Monday 26-10-2026 - 15:27

Industrial Action at GCU: What We Have Been Doing, What Students Are Telling Us, and What Happens Next

A message from your Student President

The ongoing industrial action at Glasgow Caledonian University continues to have a significant impact on students’ academic experience, wellbeing and confidence about their studies and future careers.

As your Student President, it is deeply upsetting to see students experience disruption during my tenure. I stood for this role because I want every student to have the best university experience possible, and I know that the current situation is far from what any of us would want for our student community.

I also recognise that, while a considerable amount of work has been taking place behind the scenes, we have not always communicated that work as consistently or as clearly as we should have. Students deserve to know what their Students’ Association is doing, what we have raised with the University, what progress has been made and where challenges remain.

I want to address that by sharing an update on our work, the concerns students have raised and the issues we continue to pursue.

1. Holding the University to account

Throughout the industrial action, I and my colleagues have continued to raise students’ concerns directly with University leadership and decision-makers.

This has included:

• Engaging senior management: Raising the impact of industrial action in meetings and calling for meaningful negotiations to resume so that disruption can be resolved.
• Meeting with the Chief Financial Officer: Seeking a clearer understanding of the University's financial position and the circumstances surrounding the continuation of the industrial action.
• Engaging University governors: Raising student concerns through discussions with governors, including our link governor.
• Writing to University leadership: Raising questions about students’ consumer rights and the terms and conditions of their studies with the Vice-Chancellor, to which the Vice-Chancellor has responded.
• Keeping industrial action on the agenda: Ensuring that the implications for students are raised in the University meetings and discussions that we attend.

Our position is clear: students must not become an afterthought in discussions about the future of the University. Their learning, wellbeing, professional development and financial circumstances must remain central to the response.

2. Making the impact on students visible

It is important that decisions about industrial action and its consequences are informed by what students are actually experiencing.

To support this, I developed a JotForm to collect students’ experiences and concerns. The information gathered has been shared with University management to demonstrate the impact of the disruption and ensure that students’ experiences inform discussions and decision-making.

If you have been affected, we encourage you to please continue to share your experience here: https://form.jotform.com/262643814486061.

My colleagues and I have also been engaging with Deans, department/class representatives and students to gather feedback across different schools and programmes. I have also been engaging with staff and students in our London campus. We have used lecture shout-outs and other engagement methods to explain the situation, encourage students to contact us and identify the specific challenges they are experiencing.

This feedback helps us raise concerns with the University more effectively, particularly where students’ experiences differ across courses, schools and professional programmes.

3. Meeting with Trade Union Reps

We recognise the trade unions as key stakeholders in the ongoing industrial action and believe that meaningful dialogue with all parties is important to understanding the issues involved and addressing the impact on students.

During the early days of the strike, we contacted the trade unions to request a meeting with the Full-Time Officers (FTOs) to better understand their concerns and discuss the impact of industrial action on students. Trade union representatives also attended the extraordinary Student Voice meeting held at the Students’ Association to explain the issues underlying the industrial action from their end.

We will continue to seek a suitable date for a further meeting. This will provide an opportunity for FTOs to hear directly from the trade unions, better understand their perspectives and communicate the concerns of the wider student body.

Our aim is to ensure that student experiences and concerns are heard by all relevant stakeholders.

4. Creating opportunities for students to question decision-makers directly

Students deserve more than second-hand information about a situation that directly affects their education.

Till date, we have organised three student town halls across in-person and online formats, giving students opportunities to ask questions of University management, hear directly from decision-makers and raise concerns about the ongoing disruption.

I also organised a meeting between students and University governors to create another opportunity for student concerns to be heard at governance level.

A townhall with the students and Trade Union reps(staff) have also been organised in the student association.

These engagements are important because they allow students to challenge decisions, seek clarification and communicate the realities of their experiences directly to those responsible for University leadership, oversight and to Trade union (staff members) too.

5. Supporting students and seeking practical solutions

Alongside advocacy and accountability, we have continued to pursue practical support for students.

Following engagement with the University, I secured the provision of free tea and coffee for students when the industrial action began. This support has continued to be available. We are still lobbying the university for transport replacement for students who have travelled to school but experienced missed lectures.

Although this is a modest intervention in the context of a much larger challenge, practical support matters, particularly when students are already managing the financial and emotional pressures associated with university life.

We are also working on developing a student guide covering complaints processes, student rights and issues relating to industrial action. The intention is to help students understand the options available to them, where to seek advice and how to raise concerns appropriately.

6. Engaging beyond the University

We recognise that the challenges facing GCU are not occurring in isolation. We have therefore sought insight and guidance from organisations and institutions that can help us understand the available options and approaches.

This has included:

• Engaging the National Union of Students (NUS) and SPARQS for guidance and support.
• Seeking guidance from WONKHE.
• Contacting other universities, including the University of Dundee and the University of Edinburgh, to learn from their experiences and approaches to similar challenges.

