Last updated: 15 September 2023
This page contains information about industrial action at the University of Leeds.
The University’s overarching approach to managing the impacts of industrial action has continued to be guided by the following three principles, to:
- protect the interests of students
- retain the cohesion of our community
- protect the standard of Leeds degrees and other qualifications
If you have a question about industrial action that is specific to your personal situation, please speak to your manager, who will consult with HR if necessary.
Industrial action at the University of Leeds
Taking part in industrial action
Working during strike action
Pay deductions and pension contributions
Teaching, marking and assessments
Information for students
Industrial action at the University of Leeds
Dates and action being taken
UCU has announced five days of strike action from 25-29 September. UNISON and Unite have announced strike action on 29 September, 2 October and 3 October.
Why industrial action is taking place
The current UCU dispute relates to their campaigns focused on casualisation, gender, ethnicity and disability pay inequality, workload and the 2022/23 pay award. The UNISON and Unite disputes relate to pay. Significant work is underway locally to address these issues.
Balloting for industrial action
In order for a trade union to achieve a mandate for industrial action the law requires that at least 50% of members who are eligible to vote do so and that a majority of votes cast are in favour. Votes cast not in favour contribute to the meeting of the first threshold of a 50% participation rate.
UCU have conducted nationally aggregated ballots for industrial action – a ballot of all UCU branches - where votes are counted on a national basis. UNISON and Unite have conducted disaggregated ballots which means votes are cast and counted at individual institution level. Action can be taken at each university where a turn-out of over 50% is secured and the majority of members of that branch vote in favour of action.
Taking part in industrial action
What you need to do if you’re taking part in industrial action
You are required to confirm if you have taken part in industrial action.
To help minimise the impact on our students, it would be helpful if you told us in advance if you plan to take part in industrial action, but it is not a requirement.
We encourage you to tell students and anyone else affected that the scheduled teaching will no longer be happening.
However, after you have taken part in industrial action, you must register your participation.
How to register your participation in industrial action
Participation in strike action must be registered via the Employee Self Service (ESS) system within the deadline specified. This is to ensure that appropriate salary adjustments can be processed. Pay will continue to be deducted for strike action based on 1/365th of your pro rata annual salary.
If you are on campus, you can access ESS directly. If you are not on campus, then you will need to log onto the Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) to access the Employee Self Service portal.
Read our guidance on how to record industrial action dates through ESS. If you experience technical difficulties, then please log a ticket with IT.
Please do not contact HR to log any strike participation for you; you are required to complete the reporting yourself.
Postgraduate Researchers (PGR) that teach, if you have participated in industrial action when you were due to teach, then please update your line manager. You may not have access to ESS and therefore do not have to access and update it.
Medical/dental appointments
You may attend your medical appointment and should declare your strike action by responding to your line manager’s request and via Employee Self Service.
Deadlines for registering industrial action
Deadlines for registering that you have taken part in industrial action will be communicated ahead of any planned strike dates.
Working during strike action
If you do not wish to take part in industrial action, you should attend work as normal on the affected dates.
Picket lines
Picket lines may be formed during periods of industrial action even when no formal strike action is taking place. Picketing must be conducted peacefully and respectfully and will not prevent people from attending work.
If you are not actively participating in the industrial action but choose not to cross the picket line, you must let your line manager know. You will be recorded as ‘absent’ and deductions from your pay will be made.
Working from home
If you are not participating in the strike action, then you can confirm with your manager whether it is still appropriate to work from home or not. Any new requests to work off campus on days of strike action will need to be made to your line manager and will be considered carefully and in the context of your role and duties.
Technically, anyone who does not work without a legitimate or pre-agreed reason will be considered to be on strike.
Annual leave
Any annual leave that was agreed before the action days were announced is not affected. Any new requests for annual leave on days of strike action will need to be submitted through the normal request process and prior management approval obtained.
Illness, medical and dental appointments
If you are unwell on a strike day you should report in sick as normal and follow your local sickness absence reporting procedures.
If you are not taking strike action, then you should inform your line manager as normal that you have a medical /dental appointment providing the usual evidence and attend the appointment as normal. On completion of your appointment, you should return to work as you would do normally.
