University response to UCU ballot for industrial action

Published 4pm, Wednesday 11 February 2026

Further to their recent ballot, Durham UCU have today notified the University that their industrial action will consist of continuous action short of a strike (ASOS)* starting on Friday 27 February 2026.

We respect the right of staff to take industrial action. We anticipate that colleagues will take action within the scope of their employment contracts, which will have limited direct impact on students.

We will continue to keep this under review, working with our student leaders, and will continue to keep our students informed.

* The definition ASOS in this dispute concerns: working to contract, (including working to nominal weekly hours, for those whose contracts specify nominal hours), not undertaking voluntary duties, not providing cover for absent colleagues and/or non-replaced staff, not volunteering for open days, graduations, and other significant University events and/or milestones (including boycotting such events), not attending meetings scheduled outside core working hours, not engaging in any mitigation of own or colleagues’ industrial action, including not rescheduling activities cancelled due to industrial action, and a boycott of activities relating to the Research Excellence Framework.

Statement of Friday 6 February, updated on Monday 9 February 2026

We are disappointed that members of Durham UCU have voted in favour of industrial action, which is without justification. Many of those who voted in the ballot voted for no action.

We work closely with all four of our campus trade unions on issues including workload.

We have no voluntary severance scheme currently open and no plans for compulsory redundancies.

We responded fully to UCU’s claims in November 2025 and published our response.

We continue to engage regularly and transparently with our whole staff body on matters of importance to them.

All students will be appropriately supported, including minimising any impact on those who are affected by this action.

We continue to ensure that colleagues have a manageable workload through careful management of priorities and resource.