Sheffield Hallam University: Strike action ahead for week one of new academic year, UCU announces

Members of the University and Colleges Union (UCU) at the university will walk out from Monday, September 23 until Thursday, September 26 - coinciding with the start of the new academic year.

UCU general secretary, Jo Grady, said: “Strike action is a last resort for our members but they will not stand by and let management force though these scandalous cuts which would see teaching, research and academic standards torn to shreds.

“Rather than reviewing its spending on new buildings and a satellite campus halfway across the country, Hallam management is threatening to slash jobs, jeopardise academic standards, and tear up staff's hard-won terms and conditions. If university management do not stop these attacks on staff, they will face unprecedented disruption at the start of the new academic year.”

The UCU strikes are said to be in defence of jobs and employment conditions.

Since 140 academics left the university in a December 2023 voluntary redundancy scheme, the UCU said SHU have “ploughed ahead” with more job losses, including 400 professional services jobs being cut.

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In 2022, SHU announced plans to build a satellite campus at Brent Cross Town, London. This campus would accommodate 5,000 students on the development in Barnet and is due to open in Autumn 2026.

Brent Cross Town is an £8 billion development which, when finished, is expected to have 50,000 people living, working and studying in “one of the UK’s largest net zero town centres”.

Announcing the impending industrial action, the UCU accused the university of failing to honour an agreement to transition associate lecturers from zero-hour contracts to fixed-term contracts in September 2023.

The union claimed a decision had been made to “retain the use of zero-hour contracts, condemning these staff members to insecure gig-economy style employment”.

A UCU strike ballot saw 87 per cent of those voting agree to take action.

A Sheffield Hallam University spokesperson said “We are disappointed UCU are taking industrial action. Our priority during this time will be to do everything possible to minimise the impact on our students and wider community.  

“Like all universities, we are having to make tough decisions about the way we operate due to various well documented external pressures across higher education. 

“We were able to reduce the number of academic staff earlier this year without compulsory redundancies. We have also made significant progress on changes within our professional services through voluntary means.

“As we move forward, we will continue to seek to avoid compulsory measures where possible and engage with trade union representatives as part of collective consultation.

 “Sheffield Hallam continues to be one of the largest and most popular universities in the country, with Gold-rated teaching and award-winning research.”