Student FAQS on Strike Action

Your Course team will work hard to minimise disruption and try to let you know in advance of any cancelled teaching, so make sure you check your Blackboard and University email before setting off to campus on strike dates.

However, please be aware this may not always be possible as, under UK law, staff do not have to tell us in advance if they are planning to take strike action. You should therefore attend your scheduled teaching sessions as normal, unless you are informed that it has been cancelled.

We expect that the majority of staff in most departments/schools will not be taking part in the strike and in some departments/schools there will be no disruption at all.

We are encouraging staff to let you know if your teaching will be cancelled - so please check your emails and Blackboard for updates - but this may not always be possible.

If you come to campus and your lecture or class does not take place due to strike action, you will be able to use the allocated room and the time for individual or group study as well as other facilities such as the Library.

A range of measures will be used to make up for any cancelled teaching, and this may include rescheduling teaching where the timetable allows or providing learning materials online via Blackboard.

Specific arrangements to cover any cancelled teaching will be coordinated by your Course team as they understand the impact on individual modules best, and they will communicate these to you directly if your teaching activity is cancelled.

If you paid to travel to campus or childcare costs on a day of strike action and all your timetabled teaching that day is cancelled with no prior warning you will be able to submit a claim to be reimbursed for these costs. Please remember to tap into your teaching session with your smartcard to register your attendance.

What can you claim:

• The claim should be for expenses you have personally paid out for - note you will not be able to claim for subsistence (food or drink).
• You may not claim for another student.
• You cannot make a claim if you were notified beforehand that your teaching session would be cancelled due to strike action, so please check your University email and Blackboard for updates.
• You cannot make a claim if you were able to attend another scheduled session on the same date.

How to make a claim:

• Complete this form
  • Read the Guidelines Tab first. Then select the Data Input Tab to complete the form. 
  • You will need to give complete information. 
  • You must ensure the date for each day you are claiming for is clearly noted in the details of the form under Expense/Travel date.
    
    
• Please ensure you attach evidence when emailing the form in.
  For every claim you must attach a digital copy or screenshot of your IST for the day you are claiming, this must show the whole day. Please also remember to tap into your teaching session with your smartcard to register your attendance.
  
  You should also attach the following as applicable:
  • Any travel tickets or receipts you are claiming for, that clearly show the value of expenditure and the date of travel
  • Any other receipts for other expenses you have incurred as a direct result of strike action - note you will not be able to claim for subsistence (food or drink)
  • For mileage claims, you will need to know the travel distance from your term time address and the campus you travelled to. Mileage claim rates are detailed on the form.

• Email the form to your Faculty Team by 13 October:
  • Faculty of Medicine, Health and Social Care - health.business-operations@canterbury.ac.uk
  • Faculty of Science, Engineering and Social Sciences - Finance.FSESS@canterbury.ac.uk
  • Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Education - FAHE.BusinessOps@canterbury.ac.uk

Important: In order to be paid, you will need to ensure that we have your up to date bank account details in MyRecord under the "My Finance" tab.

Your visa status will not be affected by strike action, but it is important you continue to attend all scheduled teaching, tap into lessons with your smartcard to record your attendance and submit coursework. 

Students on placements will not be affected by this strike action. It is important that you continue to attend your scheduled placements.  

If your viva or annual progression review meeting is scheduled during the strike action, you should contact your supervisor to confirm whether it will go ahead.

You may not find out until the day so, in the meantime, assume that it will take place and submit your thesis on time.

There is not an assessment period planned during this strike action. 

Your scheduled exam dates and assessment submission deadlines will not change even if there is strike action that day.  You should ensure that you attend all exams and submit all work on time in line with your course deadlines.

If your submission date falls on one of the strike dates, you should submit as scheduled. If you do have concerns please discuss this with your Personal Academic Tutor and your Course team.  

The University and College Union currently has a mandate for national strike action over pay, pensions and working conditions.

We are sorry that industrial action has been called as part of an ongoing national dispute but recognise that the decision to vote to strike is not taken lightly and respect colleagues’ right to do so.

The annual pay award for staff is negotiated between employers, unions, and university-wide UK bodies with decisions taken at a national level, and not by individual universities. Negotiations are continuing between the national bodies in an attempt to resolve the dispute. This means it is not something we can resolve locally at Christ Church.

All of us want to work in a sector where staff are well-rewarded for their hard work and at Christ Church we want to do all we can to have a positive working environment for all. In addition to the total benefit package staff receive, we have recognised the effect of the current cost-of-living crisis on colleagues with our own measures as follows:

• All full-time permanent staff received a one-off remuneration payment of £750 in December 2022 (pro rata sum for part-time staff);
• Sessional staff received a one-off payment of £150;
• Our PhD scholars received a substantial uplift so that our rates are equivalent to that of UKRI rate increasing the PhD stipend up from circa £13,000 to circa £17,000);
• The University voluntarily agreed to align its minimum pay to the Real Wage Foundation rate;
• The University made car parking free for staff for this academic year;
• University catering is substantially subsidized.

Our priority remains the education and wellbeing of our students, and we are committed to minimising any disruption to your learning.

This is part of a national strike in respect to disputes regarding pay, pensions and working conditions.

On strike days, those members of staff who are choosing to participate will not be working. The impact of this will vary across courses, with some facing minimal or no disruption. You should assume that your teaching is taking place on strike days unless you are specifically told otherwise. 

There may be picket lines at some of the University entrances on strike days. This may involve small groups of staff with banners and placards speaking to people about the dispute and handing out information about the strike.  Most University staff will be working on campus as normal and you should not be at all worried about walking past the picket line. 

The University will remain open on strike days with facilities and services including the Library, Student Wellbeing, i-zone and catering being available as normal.

All extra-curricular activity such as BUCS sporting fixtures will continue as normal unless notified by the Students’ Union.

We are committed to minimizing the impact of the strike action on your learning and ensuring that you are still able to progress in your studies and succeed in your degree.

If you feel you have been disadvantaged by the strike action, please talk to your Course team as we want to work with you to find the best way to resolve your concerns. If you continue not to be satisfied, you can follow the University’s formal complaints procedure.

We are committed to minimizing the impact of the strike action on your learning and a range of measures will be put in place to make up for any cancelled teaching and ensure you achieve your learning outcomes.

As students continue to be supported with their studies, there is no reduction to published tuition fees for any year group.

If you have any worries about your finances or wish to discuss changing your study plans, please do not hesitate to contact our Student Support Advisers.

If you feel you have been disadvantaged by the strike action, please talk to your Course team as we want to work with you to find the best way to resolve your concerns and ensure you are able to progress in your studies.