Created on: 02 Feb 2026 | Last modified: 05 Feb 2026
Q1. Why am I being called out on strike?
Q14. As a lecturer, I believe that striking disrupts students’ learning and should be avoided at all costs.
Q1. Why am I being called out on strike?
The EIS has lodged a trade dispute with ENU regarding the academic and academic-related posts it is intending to cut. The EIS has sought a no compulsory redundancy guarantee for staff, but the University has failed to offer this.
The EIS has obtained an industrial action mandate through the statutory ballot result. We hoped that the credible threat of industrial action would focus minds at the University to resolve the dispute.
However, the University has refused to budge and therefore we will be taking a programme of strike action to persuade them to stop the cuts and to offer a no compulsory redundancy guarantee.
All EIS members employed by Edinburgh Napier University (i.e. our academic and academic related staff members) will be called out on strike for all planned strike dates.
Yes, you should. Trade unions are democratic bodies and act for the collective good. The ballot was carried out independently and the result reflects the membership's mood as a whole.
Yes, because the EIS carried out a lawful statutory ballot for strike action that was overseen by an independent scrutineer.
Furthermore, the EIS has issued the required statutory strike notice to Edinburgh Napier University and complied with all the steps required to call lawful strike action.
Yes, any industrial action is a breach of contract as you are withholding your labour.
However, your breach of contract (i.e. strike action) is protected by law as we have obtained a lawful strike mandate.
You can’t be legally dismissed for taking strike action, if:
You are therefore protected from dismissal on grounds related to the strike action for the first 12 weeks of the strike, thereafter, in theory, an employer may dismiss you if they have made an effort to resolve the dispute.
The EIS will be handling relevant negotiations and adapting the industrial action strategy as required, in accordance with the law.
There have been a few occasions where private companies have taken advantage of the law to intimidate striking workers.
It would be unprecedented for any EIS member to be disciplined or dismissed by the University for taking strike action, and we would fight any such victimisation of an EIS member robustly – using all the tools at our disposal including strike action and legal action.
No. Your service is not broken or reset by carrying out strike action – even if you were out on continuous strike action for 12 weeks.
You do not however accrue service on days of strike action – in effect, your service will be paused on the day before the strike and resumed the day after the strike without a break, i.e. it is not reset.
Whilst your time is your own on a strike day, we urge all EIS members at ENU to join a picket line in the morning.
The strike is the important issue. Picket lines are traditionally put in place so that the strike is visible and adds to the pressure on the employer. It is also a focal point for people to give and show support to each other.
Technically, the role of an EIS picket is to:
In reality, picketing forms several other functions too:
Yes, we do, it may be found on our website.
The EIS ULA Branch Officials, designated Branch Representatives and EIS staff will be the picket supervisors on strike dates.
You should contact Nick Cimini (Branch Secretary), who may then contact EIS staff or HQ.
Yes, we will be, but we also encourage members to put their stamp on the picketing and produce their own!
Q14. As a lecturer, I believe that striking disrupts students’ learning and should be avoided at all costs.
The EIS only carries out strike action as a last resort.
The EIS believes that these cuts will cause significantly more long-term damage to lecturers and students, than a few days strike action. These strikes are therefore in the long-term interest of both lecturers and students and will also dissuade the University from making more education or staffing cuts in the future.
EIS strike pay will be paid as it is a local dispute. EIS Strike pay will cover ½ of your net daily pay that is deducted.
An unpromoted lecturer will have around £110 deducted for every day of strike action.
Yes, if you are contracted to work on a strike day.
Q17. I am a casual lecturer, and I was not given a ballot paper in the recent statutory ballot – should I go on strike too?
Yes, legally we could only ballot you if you had advised us that you were working at the time or when the strike action was scheduled.
The strike mandate produced by the ballot applies to all EIS members working at the University including casual lecturers who are due to be working on strike days. The mandate will also apply to new EIS members, i.e. those who joined after the statutory ballot.
Q18. I have a job share, and the strike day is my day of work. Will I lose my day’s pay whilst my job share partner will not?
Yes, you may lose pay whilst your job share partner does not. However, future strike days will be rotated, so it will likely average out by the end.
Yes, members can apply for an exemption and if granted, they will not be required to engage in the strike action.
We will provide an automatic exemption for all members who are less than 23 weeks pregnant on any strike day as participation could impact their Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP).
For strike action scheduled to take place in February 2026, this exemption will apply to any pregnant member who has an expected date of childbirth on or after 31st May 2026 or any member who will adopt or have a surrogate baby on or after 31st May 2026 as set out in question 21.
We may also provide exemptions for members who have arranged trips (residential or day) for which students have already paid or who have pre-approved special leave arising from personal circumstances, for example, to attend a funeral.
Exemptions can only be granted by a trade union and have no legal or contractual status.
If you decide to use your exemption, you will have to report to work in the way that has been advised by the University for those not engaging in strike action. Your confirmation of exemption can be shared with your colleagues/Rep at your own discretion.
For all members who are pregnant and expecting a child on or after 31st May 2026, or who will adopt or have a surrogate baby on or after 31st May 2026, you can request confirmation of your exemption by completing the online exemption form.
