Industrial action - information for students

We have been informed by the Dundee branch of the Universities and Colleges Union (DUCU) that they intend to undertake discontinuous strike action from 24 February to 14 March, and continuous action short of strike from 20 February. 

This is in relation to the University’s recently announced financial deficit and the measures necessary to return the University to a financially sustainable path.

This may affect your studies. We can expect there will be some disruption although we anticipate most classes and student contact time will proceed as normal. We believe we have robust contingency plans in place to mitigate the impact of strike action as far as we possibly can.

Any detrimental effects on students’ learning arising from the industrial action will be considered when we mark your assessments and examinations through the normal processes. In consultation with DUSA, we have re-introduced the “No Detriment” policy that was developed during the Covid pandemic. This allows School Examination Boards to act if the outcomes of modules are negatively impacted by strike action – you can view the information about this policy.

We hope a resolution can be reached before the planned strike days and are committed to doing all we can to ensure there is as little disruption to your studies as possible.

Under the law, staff are not obliged to tell us if they are a member of the UCU, nor to inform the University, or you as students, in advance if they are taking strike action. This means we are unable to let you know beforehand which classes or other sessions may be disrupted.

For further information, I have outlined below the answers to some frequently asked questions regarding industrial action.

Best wishes,

Professor Blair Grubb
Vice-Principal (Education)

Which staff will be on strike?

It is the nature of strike action that we are unable to say which staff will be on strike in advance. Staff who choose to take action may tell you that they will do so, others may not. 

The University does not know which members of staff are members of the union, as they are not legally required to declare they are members. We have over 3,000 staff, the vast majority of whom will still be working.

What will happen?

We anticipate that the vast majority of classes and student contact time will proceed as normal.

However, a minority of staff will take part in the strike action and will not turn up to work on the strike days. As a result, some teaching and learning activities scheduled to take place on those days may be affected and therefore may not take place.

Should I turn up to classes on the strike days?

Yes. If it is known in advance that a member of staff will be striking, your School will make every attempt to tell you in advance or as soon as they can on the strike days to avoid unnecessary travel, but this may not always be possible. For classes that take place, attendance will be taken in the normal way. 

Should I continue to submit written assignments?

Yes. You should continue to submit all written work as set out in your student handbook or as agreed with the School or your lecturers. If there are any changes to deadlines, your School will notify you.

Will the missed lectures, seminars, tutorials, or other student contact time be rescheduled?

It may or may not be possible to reschedule classes and contact time and, as part of the strike action, the union has said that lecturers will not reschedule classes that have not taken place as a result of strike action. However, you should look out for communications from your School in the event that any of this time is able to be rescheduled.

For some subjects, it may mean that lab time, studio time or workshop time might be restricted during the strike action, and your School will communicate with you to let you know if such restrictions are likely to occur.

What can I do to make sure I do not miss out on appropriate learning?

If your module is affected by strike action, you should ensure you engage with any online materials that might be available through My Dundee as well as with any recommended reading that you may have been provided with by your lecturers. 

Your School will provide you with any additional material that it believes would be helpful and will be considering ways to ensure that any impact on your learning from the strike action is minimised.

The Main Library, along with the libraries at Ninewells, Kirkcaldy, and the DJCAD Library, will be open throughout the strike days.

Will the strike action affect my exams and other assessments?

At the current time, the strike action should not have an impact on the Semester 2 exams. Your School is working to ensure that the strike action has as minimal an impact as possible on your ability to perform well in your exams and on your learning more generally. Your School may be in touch with further information.

Since your School will know what classes, if any, did not take place, and also which class tests did not take place, it will be able to reflect on this when it comes to assessment, and exam boards will take into account the effects of the action when reaching their decisions.

For this reason, you do not need to submit mitigating circumstances in relation to the strike action.

If there are class exams or assessed presentations, these may be affected, but again, the School will be in touch to let you know if and when these will take place.

Because Schools will be aware of the effects of the strike action on your learning, both in terms of teaching and assessment, they will therefore be able to take steps to minimise that impact and avoid any detriment to you and your learning outcomes. Please rest assured that we have a well-defined No Detriment Policy which we can activate to help us manage situations such as this.

Will any other services be affected?

Some Professional Services staff may also be on strike, including in the Libraries and IT, and this may impact on the University’s ability to deliver those services.

Will I be able to claim compensation for the classes that do not take place?

The University’s terms and conditions make clear that in the event of industrial action compensation is not payable, as such action is out of the University’s control. At the moment, the University does not know which classes will not take place, but individual Schools are working hard to devise ways of ensuring that any impact on your learning is minimised as much as possible, and that you continue to have access to materials to support your independent study.

If my lecturer is on strike on one of the days, can I assume that they will be on strike for all days?

No. Members of staff who participate in strike action may do so on only one, on some, or on all of the days indicated for action. You cannot assume that just because a member of staff takes strike action on one day that they will do so on one of the other days. You should treat each strike day separately, unless you have received explicit instruction from your School that a class will not take place.