Thursday 03-02-2022 - 17:03

Your student council voted to host a referendum to decide whether or not we, as your students’ union, should support the upcoming UCU strike at Kingston Uni. 

Kingston Uni UCU members voted on taking action over pensions; pay; gender, race and disability pay gaps; security around employment practices; and workloads, along with many other UCU branches. 

This means Lecturers, Post-Grad Researchers, Graduate Teaching Assistants and academic support staff supporting the strike will not teach lectures, seminars, tutorials or any other academic sessions, or be present during office hours.

We’ve summarised below, but you can read everything about the upcoming referendum here. 

What’s a referendum? 

A referendum is when the answer to a question is decided by putting it to a vote. In this case, we’re asking all Kingston students to answer the question - should the Students’ Union support upcoming industrial action by UCU?

When will the referendum happen? 

Voting will open online at 9am on Monday 7th February 2022 and close on Wednesday 9th February 2022.  

What will happen during the referendum? 

All Kingston students will be able to vote for two sides - ‘yes’ or ‘no’. During this time, information will be available from both sides of the referendum. 

Who can vote?

All current Kingston Uni students can vote in the referendum. 

How do I vote?

You can vote from 9am on Monday 7th February by clicking here, or via the direct voting link we email you.

How many people need to vote for the referendum to count? 

500 students need to vote, otherwise the referendum won’t count. 

What does the outcome of the referendum mean? How will it affect me?

The outcome of the referendum will determine if your students' union supports the UCU industrial action.

Are there any rules for the referendum? Can I campaign?

Yes, you can view the rules here. If you want to campaign, you can email representation@kingston.ac.uk to join a campaign team.

I have questions - where can I ask them?

You can ask us any Qs by emailing representation@kingston.ac.uk or dropping us a message on social media.

We’re hosting a Q&A with both campaign teams online on Tuesday 8th Feb, between 1-1.30pm. Sign up and we’ll send you the link on the day.

You can find out all information on the UCU strike, your student officers’ stance and a jargon buster here.