Industrial action information for staff

About the current dispute

What is Sheffield University and College Union’s (UCU) mandate for industrial action? 

UCU’s current mandate for industrial action covers a 12-month period from 26 March 2026 to 25 March 2027. Their previous period of industrial action was in May 2026 when the Sheffield branch called on its members to take strike action on 7, 8, 11, 12, 13 and 14 May, and to take continuous action short of a strike (ASOS) from 7 May. 

Why is UCU calling on its members to take action again? 

UCU’s call for action is centred on the risk of compulsory redundancies at the University linked to the restructuring in some of our schools.  

What is the risk of compulsory redundancies?

Like many UK universities, we have had to take difficult decisions to rebalance staffing in areas impacted by shifts in student demand, to place our university in the strongest possible position for the future. To date, subject to formal approval, eight roles will be made compulsorily redundant across a university workforce of around 7,800 (0.1 per cent of the workforce) during these academic reviews and final numbers are expected to remain low as remaining consultations conclude.

About industrial action

Who can take part in industrial action?

Where a mandate for industrial action is obtained and a trade union calls on its members to take industrial action, those trade union members who were balloted are able to participate in industrial action. It is also possible for staff who choose to join that trade union after the ballot to take part in industrial action.

Trade union members from unions which do not have a mandate for action, or which are not calling on their members to take industrial action, cannot participate in industrial action.

What is action short of a strike (ASOS)?

ASOS is when trade union members engage in an action that falls short of a full withdrawal of labour, sometimes known as partial performance of the contractual duties.

This can take many forms including a refusal to carry out specific duties or responsibilities.

What is a picket line? Can I cross it? 

During strike action, it is possible that picket lines of striking staff might be present around the University campus outside various buildings. Picketing is a lawful activity where staff who support the strike stand outside their place of work to inform other staff members why they are striking. Pickets should only include individuals who are employed by the University and trade union officials. Picketing should be undertaken peacefully and it must not prevent those who are not striking from going  to work or from continuing doing their usual work. 

UCU has developed guidance on picketing which you may find helpful to review: UCU guidance for branches on picketing

Participating in industrial action 

Who should I inform if I choose to participate in industrial action?

If you take strike action on any of the identified strike days, you must complete the University's strike notification form immediately on your first day of returning to work after any day of strike action.

We are aware that some staff will not participate in all days of strike action, and staff in this position must complete the strike notification form on each day they are back in work after each and every period of strike action taken. Ensure you click 'submit' when you have completed all of the information.

Impacts on pay, pensions and deductions

What will be the impact on my pay if I take part in strike action?

Participation in strike action will result in a breach of your contract of employment. Consequently, if you choose to take strike action you will have a day’s pay deducted for each day that you are striking. If you choose to take strike action you are required to complete the strike notification form on each non-striking day. The daily rate of pay for calculating pay deductions will be deemed to be 1/365th of the full time equivalent salary, pro-rated for part time staff whose working pattern includes part-day working on strike days. Graduate Teaching Assistants who take action will not be paid for any of the hours of work they were scheduled to undertake.

See, University principles and approach to pay deductions

How will strike pay deductions appear on my payslip?

Your payslip will show a deduction for the total days of industrial action that will be processed in that month. The deduction will appear coded as either:

• ‘Strike pay adj’ - Strike pay deductions where you have requested that pension contributions are maintained.
• ‘Strike pay TNP’ - Strike pay deductions where you have requested that pension contributions are not maintained.

What happens to pay withheld from staff participating in industrial action?

Pay deducted from those taking industrial action will remain in school/departmental budgets. 

What is the impact on pay for GTAs/casual workers?

Casual workers and GTAs who withdraw their labour in support of industrial action will not be paid for any work missed on those days.

GTAs and casual workers who participate in industrial action should complete the strike notification form and should not claim hours that they had planned/been scheduled to work.

In the event that a teaching session is cancelled because of the lead academic’s participation in strike action, GTAs who were scheduled to support these sessions (and are not participating in the action themselves) should be paid for that time.

What is the impact on USS pensions where pay deductions are applied?

The default position will be that the University will pay the employer’s contribution as though you have worked on each day of industrial action and will deduct any employee’s contributions you would normally pay (including any additional contributions), based on the full notional pensionable pay you would have earned had you not taken industrial action. This will mean USS membership will not be affected during the industrial action period.

If you do not want your normal USS pension contributions to be deducted, you must indicate this on your notification forms. Please note that in this situation, you will not accrue pension benefits for that period.

We can confirm however that, for the period of the currently-stated days of industrial action, USS has put in place arrangements for death in service and ill health cover to remain in place where full contributions are not maintained.

Work during industrial action

What is the University’s approach to lost learning?

