Further strike action confirmed for May

Over the last few months, the University Leadership Team and the EIS trade union have been working together to avoid compulsory redundancies, with several constructive discussions taking place over this time. In our last update, we confirmed that EIS had agreed to pause strike action in April as we continued to make progress.

We assure you that we are continuing to work hard to resolve the issue and have successfully reduced the number of compulsory redundancies to one role, down from 70 initially. However, EIS has formally notified the University of 16 more days of strike action on the following dates:

• 4, 5, 6, 7 May (Trimester 2, week 14)
• 11, 12, 13, 14 May (Trimester 2, week 15)
• 19, 20, 21, 22 May
• 26, 27, 28, 29 May

Some of these strike dates take place during the Trimester 2 assessment period, and we understand you may feel concerned about how this impacts your exams and assessments.

Our priority is ensuring you have all the support you need to succeed and that disruption is minimised.

Please proceed on the assumption that your assessments and examinations will continue as planned. This includes attending for centrally timetabled exams – online or on campus – which will continue to run as normal.

Although strike action is beyond the University’s immediate control, we will take steps to appropriately mitigate the impacts. These will be considered during assessments, examinations and marking, with guidance issued to our Programme Assessment Boards.

If your learning and assessments have been disrupted in any way this trimester, we will take steps to ensure you are not disadvantaged academically.

If you are due to attend a graduation ceremony in the summer, you will still be able to do so on the dates listed for your ceremony.

If you are concerned and need support, please contact your Personal Development Tutor or reach out to Student Wellbeing.

We appreciate that uncertainty can be frustrating, and we apologise for any disruption this may cause. Please check the Edinburgh Napier app and your University email regularly for updates. Some academic staff may also post information on Moodle.

Campus facilities, including catering, libraries, and IT services, will operate as normal.

On strike days, staff who are taking action may gather at campus entrances. We ask everyone to be respectful of one another and to support each other during this time.

For more information, please read the strike action FAQs.