David Maguire, Interim Vice-Chancellor
On Friday 19 November, the Interim Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Maguire wrote to all taught students. You can read his message below.
Dear student,
This week it has been confirmed that some members of staff who belong to the University and College Union (UCU) have voted in favour of taking three days of industrial action (also known as a ‘strike’) here at the University of Sussex, as well as in other universities. The strike dates are from Wednesday 1 December to Friday 3 December.
First, it is important to note that only a minority of staff at Sussex are members of UCU and we do not know how many will choose to go on strike. That is their individual right and decision to make.
This could mean that you experience little or no disruption as a result of this industrial action. For students who are impacted, I want to reassure you that we will be doing all we can to minimise this. It is our number one priority.
The strikes are related to pensions and pay and conditions, and are not things we can solve here at Sussex. Both pensions and pay for many staff working at universities across the UK are set by national bodies. As such they are negotiated by teams of representatives who act on behalf of the majority of universities collectively. Because of this, Sussex only has a small amount of influence over these matters.
This is why our focus is on minimising disruption to you, while letting national negotiators work towards an agreement. We desperately want an agreement to be found that works for all parties involved so that we can continue to deliver the education you are here for.
It is important that you are aware of why this action is happening and what support is available to you. Please visit this page on the Student Hub, where we have outlined some immediate questions you may have.
Keeping you informed:
We will be sharing detailed information with you over the coming weeks to help you plan for your studies and there will be opportunities for you to ask questions, get advice and support.
Your School will be in contact with you with more information about how the industrial action may affect you personally in due course, and we will continue to keep you updated nearer the time of the strike action in Kelly Coate’s weekly updates for students and on the Student Hub.
With very best wishes,
David
David Maguire
Interim Vice-Chancellor