Pay deductions and pension contributions
Strike action
1/365th of your salary will be deducted for each day of strike action. The same calculation will be used for full-time and part-time staff.
For part-time staff, the actual hours due to be worked on a strike day are used to ensure that the lower full-time equivalent (FTE) is reflected in the deduction calculations.
You will lose a full day’s pay for each day you are on strike. Any days on which an employee strikes will also not be counted towards their length of service, and so any length of service anniversaries, benefits and/or service-related awards will be adjusted accordingly. However, continuous service will be maintained.
Action short of a strike (ASOS)
The University does not accept partial performance or any breach of contract. If you take part in ASOS and refuse to complete your contractual duties or otherwise fulfil your contractual obligations within contracted hours, this can be deemed partial performance.
Pay will not be deducted for taking ASOS where all required educational activities are carried out as a priority on return to work and delivered within the timescales agreed with Heads of School.
‘Required educational activities’ are defined as:
- Timetabled teaching activity including lectures, seminars, lab classes
- Personal tutoring support
- Examinations or other formal assessments associated with progression and award (dissertations etc.)
Failing to prioritise and deliver agreed educational activities in the timeframe agreed with the Head of School/Institute (or delegate), including the prompt return of examination and assessment marks, is considered a breach of contract.
The University will deduct 100% of pay at a rate of 1/365th of pro rata annual salary per day until such activity is delivered in accordance with the timescales agreed with the Heads of School/Institute or their delegate.
This position is in line with Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) guidance.
Any pay that has been deducted due to industrial action will not be repaid, even if work missed is later completed.
Impact on pension contributions
Both employer and employee pension contributions will be affected by the pay deductions. The contributions will be reduced proportionately to the pay deductions.
You can make up missed pension contributions if you choose. Email the pensions team via pensions@adm.leeds.ac.uk for more information.
Teaching, marking and assessments
To minimise the impact of industrial action on our students and to ensure continued compliance with the conditions of registration with the Office for Students, all staff taking part in strike action should prioritise the delivery of required educational activities on their return to work.
Required educational activities should be delivered as soon as possible and within timescales agreed with your Head of School/Institute (or agreed delegate).
Where timetabled teaching activity is impacted by strike action, rescheduling of this activity must be prioritised.
If you are taking part in ASOS, you are also required to prioritise educational activities and deprioritise or stop other work (including research-related activities).
Rescheduled educational activity should in principle be delivered as ‘like for like’ (e.g. face to face teaching should continue to be delivered face to face).
Where it is not possible to reschedule on a ‘like for like’ basis owing to timetabling/space constraints, you should deliver a high quality, interactive alternative (e.g. a live online lecture to cover a cancelled in person session or small group tutorial sessions to cover missed materials).
Marking and assessment boycott
Marking and assessment is an essential part of our educational activity. The processes around assessment, marking and release of marks are complex and involve academic and professional services colleagues working in partnership.
The University recognises the right of staff to take lawful industrial action. However, the University does not accept partial performance or any breach of contract.
Failing to prioritise and deliver required educational activities in the timeframe specified by the Head of School/ Department/ Institute (or delegate), including any activity relating to marking, assessment, and examinations, is considered a breach of contract.
Withholding pay for staff participating in a marking and assessment boycott
- Where marking or assessment work has not been delivered, received or submitted by a given deadline and where an individual has either confirmed to their Head of School/ Department/ Institute that they are participating in the Marking and Assessment Boycott, or they have not responded to requests to provide reasons why their marking or assessment work has not been received, then 100% of pay will be withheld from the agreed/required date at which the marking or assessment was due, as outlined in the second email issued at local level to an individual, confirming that the matter is to be referred to the Chief Operating Officer, and that salary is to be withheld.
Salary will be withheld for a maximum period of 21 working days or until;
- Head of School confirms that the member of staff has ceased participating in the marking and assessment boycott; or
- Head of School confirms that the member of staff’s marking/assessment activity has been submitted/completed and/or is no longer outstanding or required; or
- the UCU ends the marking and assessment boycott; or
- the mandate for UCU to take industrial action ends (currently 30 September 2023)
whichever of the above occurs soonest.
Please note that there may be situations where the University will need to reclaim salary in the months following the marking and assessment boycott where it was not possible to process the withholding of pay in the relevant payroll period.