7. Student Voice Committee

We also acknowledge the previously passed motion of no confidence in university leadership, including the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer, and a separate motion supporting industrial action.

These decisions reflect the views expressed through our democratic student representation structure. We have a responsibility to respect those decisions and communicate them appropriately. All Motions and Ideas that are passed by Student Voice will as normal be discussed by our Trustee Board, who have legal responsibility under charity law for the Students’ Association

We also recognise that students hold different views about the industrial action. While some students have expressed solidarity with striking staff, others are strongly opposed to the strikes, and many hold mixed or more complex views. All of these perspectives matter and deserve to be heard.

As Student President, my responsibility extends to the entire student body, including students who oppose the strikes, students who support striking staff, and students who are uncertain or hold mixed views. Representing student democracy also means listening to perspectives that may differ from the outcome of a vote and ensuring those voices are not overlooked.

Students are free to show solidarity with staff on picket lines, and the Students' Association recognises the importance of student participation in these discussions. At the same time, our responsibility extends to ensuring that the University responds to the academic, financial and professional consequences students are facing.

We will continue to use our representative structures to raise concerns, scrutinise the University's response and advocate for students.

8. The unresolved questions students still need answered

While we have undertaken substantial engagement, there are important issues that remain unresolved.

We recognise that, for some students, the concern extends beyond missed teaching to the wider consequences of prolonged industrial action, including lost learning opportunities, financial costs, uncertainty about academic progress and frustration with the disruption to their university experience.

The University has indicated that students will not be assessed on topics they have missed because of industrial action. However, students have raised legitimate questions about how this will work in practice, particularly for programmes leading to professional qualifications.

For some students, the issue is not simply whether they will be examined on a particular topic. It is whether they will receive the teaching, practical experience, clinical exposure or other learning opportunities necessary to meet professional requirements and feel prepared for their next steps.

We need clarity on questions including:

• How will missed teaching and learning opportunities be addressed?
• What arrangements will be made for students on professionally accredited programmes?
• How will the University ensure that students can meet relevant professional and placement requirements?
• What support will be available to students whose progression, assessments, placements or graduation may be affected?
• How will the University communicate consistent guidance across schools and programmes?

These questions require clear answers, not assumptions. We will continue to raise them with the University and communicate further information as it becomes available.

9. What happens next?

Our work is ongoing. We will continue to:

• Press University leadership and trade unions (staff) for meaningful engagement and a resolution to the industrial action.
• Gather evidence of the impact on students and communicate that evidence to decision-makers.
• Continue gathering and representing the full range of student perspectives, including those who oppose industrial action, those who support striking staff, and those with mixed views, so that our advocacy reflects the diversity of experiences across GCU.
• Seek a meeting with the trade unions.
• Attend London Council and engage with the reps in person.
• Continue to engage with NUS, other universities and relevant sector stakeholders for guidance and support.
• Develop and share practical guidance on student rights, complaints and the implications of industrial action.
• Seek clear answers on missed learning, professional requirements and student progression.
• Improve how we communicate our work, the University's responses and outstanding concerns to students.

We cannot independently bring the industrial action to an end, and we cannot promise outcomes that depend on decisions made by other parties, we recognise that resolving the industrial action ultimately requires engagement and decisions by the parties involved. What we can do is continue to advocate, ask difficult questions, document the impact, challenge inadequate responses and make sure students are not forgotten in the process.

A final message to students

I want students to know that I take the impact of this situation seriously. It is painful to see students' university experiences disrupted when they have invested so much time, money and hope in their education.

I also understand that advocacy behind closed doors is not enough if students do not know that it is happening. We need to do better at communicating our work, and I am committed to making our updates clearer and more regular.

I also want to be clear that my commitment is to the wider student population. I recognise that students have different views on this industrial action, and I do not expect everyone to agree with the positions expressed through Student Voice or with the actions taken by any party. My responsibility is to listen to you, represent your concerns fairly, challenge decisions and responses where necessary, and advocate for your education, wellbeing and future prospects regardless of your position on the strikes.

I know that some students have questioned what the Students’ Association has been doing, and I understand why the lack of visible communication may have contributed to that perception. However, the absence of regular updates should not be mistaken for an absence of advocacy. We have been raising these concerns through meetings, correspondence, student engagement and other channels, and we must do a better job of communicating that work and its outcomes.

If you have questions, concerns or a perspective you feel has not been heard, please reach out to me or any of the other officers. We want to hear from you.

If you are being affected by the industrial action, please continue to share your experience through: https://form.jotform.com/262643814486061

Contact the Students' Association Advice centre

You can also attend the University’s Listening Hub at the Campus Life Lounge on Level 1 of the George Moore Building, share your experience by email, check out the frequently asked questions (FAQs) here.

Read our official Statement on industrial action

Your experiences matter. Your concerns deserve to be heard. And we will continue to raise them.

Chinaenyenwa (Nenny) Ugo
Student President
Glasgow Caledonian University Students' Association