The announcement of urgent negotiations between university unions and the Universities & Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) on issues relating to pay and working conditions is welcome news. Both the University and College Union (UCU), alongside other unions, and UCEA have committed to an intense period of negotiations, with the intention of reaching a conclusion by 31 January 2023. You can read more from UCU and UCEA.
Ahead of the ballot on industrial action and the announcement of industrial action, we urged all parties to negotiate with each other to reach a resolution that reduces the impact on our members, OU students. Therefore, the announcement of negotiations is an encouraging development, and we hope that a resolution can be reached. We will continue to monitor developments and engage in appropriate discussions to represent the interests of OU students.