Industrial Action
Industrial Action by Newcastle University Colleagues
We are pleased to be able to inform students that an agreement has been reached between the University and our local branch of UCU with regards to the ongoing dispute around pay and pensions.
This is excellent news and brings an end to the marking and assessment boycott at Newcastle and means the five days of strike action planned for late June will no longer go ahead.
The University’s latest proposal was accepted by UCU members on Thursday 9 June and the final agreed proposal together with two joint statements to UCEA and USS are available for students to read on our internal website.
We are in the process of updating our Industrial Action FAQs to reflect these latest developments.
Colleagues across the institution are now working hard to ensure that submitted assessments are marked and marks processed in-line with the advertised timeframes. This is to enable final year students to graduate and receive their degree award and all other students to progress to the next stages of study.
If there are any cases where we do not have all marks returned in time for consideration by the Board of Examiners, the “no detriment” approach will be implemented where possible. For more details of the “no detriment” approach and how it will be applied, please see our FAQ.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact your School directly or email industrial.action.enquiries@ncl.ac.uk
Further information
Following feedback from our students, we are adopting a more school-centred approach to communication. Information on support and next steps following industrial action will come to you from your school via email and through Canvas communities. We hope that this approach will be more tailored and relevant, focused on your specific programme or subject of study.
Please continue to check your University emails and Canvas Communities for updates and or email industrial.action.enquiries@ncl.ac.uk with any questions you have. You may also find the following useful:
- Our Industrial Action FAQs - these will be updated throughout the period of strike action
- USSEmployers have created a Your Questions Answered Document to help answer any questions you may have regarding the industrial action
As always, we encourage feedback from students so please email industrial.action.enquiries@ncl.ac.uk to give us feedback on our approach to communication.
What happens next?
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Further information for students on progress to resolve the dispute will be kept updated on this webpage.
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We will do all we can to help you during any periods of industrial action to limit any impact on you.
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Help us to help you – tell us what you need and if there is anything extra we can do to support you. Please contact us by emailing industrial.action.enquiries@ncl.ac.uk to send us your questions or to share any concerns you may have.
Student Health and Wellbeing Services will be available to support students during the industrial action. These include:
- Talk Campus Free Confidential Support 24/7. Download the app: https://www.talkcampus.io/newcastle-university.
- Counselling: Call 0191 208 3333 or Email: sws.therapyappointments@ncl.ac.uk
- Disability support Call 0191 208 3333 or Email: disabilityadvisor@ncl.ac.uk
- PGR Support: Free Confidential Support 24/7 Call 0800 030 5182
- Wellbeing Workshops - the following, additional workshops have been arranged to support students during the next period of industrial action:
- Understanding how to attend to stress and anxiety – a compassionate approach (via Zoom) - Monday 21/03/2022 14:30-16:00
- Introduction to Mindfulness (via Zoom) - Thursday 24/03/2022 14:00-15:00
The content covered in each workshop is listed here. You can book onto a workshop here.
The Student Progress Service will be offering drop-in sessions if you need advice and guidance on what to do if your learning is disrupted.
Student Progress will continue to offer their usual drop in sessions at the following times:
Wednesdays 14:00 – 15:00
Thursdays 10:00 – 11:00
If you wish to attend any of the SPS drop-in sessions in person please report to the Helpdesk on Level 2, King’s Gate and you will be directed to the right location. Alternatively, if you would rather attend virtually please email casework@ncl.ac.uk to either agree a time during one of the scheduled drop-in sessions or agree an alternative, mutually convenient, meeting time.
The University libraries will be open as usual during the strike action. For details of opening times, please see the library website.
The Careers Service will be available to students throughout the industrial action, meaning that you will be able to drop in or make an appointment for information, advice, and guidance as normal.
Whether you want to get advice about your CV, prepare for an interview or assessment centre, find a work placement, internship, or job, explore starting your own business, or you want help in deciding what you want to do when you graduate, you’ll find a wealth of information on our website.
The Careers Service also offers several workshops, presentations, and employer events; both in-person and virtually. These are advertised on the Careers Service’s events page.
MyCareer can be accessed 24/7 where you can search for events, job vacancies and book your own appointments.
During the period of industrial action, Maths-Aid will continue to be available. Please see the Maths-Aid website for more information about the support they can offer and to book an appointment.