Frequently asked questions on strike action – 2025

Questions about strike action

When will any strike action take place? 

Strike action is due to take place on the Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 September.

Will I need to tell my manager that I am striking before the strike day? 

You do not need to tell your manager that you will be striking. The law already requires UNISON to notify employers on behalf of all support staff two weeks before the action takes place. Legally, there is no need to do so individually, particularly in advance of the day. There is nothing stopping your line manager asking you (they aren’t doing anything wrong by asking) but you do not need to answer. It helps us if people say they aren’t sure, as it prevents actions being taken to prepare for your absence.

Do I need to tell my manager that I took action after the strike day?

You don’t need to do so proactively. The University often asks staff to self-report action on CORE but there is no obligation to do this. ACAS guidance suggests that staff “should” answer honestly if asked if they took action after it happens – this also ensures you receive the right protections for taking action, so it’s sensible to answer this truthfully.

Can I get in trouble for striking?

No. You are fully protected by the law when taking lawfully called industrial action and you should not suffer any detriment for taking action. You will also be protected because you will be one of hundreds of members of support staff all striking at the same time, meaning that none of us can be singled out.

I am worried about retaliation if I join the strike

As stated above, subjecting you to any detriment for taking strike action would be illegal – if anyone changes the way they treat you, or threatens you in any way please get in touch with us right away. We take this sort of thing very seriously and will fully support you. 

We understand that members on probation or other situations may be a little more nervous about taking action – please do feel free to get in touch with us for individual advice at unisonbham@contacts.bham.ac.uk. 

I am support staff but not a UNISON member, can I take strike action?

Members of support staff who are not union members are equally protected if they decide to join strike action called by us. We would, however, recommend you join to ensure you can get our support, our strike pay and local strike fund.

I am not a member of support staff, can I take strike action?

AOR staff – We will not be able to ask you to take part in strike action. We only have a valid ballot for support staff and therefore we can only call on support staff to take strike action as part of this dispute.

The University has generally issued guidance ahead of any action stating that they will treat any member of staff who individually decides not to cross a picket line as if they were striking themselves (and not subjecting them to any detriment). 

What are the plans for the strike days?

On both the 29 and 30 September we will be:

  • On Grange road (pedestrian entrance by Bristol road, by old Starbucks / Brooks bar) – from 6am
  • At all entrances by 8am

See below for where to go to be with strikers from your department!

There will be a rally on each day – a short one at 11am on Monday and a full rally at 12pm on Tuesday. Please come to the Tuesday rally if you can – it will be attended by supporters and we have some great speakers lined up!

Where can I go to be with strikers from my department?

We’d ask people to head to the following pickets (if you arrive after 8am particularly):

COSS, other corporate services – East gate (by the guild). designated quiet picket
Catering staff, MDS, Security – University station
Library staff, PPT, Accommodation – North gate, please head for the big metal gates to start with
EPS, LES, Estates, Sport – South, by the Sports centre
Cleaning staff, CAL – Grange road pedestrian entrance

If you aren’t sure which you come under, please head to East Gate

Is there a quiet picket / place for those concerned about noise and overstimulation?

Yes, East gate is our designated quiet picket area. We also hope to have a room confirmed to allow people to rest away from the picket lines – watch this space for details of this.

If you have any questions about our arrangements, drop us an email beforehand or ask a picket steward on the day. (wearing hi-vis jackets and/or armbands)

If I can’t come on the day, how can I participate in the strike?

Being on the picket lines for these two strike days is even more important, given how busy campus will be – we’d really like you to make it down to our picket lines if you possibly can, and if you do it will be easier to claim full strike pay if you need to (see below for more information).

Otherwise, by not working on the strike day, you are still doing your bit! You can help support the action by sharing our posts and photos on social media. You can also add pictures and supportive quotes to our accessible picket.

Do you have a suggested out of office message we could use for the strike days?

Yes we do! Please feel free to use the one we’ve posted below:

 “Hello,

As a result of the University’s below-inflation annual pay offers and a trend of rising workloads and stress levels, I and my colleagues at UoB Unison are currently on strike. As such, I will not be responding to any emails while the strike action is taking place.

We have not taken this step lightly, but we feel that without real change at the University the experiences of all staff and students will suffer, and this strike represents our efforts to improve the situation for all members of the UoB community.

If you would like to know more about the reasoning for the current strike action, you can learn more on our branch website: https://uobunison.org.uk/

Kind regards,”

What is the atmosphere like on strike days?

We do our best to make strike days lively occasions, with plenty of music and colour and an inclusive, positive atmosphere. We set up designated picket lines for members to meet and arrange for departments to head to the same one, so that you should be able to meet people you work with. Lots of people bring along family and pets to join the ranks, which is great! We spend the first part of the day chatting with people coming in and out of campus, letting them know why we are there and that we are fighting with our colleagues for fair pay, encouraging staff to join in the strike by not crossing the picket line. We always make sure to have food and drink on hand at the pickets to keep everyone’s strength up. After a few hours we all gather for the main event- a rally, with music and speakers. The feedback we collected after our first strike day in 2019 gives a good idea of what you can expect.

Questions about strike pay

I would like to strike, but I’m worried about losing pay, is there any support available? 

