Strike FAQs
Q – Do I need to announce my strike intentions ahead of time? My manager wants me to fill out a form in advance.
You are not required to notify the employer ahead of taking any industrial action, ACAS has pretty clear guidelines on this : https://www.acas.org.uk/strikes-and-industrial-action/strikes
We ask that every member let their manager know after the strike if they participated.
In some departments, specific forms are sent out by HR to record strike participation, please do use those.
Q – I have a holiday booked on the strike dates? Can I still participate in strike action?
If you have booked leave on the same day as the strike, you can still participate. In this case, we would encourage you to approach your manager and clarify that you would like to cancel your leave and that you will be on strike instead. Make sure that you don’t lose your leave.
Q – How do I apply for strike pay?
If you attend a picket site, let the picket line supervisor know your name and department and they will fast-track a strike pay application for you for that day. If you are striking from home, please complete a strike pay application form. Send the completed form and any payslips showing pay deductions to ian.maidlow@unitetheunion.org
Q – What are the legal protections for workers on strike?
Striking workers are immune from disciplinary action for striking in the first 12 weeks of their industrial mandate. After 12 weeks the employer can potentially take disciplinary action against striking staff, but ONLY if action is taken against EVERY employee who participated in the strike. The employer must also show that all reasonable steps have been taken to resolve the dispute.
No legal action has ever been taken against striking workers in the Higher Education sector and given the recruitment and retention issues in the sector, Unite judges any legal action as extremely unlikely.
Q – I work at home or cannot travel to Cambridge on a strike day. What can I do?
Many university workers are working from home or working in a hybrid manner, and we encourage anyone who cannot come into Cambridge to still hold a digital picket line at their own home. If you strike at home, you are as eligible for strike pay as members on the picket line. You shouldn’t be responding to any work emails, taking work-related calls, attending online lectures or training through the University, etc. Some members have asked about leaving an out-of-office message for the days they are on strike and we fully support that. We have this draft example (courtesy of our regional organiser) :
Thank you for your message.
I will not be reading emails or taking work-related calls on —— as I am taking part in industrial action due to the failure of our employers to negotiate a fair pay rise this year.
Find out more about the ongoing pay dispute via the Unite the Union webpages here: https://uniteuoc.org.uk/
You can join Unite the Union as a member here: https://join.unitetheunion.org/