The University’s position is that all learning lost due to industrial action must be replaced and that a failure to do so constitutes a breach of contract, which aligns with the Office for Students (OfS) expectations for institutions during industrial action, which we must adhere to. These expectations include:

• prioritise the delivery of education when implementing contingency plans – in the first place, avoiding any impact on students; 
• where this cannot be done, mitigating the impact on students through delivery of education with as few changes as possible; 
• where this cannot be done, timely repeat performance of any missed or significantly disrupted teaching, assessment, or other promised aspects of students’ experience.

If I don’t take part in industrial action and am asked by my manager to cover for a colleague who is taking industrial action, is this ok?

During industrial action, all staff are asked to prioritise student-facing activities and those disrupted by strike action, which may mean schools and departments may require flexibility in what work is undertaken to enable this.

You should only be asked to undertake any duties which are grade appropriate, and for which you are suitably skilled and/or trained. Your manager should ensure that you are aware of what work to prioritise and de-prioritise. There may be situations where your manager seeks a level of flexibility in terms of covering duties which fall outside of your normal role. If you or your manager are unsure what may be deemed reasonable, you are advised to seek HR support.

Our focus during any period of industrial action is on our students and ensuring they receive the education to which they are entitled and are able to progress and graduate from their programmes of study. We are conscious not only of our contractual obligations to our students but also of the moral duty to support them and to ensure the hard work they put into their studies is recognised. This is particularly important for students graduating where the impact of industrial action risks preventing them from taking up future employment or further study.

Can my Head of School ask me to carry out work that was not carried out due to my participation in strike action?

Yes, it is a reasonable management instruction to require staff who have taken strike action or are participating in ASOS to reschedule and teach sessions cancelled or replace other work disrupted due to strike action. Managers will be clear with you what work should be prioritised and de-prioritised.

Can my Head of School ask me to carry out work that is covered by action short of a strike?

Yes, it is a reasonable management request for your Head of Department (or line manager) to ask you to do work that is covered by UCU’s ASOS. If you are refusing to do this work because you are taking action short of strike, you must tell your Head of Department (or line manager) when asked.

Can I work from home or take annual leave during industrial action?

We are aware that many staff take a hybrid working approach, so may already be doing some work from home. However, we wish to ensure that there is adequate cover during periods of industrial action so that we can maintain services as much as possible, provide adequate support for students, and reduce any possible impacts on learning and education. Therefore, requests to work from home or to take annual leave might not be agreed during periods of industrial action unless it is a contractually agreed  working pattern or in exceptional circumstances.

We acknowledge that there will be circumstances where such requests can, and should, be agreed, and this is not intended to be a blanket ban on people taking time off or working flexibly. Please speak to your manager to determine what will be possible.

Note: If agreements were made before the University received the notification of strike action from the trade unions, we expect these agreements to be honoured.

If I participate in action short of strike, and I cannot log in to my University account without using the Duo app on my personal mobile phone. Is there an alternative way to login?

Yes, you can get an MFA hardware token from IT Services, available from the Computing Centre on Hounsfield Road. 

After a period of industrial action, what work should I prioritise?

Our aim during industrial action is to minimise the impact on students. For this reason, staff are expected to prioritise student-facing activities. If colleagues are unsure, they should seek advice from their School Executive Team.

Visas

I’m an international member of staff. Will taking part in strike action have an impact on my Tier 2/Skilled Worker sponsorship?

Tier 2 and Skilled Worker visa holders will not be penalised for some absences from paid work in the UK, which includes engaging in legally-organised industrial action. This means that a Tier 2/Skilled Worker visa holder's leave to remain will not be affected if such absences cause their salary to fall below the required threshold. If a sponsored worker is absent because they are participating in industrial action which has not been legally organised, this will be considered as an unauthorised absence and can lead to failure to act in accordance with stated visa conditions

I am an international staff member but I am not sponsored as a Tier 2/Skilled worker. Will taking part in strike action have an impact on my visa?

There is no specific impact on visa status for someone taking part in strike action. However, if you are extending your family visa or applying for indefinite leave to remain as the family member of a British/settled national, please be aware that the UKVI has eligibility criteria around proof of income. There are numerous ways this can be evidenced, including income from a partner or reliance on savings. The immigration rules and guidance do not permit any reduction to the income level that needs to be met on the grounds of taking part in strike action. We would recommend seeking independent legal advice if you are concerned as to how to provide evidence demonstrating that you meet relevant financial thresholds.

Further information about the required proof of income can be found on UK Visa and Immigration web pages.

Health, safety and wellbeing

How do you support staff during the industrial action?

During industrial action, your Head of School/Department, or their nominated deputy, should be in touch with information on action, and support for you. Please speak to them, or your immediate line manager, if you have any questions or concerns. You can also email industrial.action@sheffield.ac.uk

The staff wellbeing web pages offer a number of routes for general support.

Do we require a departmental health and safety representative and a trained first aider during strike action?

There is no legal requirement for a departmental health and safety representative. If your trained first aider is on strike or absent and your department requires first aid response, please call security control (ext 4444), who will provide first aid response as needed.