Yes there will be two types of support available to help offset or (if necessary) cover any loss you’ve suffered.

What types of support are available? 

There will be two types of support available – strike pay from national UNISON funds and our local strike fund

National strike pay

Each member taking part in action can claim up to £50 per strike day from national UNISON funds. If you lose less than £50, national strike pay will replace your full lost salary, but we can’t pay you more than what you’ve lost

Top up from local strike fund

Members who have lost more than £50 and need to claim more, can also claim from our local strike fund to “top up” their claim up to the full amount lost. The claim form will ask for a reason for your claim and this could be due to you working shifts (see below), the fact you attended the picket line, or another specific reason that you need to claim.

Shift workers

We recognise that one strike day for some shift workers could mean a much bigger loss of pay, for example if the strike day is one day out of a four on, four off pattern – anyone in this position can claim from the local strike fund if you are being disproportionately affected.

How will being at the picket line make it easier?

To claim enhanced strike pay for our last day we asked you to give a reason for your claim (financial hardship etc). For these strike days you will not need to do this if you come to the picket lines. Make sure you fill out one of our picket registers and when you come to claim, you’ll just need to tick the “picket line” box when claiming.

How can I claim?

You will not need to make two separate claims – there will be a single, easy to fill out form that will allow you to request national strike pay and, if you need to, to submit a claim for the branch strike fund as well. You will be able to claim both by email and in person (drop in sessions to be announced nearer pay day).

What evidence is required?

We need to see evidence of your strike deduction on your payslip. These will show a deduction for “unpaid leave” which will likely be on your August payslip. If you are able to provide us with two payslips (July and August) for comparison this is particularly helpful to us in working out what you are entitled to. 

How do you calculate the maximum I can claim?

If you do decide to claim for the full amount you lost, bear in mind that we will need to allow for the deductions you would have had taken in tax etc from your pay (so the maximum you can receive will be less than the deduction printed on your payslip)

How quickly will my claim be processed?

We will process your claim as quickly as we can, though please bear in mind this is all managed by committee volunteers. We take our responsibility to manage your money very seriously, both in terms of making sure your strike pay is paid accurately but also that branch resources are responsibly used (which after all is also our money as members too!)

Questions about negotiations and strategy

What does the strike ballot relate to?

Our strike ballot relates to our 24/25 pay negotiations (the rise that was implemented in August 2024 and March 2025), the delayed introduction of the 35 hour week (eventually implemented in June) as well as working conditions more generally. At the same time, we’ve told the University that we are prepared to be reasonable and consider any offer they are willing to make that would improve the situation for members.

What about the 1.4% offer I’ve heard about?

At the same time as our dispute about last year, in the spring we started our negotiations with the University for this year’s pay rise (due to be implemented in August of this year). With inflation now running well above 4%, we need a decent rise to avoid our pay being cut in real terms. Unfortunately the University has made an offer of just 1.4%, and they are not budging from this. This offer would be a real-terms pay cut of more than 3%, leaving members less able to meet essentials.

The average pay rise across the UK this year is at around 3.2%, meaning the University is running way behind – and we know they can afford to do more.

How does this dispute relate to national ones?

We negotiate pay locally at the University of Birmingham (for grade 2 – 5 staff), while grade 6 and above staff fall under national negotations. This has meant that we’ve done slightly better out of our local talks, and the University is now concerned about the closeness between grades 5 and 6. From our perspective we feel everyone deserves a better pay rise – no-one should be facing a pay cut this year.

At the same time, the funding system in Higher Education is the real problem – while Birmingham is comfortable financially, this is not the case for many Universities, which is keeping the national pay offer low and leading to thousands of potential job losses across the sector. We hope that action here and at other Universities will ultimately help make the case to government for better funding of the sector.

Has there been any progress in negotiations? 

We have remained engaged in negotiations throughout. While we don’t yet have a formal offer, we do understand that the University hope to make a proposal to us next week, which we will share with members as soon as it comes through.

The general terms of the offer discussed so far are:

  • A non-consolidated (one-off) payment
  • A small increase in the pay rise for 25/26 (paid for by making the implementation date of the offer later – so we get it in November rather than August)
  • Commitments to give serious consideration to real living wage accreditation and work on road map together to get to a £15 p/h minimum wage
  • The offer will be conditional on settling both the 24/25 and 25/26 pay years

This will all be subject to sign-off on the University’s side, and we will not be taking a decision on it until we get this confirmation and a written summary of the results. 

In our discussions on the offer, members expressed concern that the pay offer is likely to still be under inflation, and also about the implications of settling the 2025/26 pay year as well on such terms. 

Why aren’t we doing a longer period of action?

We understand that many members are frustrated and feel like we need to be taking more action to really demonstrate the value our services provide to the University. In recommending two days, the committee considered many different factors including:

  • The need to be cautious about our own strike fund and to keep some in reserve for the future
  • Making sure everyone feels able to join the strike
  • The fact we will be hitting the two busiest days next week anyway
  • The position we are in in our negotiations

After the strike we would definitely encourage members to get in touch with their thoughts on our strategy and we’ll arrange members meetings to consider how things went and what we can try in the future.