UCL students have voted. We will SUPPORT the upcoming UCU industrial action.
In October, UCU (the union representing many academic and support staff at UCL), voted to take strike action over disputes on pay and pensions, read more on why strikes have been called. Strikes are confirmed for 24, 25 and 30 November 2022, with action short of a strike starting on Wednesday 23 November. Read our explainer on the upcoming strikes. UCU have a mandate to strike until April 2023, with further strike action likely in term two.
Sabbatical and Student Officers who are part of Union Executive chose to hold a referendum, asking you to decide what position the Students' Union should take in relation to the planned UCU industrial action. Voting was open between 17 and 23 November and a record number of students voted.
6,290 votes were cast – thank you to everybody who took the time to have their voices heard on this critical issue. It’s the largest referendum we’ve ever held, surpassing the previous record of 5,116 voters set in January 2022. Have a look at the voter dashboard for stats on who voted.
The Result
| Voters | % | |
|---|---|---|
| Support | 4,322 | 68.7% |
| Oppose | 1,693 | 26.9% |
| Abstain | 275 | 4.4% |
Support for strike action has increased since the referendum on UCU’s previous action in January 2022.
It has always been clear that both students and staff want to avoid the need for strikes. We will take the result of the vote, and the mandate it provides, forward in our meetings with UCL and continue to push for a resolution to the dispute and attempt to avoid the need for ongoing strike action.
As always, we will do as much as possible to mitigate the impact of strikes on students. Making sure your rights are protected and defended.
A policy on supporting UCU industrial action will now be the position of the Students’ Union until November 2024, or until the policy is changed through another referendum.