behaviour. UCU provides guidance for members on picketing and the government also has a code of practice. We ask everyone in our university community to be respectful of others' views, whether or not they support industrial action, and to preserve our One Community values.

If you are worried about potential impact on your studies as a whole, you can contact your Personal Tutor for advice and reassurance. If your Personal Tutor is taking strike action you may prefer to contact your Head of School. For independent and confidential advice, you can contact the SU Advice Service, your Student Rep or the Student Support Centre. More information and contact details for student support teams can be found on the Student Services microsite at https://studentservices.lincoln.ac.uk.

We will aim to keep you updated as details of the UCU's planned action are confirmed. Please continue to check your University email account and these website FAQs.