Notifying the University that you are participating in the marking and assessment boycott
UCU has advised their members that, if asked directly whether they participated in ASOS in the past or are participating in it now, they should respond truthfully.
When your Head of School/ Department/Institute is notified that you have failed to deliver agreed activity in relation to marking and assessment, you will be contacted by the Faculty Office requesting that you confirm whether or not you are taking part in the boycott. If you respond to confirm that you are, or if you fail to respond by the specified deadline, you will receive an email from the Chief Operating Officer confirming the date that withholding of pay will commence.
Notifying the University that you have ceased participating in the marking and assessment boycott
If you were taking part in the boycott but have since resumed your full duties, please make your Head of School/Department/Institute aware of this as soon as possible so that pay can be reinstated within the relevant payroll period (where possible)
Payment for other duties whilst participating in the marking and assessment boycott
As the University does not accept partial performance, any other work that you choose to undertake whilst pay is withheld for your participation in the marking and assessment boycott will be voluntary on your part.
Authorised leave whilst participating in the marking and assessment boycott
Should you have any authorised absence (such as sickness absence, paternity leave, annual leave etc) during a period of participation in the marking and assessment boycott full contractual pay will be reinstated (if applicable) for those dates.
Periods of authorised absence are not counted towards the 21 working day maximum period in which salary will be withheld.
If you are still deemed to be participating in the marking and assessment boycott upon your return to work, your pay will once again be withheld at 100% (at a rate of 1/365th of annual salary) in line with the information contained in the above sections, up to a maximum of 21 working days.
Actions for staff not participating in the marking and assessment boycott
In most cases you will not need to take any action. However, should you receive an email from your Head of School/ Department/Institute asking if you are taking part, you will need to respond to advise them that you are not, or it may be assumed that you are participating.
Covering marking and assessment-related activities for staff taking part in the boycott
Wherever possible, the University will endeavour to reallocate activities internally, taking into account existing workloads. Your Head of School/ Department/ Institute (or delegate) will discuss this with you on an individual basis.
University position in response to marking and assessment boycott from 21 August
The below guidance sets out the University’s approach to the withholding of pay from 21 August. Please note that the conclusion of the period of 21 working days for the previous period has been deemed to be no later than 21 working days from 7 July when all UG results/marks were due (the actual date for individuals may be earlier depending on when marks were due).
- The University rejects the notion of partial performance and reserves the right to withhold salary where there has been a breach of contract. The University’s position on withholding salary in response to participation in the MAB remains unchanged; 100% of salary will be withheld at a rate of 1/365th of pro rata annual salary per working day.
- The University will withhold salary for further participation in the MAB (including new PG marking and assessment and UG resits). However, colleagues who have already had salary withheld for outstanding marking previously (UG or PG) will not have salary withheld twice for the same work.
- The date at which withholding of salary will begin remains the ‘agreed/required’ date specified in the second email issued at local level to an individual, confirming that the matter is to be referred to the Chief Operating Officer and that salary is to be withheld.
- Salary will be withheld from the notified date for a maximum period of 21 working days or until;
- the Head of School confirms that the member of staff has ceased participating in the marking and assessment boycott; or
- the Head of School confirms that the member of staff’s marking/assessment activity has been submitted/completed and/or is no longer outstanding or required; or
- the UCU ends the marking and assessment boycott; or
- the mandate for UCU to take industrial action ends (currently 30 September 2023)
Whichever of the above occurs soonest.
Next steps following end of marking and assessment boycott
UCU members have voted to end the marking and assessment boycott. Read Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Simone Buitendijk’s update outlining the need for staff to prioritise and complete outstanding marking by 2 October. As a gesture of goodwill, the University has agreed the return of 50% of pay withheld during the first phase, on the understanding that marks will be delivered by this deadline. In addition, no further pay will be withheld in relation to the second phase of the marking and assessment boycott (the period from 21 August to the end of the boycott).
Information for students
An industrial action information for students webpage on the For Students website contains general information on when the strikes are happening and why, plus what the University is doing to respond to issues.
For more information or support, students can contact the Student Information Service. The Student Information Service web page will be regularly updated.
