The first strike in a series of walkouts took place yesterday at the University of Sheffield as staff protested ongoing restructuring plans.
Members of the University and College Union (UCU) voted in favour of the strikes earlier in the month, with a 9-day walkout planned to begin on the 6th May.
Staff and students formed picket lines in multiple locations across the University in response to management plans for large-scale redundancies.
Umberto Albarella, a Professor of Zooarcheology at the University and a member of the Sheffield UCU dispute committee, said: “There is a feeling that university staff are exhausted from working in such an unsympathetic environment and have completely lost trust in the management.”
Mr Albarella added: “I’m a senior academic, I’m on research leave, and I’m 62. Through the strike, I will lose money, delay my research, and get no personal benefit whatsoever, but future generations will not forgive me for staying idle while their university is being destroyed.”
Sheffield University are currently planning budget cuts to cope with the financial challenges facing many universities across the UK.
Still, the Union are unhappy with the University’s inability to promise no redundancies.
Many students saw their classes cancelled with no prior notice during the day, and ‘alternative timetables’, filled with talks to educate students on the strike action, were set up.
In the last few years, Union staff have passed three votes of no confidence in the executive, feeling that the problem goes further than the current dispute.
The strike is a significant moment in ongoing tensions between the University’s management and staff, and with further industrial action set to take place, the resolution remains unclear.
The UCU has emphasised that the Students will remain their top priority, despite the strikes.
The University’s libraries and facilities will remain open over the course of the strikes, and students can claim travel and childcare costs for unexpected teaching cancellations.
Mr. Albarella said: “Every picket line and rally you will see in the next few days is a message of love to our students.”
For more information regarding the strikes and how it may affect students, visit https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/industrial-action/students