Your studies during industrial action

Industrial action is activity usually taken by employees to address workplace disputes. It can take different forms but is commonly known as going on strike – a situation where staff withdraw their labour and do not work.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU), one of LSE's recognised trade unions that represents some staff, voted at a national level in favour of further strike action as a response to national disputes about pay and working conditions across the university sector.

This round of industrial action includes strike action, where staff taking part do not work, and action short of a strike, where staff work only to contracted duties and not beyond this (more on this below).

Strike action is planned to take place across the UK higher education sector from 25-29 September. It will not take place at LSE.  

One of the biggest challenges to bringing this industrial action to a close is that it is of a national nature. Even if we take action locally, this will not mean matters draw to a close. Negotiations taking place must be agreed at the national level. While we can do our best to influence the outcomes of discussions, some of the matters, such as pay, are involve a process involving 146 institutions across the UK.

We are actively engaging with representative bodies on a national level and will continue to do so in the strongest possible terms, however we are not able to take immediate decisions to bring these matters to a close as an individual higher education institution.

LSE agrees that pay, pensions and precarity are significant challenges for the UK Higher Education sector that need to be addressed and throughout this longer period of industrial action, we have been closely monitoring the situation and taking action where things have been within our control. For example, previous local negotiations focused on enhancing the experience of early career and fixed-term academic staff at LSE as a key priority. In the coming weeks and months, we will continue to focus on this.

We also continue to discuss, as a matter of urgency, the pay challenges we face both for academic and professional services staff. In addition to the one-off cost of living payment given last year (£1,000 for all full-time staff), we increased our contribution pay budgets significantly in 2022/23 and maintained this for the 2023/24 round. There is important work to be done here and we are committed to doing everything we can.

The marking and assessment boycott, which took place between April and September 2023, covered all marking and assessment processes that contribute to summative assessment decisions for all students. The boycott was included in the options for action short of a strike (ASOS) as part of the UCU extension of industrial action.

20 April was the date from which UCU asked members to cease undertaking all summative marking and associated assessment activities / duties, this ceased on 6 September.

On 6 September the University and College Union announced the end of the marking and assessment boycott (MAB). LSE very much welcomed this development, recognising the impact that this situation has had on our whole School community, and especially for individuals who experienced disruption.  

This process for completing and submitting all outstanding assessment marks is now taking place and continuing students and finalist postgraduate students will be contacted directly with more information.  

What about compensation and fee refund requests?

LSE is working hard to minimise disruption as much as possible during periods of industrial action. This includes putting in place mitigations to help remedy the impact of strikes and support students, as well as making sure you're not assessed on any material missed because a teaching session was cancelled. It is also important to remember that many staff will not be on strike and campus is open as normal. 

Mitigations put in place will vary depending on your area of study and may be enacted now, later in the term, and across the duration of your programme. If you believe mitigations put in place are not sufficient in helping you meet your learning outcomes, you will be able to submit a formal complaint on this issue to the School Secretary. LSE will publish a dedicated form for this purpose no later than Week 9 of Autumn Term (20-24 November).

If you do wish to make a complaint about other matters, or want to know more about the process, visit our make a complaint page for more information, including our formal Student Complaints Procedure. 

If you need support or wish to discuss any matter in relation to your personal wellbeing, our Find Support tool can help you find the right support.

Complaints about industrial action during 2022/23

In accordance with the School’s normal deadline of a formal complaint having to be submitted to the School Secretary within 20 working days from the date of an alleged incident, the online form to submit complaints about the impact of industrial action in the 2022/23 academic year on teaching contact hours is now closed. 

If you have reason to submit a complaint relating to the impact of the marking and assessment boycott, please complete this marking boycott student complaint form, with details including your name, course and grounds for complaint. You are encouraged to review the School’s Complaints Procedure for Students before submitting your form. 

Complaints about industrial action during 2021/22
 
All investigations have now been concluded for complaints received in relation to the 2021/22 strikes, and outcome letters have been sent to all students at their LSE email inboxes, unless you have previously indicated that you would prefer that the outcome be sent to a personal email. 

Please contact tech support if you are struggling to access your LSE inbox, as the routine deletion of these inboxes had been suspended until the conclusion of our investigations. 

If, for whatever reason you are still unable to access your LSE inbox or have not yet received an outcome letter in respect of a complaint related to the 2021/22 industrial action, please contact the Legal Team at secretarysdivision@lse.ac.uk.

‘Action short of a strike’ means that individuals taking part will work normally, apart from duties beyond this that the union is asking its members to refuse to undertake.

UCU has advised that in the context of this dispute, taking action short of a strike will consist of its members:

• Only working contracted hours and duties and not volunteering to do more
• Not rescheduling classes and lectures cancelled due to strike action
• Not covering for absent colleagues
• Removing uploaded materials related to, and/or not sharing materials related to, lectures or classes that will be or have been cancelled as a result of strike action.

Staff have been asked to make sure that they do not stop undertaking any contractual duties as a misinterpretation of ‘working to contract’.