We are looking forward to welcoming you to LSHTM.
You might be aware that the University and College Union (UCU) has recently announced 5 days of strike action in relation to pay and working conditions. These are national disputes across the UK Higher Education sector, and not limited to LSHTM.
Action has taken place through the academic year that has just finished, but we are pleased that we have been able to mitigate the impact on learning and teaching and that MSc students will be completing their studies and research degree students have been able to progress as planned.
The upcoming strike is planned to take place from Monday 25th to Friday 29th September, which coincides with our Welcome Week. This means that at certain times during the week, there might be a picket line of staff standing outside our Keppel Street building telling people why they are striking. The strike action may also result in some of your Welcome Week sessions being cancelled at short notice. We recommend that you check your Welcome Week timetable regularly for any updates to your schedule.
We understand that news of the strike may make you feel concerned, and we regret that this action is taking place during your Welcome Week. Please be assured that our priority is for all key welcome activities and campus facilities to run as normal and to ensure you have an enjoyable and informative first week with us.
We will keep you updated with any developments. In the meantime, you can find more information in our Frequently Asked Questions below and we would like to inform you that our Student Support Services team are available to help.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at educationcontingency@lshtm.ac.uk if you have any questions.
- What is industrial action?
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Industrial action is a way for staff to seek to resolve a dispute with their employer, which in the context of LSHTM is a national body, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA). It can be in the form of a strike - where staff members don’t work at all - or action short of a strike (ASOS) -where staff members may work to contract or may not undertake voluntary activities. Industrial action is organised by trade unions, who hold ballots (or votes) of their members to decide what action to take and is a democratic right under UK law.
- What are trade unions?
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A trade union is an organisation with members who are usually workers or employees. It represents its members, such as in negotiating on their behalf agreements with employers on pay and employment conditions.
The University and College Union (UCU) is the trade union for academic and academic-related staff in higher education. At LSHTM, it represents staff working in lecturing, research, computing, library administration and other areas of higher education. Not all employees are members of trade unions.
- What are the strikes about and how will it affect me?
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UCU recently voted in favour of industrial action in relation to pay and working conditions. These are national disputes across the UK Higher Education sector, and not limited to LSHTM.
This means that there might be a picket line of staff standing outside our buildings and some of your Welcome Week sessions might be cancelled at short notice.
- What is a picket line?
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Some of the staff striking and UCU representatives will be standing outside our Keppel Street building to tell people why they are striking. You are welcome to talk to the UCU members and ask them questions about the strikes if you’d like to do so. They might respectfully ask you not to cross their picket line, but they are not allowed to prevent you from entering the building. It is your decision whether to cross the picket line or not.
If you do not want to cross the picket line, you can choose not to do so, but you may miss sessions that have not been cancelled.
- If I do not want to cross the picket line can I still register for my programme?
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If you decide not to attend the in-person registration slot for your programme during Welcome Week, you should notify the Admissions team (admissions@lshtm.ac.uk) at the earliest opportunity.
- Could there be any consequences of me crossing the picket line if one of my lecturers on the picket line asks me not to?
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There are no consequences to your degree if you choose to cross the picket line. Those on the picket line know that you are perfectly entitled to do so. The academic integrity arrangements (including anonymised grading of assessments) we have in place ensure that there is no possibility that your degree outcome will be affected by your choice to attend classes.
- What is LSHTM doing to avoid disruption to students?
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LSHTM has been doing everything it can to encourage a resolution to the dispute. Our Director has written to UCEA (the body that represents university employers) indicating that it would support a review of the current pay offer.
- Will there be strikes during the teaching terms?
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It is possible that further strike actions will be announced during your studies. The impact on each class will vary as it will be dependent on the level of industrial action taken by the staff delivering the module. Some classes will go ahead as normal, some may switch to online delivery, and some classes may be delivered via pre-recorded content. A small number of classes may not be delivered.
- What is LSHTM doing to safeguard the student experience and assess the impact of the strike action on student outcomes?
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LSHTM has experienced periods of industrial action before and have always been mindful of ensuring that students are not adversely affected by any strike action. A Strike Contingency Group meets weekly to closely monitor the industrial action and the impact on the education programme. Where teaching is impacted, we carefully examine the grade distributions of any modules that are affected by the action to ensure that there is no evidence of detriment to student outcomes.
Action has taken place through the academic year that has just finished, but we are pleased that we have been able to mitigate the impact on learning and teaching and that students will be completing their studies as planned.
Furthermore, we are guided by the sector regulator Office for Students (OfS) and Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA). You can find out more in the OfS “Student guide to industrial action”.
- What support is available for me?
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If you have any queries about the action, please email: educationcontingency@lshtm.ac.uk.
If you have any concerns, our Student Support Services Team are here to help. They offer one-to-one appointments and can also be contacted at sss@lshtm.ac.uk.
Page last updated 14th September 2023