UEA UCU has served the University of East Anglia with an official notice that the branch will take a day of strike action on Wednesday 26th March 2025.
This day of strike action needs to be the biggest that UEA has ever seen. We need to see massive picket lines, cross-institution solidarity, and a promise of more action if our demands are not met. We need each and every member to engage with this action. We are also seeking volunteers to help out with the planning and day of action so please contact the branch if you are willing to help.
We are striking for our colleagues who are still at risk of redundancy.
We are striking because we know that fewer staff at UEA will have a detrimental effect on the student experience.
We are striking for a better future for UEA – for a university that is more democratic and where management are genuinely accountable to staff.
While it is true that the sector is in crisis, we know UEA will be in no place to recover and respond if management keep making cuts at this scale. More than 400 people left the university through “voluntary” means a year and a half ago. Now the executive team is wanting a further 192 people to leave UEA.
Compulsory redundancies at our university would represent a new low in the history of our institution. UEA’s reputation would take another hit, while any remaining semblance of positive staff morale would dissipate. These cuts will end careers. They will not only be devastating for those directly affected but will sever any remaining trust there is between staff and management.
The threat of sustained industrial action is a significant force to make management change course. We have already seen a shift in the tone and the stance of the employer in the dispute resolution since we gained our overwhelming mandate for industrial action. That’s why we need all our members to join us next Wednesday on the picket line as we work to protect livelihoods and change UEA for the better. Come together with your colleagues to celebrate all the work you do for our students and for our community.
Strike action is always a last resort, but we cannot and will not tolerate any of our members being under threat of compulsory redundancy. Being a part of this union is about solidarity. It’s about acknowledging that if they come for one of us, they come for all of us.
Members should check their email for further details about picket timings and locations.