BUCU welcomes this show of support from the Guild of Students!

“Your Full Time Officer Team stands in support of the University and College Union (UCU) in relation to the announced period of strike action, that their members have approved by ballot. Students have continually shown their support for this stance through Guild referenda, and in the context of a cost of living crisis, the issues raised by UCU are now more pressing than ever.

We urge the Joint Negotiation Committee on the pensions dispute to meet with UCU nationally, with a fair pension offer for academic and academic-related staff, to end years of strike disruption across the sector.

Your Officer Team will be actively supporting the strikes by providing a space in the Guild for those on picket lines to take a break and have refreshments, as well as continuing to raise the concerns of casualisation, PGTA pay, and equality for all, at the most senior level of the University.

The Guild recognises the significant impact strike action will have on many students, and is acting to mitigate this. We will open all Guild rooms outside of student group bookings as study space during strike days, as well providing space for lecturers to deliver ‘teach-outs’. We will also continue to lobby the University for fair assessment mitigations and other changes, for students impacted by any disruption to their studies.

As a team, we aren’t officially calling on students not to cross picket lines and go onto campus during the period of strike action. We recognise that not all students are able to make such a commitment, and that this is a matter of personal choice.

Similarly, as a team, we will be judging individually which meetings on campus and with the University are essential for us to attend during strike days. Any such meetings will be held in the Guild wherever possible.

We would like to stress to all students the importance of respecting the decisions and beliefs of others during any strike period, while also recognising the right of a union to picket at the entrance to their employer’s estate.

If you have any questions regarding this statement or how your Guild can support you during the strike period, please email FTO@guild.bham.ac.uk or contact us via any of our social media channels, which you can find details of here.”