UCU February and March 2023 strike action
See information about the UCU industrial action which took place in February and March 2023.
University and College Union (UCU) announced industrial action from February 2023 and Sussex was one of 150 universities where members voted in favour of industrial action over pay and working conditions, and one of 67 that took strike action in relation to pensions.
The full, updated strike dates were:
- Week 1 – Wednesday 1 February
- Week 2 – Thursday 9 and Friday 10 February
- Week 3 – Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 February
- Week 4 – The Week 4 dates were postponed (Tuesday 21,Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 February)
- Week 5 – The Week 5 dates were postponed (Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 February and Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 March)
- No action week commencing Monday 6 March
- Week 6 – Wednesday 15, Thursday 16 and Friday 17 March
- Week 7 – Monday 20, Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 March.
In addition to the above days of strike action, UCU asked their members to take a longer period of action short of a strike (known as ASOS) until 20 April 2023. ASOS typically means staff carry out their core duties but do not take on any additional responsibilities.
The industrial action in relation to USS was part of a national, long-running and complex dispute, and agreement about both USS and pay can only be reached at a national level.
We remain committed to becoming an employer of choice and to improving our employment practices for all staff, and we are keen to continue to work on this with our three recognised trade unions, Unite, Unison and UCU. Last October we reached agreement with UCU, following 16 weeks of negotiations, on a number of key issues relating to pay and working conditions.