As we’re sure you know, another round of industrial action is coming up starting this week. Whilst most of the exact dates are yet to be confirmed, we do know that there will be 18 days of action throughout February and March.
So far UCU have announced one day of strike action on Wednesday 1 February - this is to coincide with a coordinated day of action from a number of national trade unions protesting recent changes to strike laws in the UK.
On strike days, some staff at Kent will join others across the country in not delivering teaching or wider academic support. This means your teaching on strike days may be cancelled and there could also be some knock-on effects on other University services too. The impact of strikes can be very different in different areas – not all lecturers are members of UCU and not all members take strike action. Please make sure you attend timetabled events unless told otherwise, we cannot know for sure which members of staff will be taking strike action.
If you are impacted by industrial action, there are ways that you can get support, all of which you can find on the University Industrial Action Webpage.
In particular, we would like to draw your attention to the financial support available. The University have a system to allow students to claim back any direct costs, such as travel or childcare, they have incurred during the periods of industrial action. Please do take advantage of this if you are impacted! You can find the info here: kent.ac.uk/student/industrial-action/expense-claims
We will also be holding a drop-in session if you have any feedback about how the strike has affected you and your studies. Keep an eye on your newsletter to find out when this will be held.
As always, do not hesitate to get in touch with the team if you have any questions or concerns!