Accessibility statement

Submitting a complaint in relation to the UCU strike action

The appeal and complaints processes should always begin with a conversation with your department. Please talk to your supervisor or course leader first, to give them the opportunity to resolve your concerns.

Which procedure should I use?

Please consider whether your concern should be raised as an appeal or a complaint.

Possible reasons for submitting an appeal on the basis of the strike impact:

  • I answered questions for which I did not receive teaching
  • I was incorrectly or inadequately advised about changes made to assessment(s) and this led to disadvantage
  • I have specific needs which mean the strike response impacted me differently to others in my cohort
  • The response to the strike breached the University's own procedures
  • My cohort has a specific set of circumstances, and the response to the strike did not take account of these.

There may be other circumstances which merit investigation under the academic appeals process, but these would have to be along similar lines to the listed circumstances.

YUSU (for undergraduates) and the GSA (for postgraduates) both offer specialist advice free of charge to help you with the complaints and appeals processes. For further information see:

Possible reasons for submitting a complaint on the basis of the strike impact:

  • The University has not delivered on its contractual obligations to me
  • The response to the strike led to a significant lowering of teaching quality which had a material impact on me  
  • One or more of the University’s services were negatively affected by the strike

If you wish to make a complaint, please complete the form.

To help us address your complaint as quickly as possible:

  • Please ensure you use the correct procedure; If you are not sure if it is a complaint or an appeal please contact complaints@york.ac.uk for advice
  • Be specific about why you consider the University has not fulfilled its obligations as a result of the strike and how you have been affected personally;
  • Please explain why you feel that the mitigating actions taken by the University have not been adequate;
  • Indicate what steps you took to minimise your losses (for example, did you take advantage of office hours or attempt to contact module leaders on non-strike days)
  • Please provide all relevant evidence to support your complaint - the Complaints team will not gather this for you.
  • The complaints procedure cannot result in changes to your marks or degree outcome.