Nottingham students face three months of strike action over restructuring plans

Staff at the University of Nottingham are preparing for strike action lasting from October 5 to December 11 in a dispute over the institution’s Future Nottingham restructuring plans. The University and College Union said members would strike on two days before beginning sustained action. The union also plans action short of a strike, including working only to contract and refusing to cover for absent colleagues.

The university previously said the restructuring could involve programme closures and academic changes. It suspended music and language courses and planned hundreds of job cuts earlier in the year, citing significant financial challenges. The first strike days coincide with a University Council meeting at which the final business case for the proposed cuts is due to be considered.

UCU branch president Nick Clare said staff did not want to strike but would not stand by while colleagues lost jobs and teaching and research areas were dismantled. The union is calling for compulsory redundancies and full department closures to be ruled out. It also wants teaching and research protected and says management should engage seriously with alternatives proposed by staff.

Students have described the possible disruption as disappointing. English literature student Zoe Monroe said previous strikes had affected her learning and argued that the action was not what students had paid for. She said she feared prolonged disruption could damage the university’s reputation.

Politics student Isaac Wood said he supported the staff but questioned whether members could sustain action for such a long period. The university said it was disappointed by the timing but that many students would be unaffected. Management said it remained engaged in discussions with unions and had procedures and support in place to minimise disruption at the start of the academic year.