For all exemption applications/confirmations, please complete the online form.
For example, exemptions will normally be provided for members who have arranged trips (residential or day) for which students have already paid or who have pre-approved special leave arising from personal circumstances, for example, to attend a funeral.
Lecturers' Occupational Maternity Pay and SMP are paid according to a pregnant worker’s average weekly wage in the 8 weeks preceding 15 weeks before the EWC (expected week of childbirth). It is unclear whether employers will calculate maternity pay on notional or actual salary but to ensure that affected members are protected, an exemption will be provided to those who have an EWC from 31st May 2026.
For EWCs before 31st May 2026, it would be the December and January pay that would be used to calculate SMP. i.e. striking from the planned 10th February 2026 (or after) will not affect the maternity pay of those with a EWC of before 31st May 2026.
The same principle applies to adoption leave and surrogate leave – any member expecting to adopt or start surrogacy leave from 31st May 2026 is entitled to an exemption.
The EIS position on exemptions for maternity/adoption/surrogacy is based on the fact that strike action from the w/b 9th February 2026 may have a disproportionate effect on leave pay for those members with an EWC, adoption or surrogacy on or after 31st May 2026.
It is not for your employer or SMT to determine whether you apply for/use an exemption. It is a personal decision.
If your EWC is before 31st May 2026, there will be no impact on your maternity leave or pay entitlement, and you will not be eligible for an exemption from participation in strike action. This is because your maternity pay has already passed the point at which it is calculated.
No, there is no strike exemption issued based on imminent retirement or pension access.
All employed members currently accrue pension benefits in a CARE (Career Average Revalued Earning) STPS scheme administered by the SPPA, and each member will lose the pension amount corresponding to each day of strike action. The pension loss is small. For an average lecturer, each strike day will lead to a pension reduction of around £3.30 per year.
Members in service before 2015 may have a "final salary" pension element under the previous STSS scheme administered by the SPPA. The pension accrued in this will be unaffected by strike action as there is no more service accrual for this.
The Scottish Public Pensions Agency offers no facility to access pensions in this way.
The earliest lecturers can take benefits from the scheme is when they reach the age of 55, unless they are granted ill-health retirement benefits.
No, the SPPA will not allow this.
Q25. My employer has told me that it has applied for an exemption on my behalf and therefore I should not be carrying out strike action.
Only EIS members may apply for an exemption to the Union and only for themselves. We will not be issuing any exemptions via employers.
No other trade union has an industrial action mandate to pursue this dispute against staff cuts in ENU.
However, UNITE members at ENU have a mandate to strike over their pay dispute. They are taking guidance from their own union officials about possibly joining the EIS on certain strike days.
No, other trade unions advise their members not to pick up work done by a striking worker.
Login to MyEIS via the EIS website and update your details.
Q29. If I join the EIS before the strike would I be included in the strike mandate – i.e. could I strike and be protected by the EIS mandate?
If you join the EIS with a completed online form, then membership becomes active the following working day.
If you join the EIS by or on Monday 9th February then you will be covered by our strike mandate for the following day's strike action.
No EIS member should do work normally done by an EIS member who is on strike.
No, we’ve given the University the information required by law; the number of members per workplace who are academics and academic related staff.
No, you should not inform your employer of your intention to take strike action. The EIS has already given notice with all the required information to your employer – there is nothing else any individual member needs to do.
Q33. I am being asked by the University to prepare remote/online learning activities for students to undertake from home on the strike day. Is this acceptable?
As a striking worker, you cannot be asked to put measures in place to compensate for the fact that you will be withdrawing your labour on the strike day.
Colleagues who are striking should not be asked to deliver learning and teaching from home. Lecturers cannot be directed to use their homes as workplaces.
Regardless, lecturers or other staff who are not on strike, should not be asked to carry out duties that would otherwise have been undertaken by striking colleagues. This includes teaching students who are not in their usual classes. This applies whether working in school buildings, at home or another place of a lecturer’s choosing.
Upon your return to work after a strike, you should use the University’s HR Connect system to declare your participation in the strike.
Lecturers can answer students' questions and provide factual information on the dispute and strike action. Care must be taken to ensure that students are not being asked to take "sides" in the dispute.
It is unlawful for trade unions to discipline members for breaking trade union solidarity by refusing to strike.
The statutory ballot was carried out independently and the result is what members voted for. The EIS expects that all ENU members take the planned strike action in support and solidarity with their colleagues.
No, there will be no effect on paternity pay/leave entitlement.
No - these amounts are not taxable or reportable to HMRC.
A "work to rule" and all other collective acts require a statutory ballot for us to implement lawfully as they are industrial action short of strike action (ASOS). Our statutory ballot only covered us for strike action – as we thought this was the best type of industrial action for this dispute.
As a striking worker, you have withdrawn your labour for the day that you undertake strike action and do no work for the university. You will not be paid for this day and, therefore, should not be expected to do the work you would have done on this day.
For example, if there are any classes, teaching, meetings, seminars, conferences or events scheduled to take place on a strike day, then this work simply falls and members are not expected to then undertake this at a future date. See Q19 for exemptions.