ANLP 2026 strike information
Dear students,
As I'm sure you are all aware, UCU (the union which represents teaching staff at the University) has called a strike starting 28 Sept. This message is to let you know what I can about the effects of that strike in ANLP.
Lectures in week 2
I have decided, after much deliberation, to join the strike this week, meaning that I will not be delivering live lectures or doing other teaching-related work. I have struggled with the trade-off between the strike's effects on you, the current students, vs. staff and future students of this university. Striking is an extreme action and a sacrifice, as strikers do not get paid. However, the potential staff cuts that University management seems to have planned are also extreme, and there has been little meaningful consultation or transparency regarding these plans. I feel that the current management of the University puts its reputation and future at risk.
However, I also realize that many of you have also made huge sacrifices to attend this year, and the material covered this week is foundational to the rest of the course. Therefore, although I will not be lecturing this week, I am making the videos from last year's lectures available so that you can stay on top of the material through self-study. The slides and other materials for this week have already gone live on the Week 2 page, so please make use of them and be prepared for next week to continue as it was planned.
Here are the videos from 2025 covering this week's material:
Lectures after week 2
Emily is scheduled to take over lecturing for Weeks 3-4. So unless you hear otherwise before then, you can assume that lectures will resume in Week 3 and that you can attend in person as usual.
Labs
Teaching support staff (TAs, tutors, etc) have a right to join the union and the strike. Striking staff are not required to inform their managers in advance, so as course organizer I do not know what staff coverage we will have on strike days, although some staff may choose to let you know. There are at least two staff assigned to each lab, so it is likely that someone will be available to answer questions, but some sessions may be understaffed. Since a big purpose of these sessions is to work with other students, you should either attend your scheduled lab or (if you wish to avoid crossing picket lines) find another student to pair up with (e.g., using EdStem) and work through the lab together.
If you don't yet have a lab session because you are not yet registered for the course, you can just pick a session to attend.
Other help (drop-in hours and EdStem)
Again, various staff members share responsibility for these, and I do not know if any of them are on strike. However, posts to EdStem are normally also visible by other students, and I would encourage you all to help each other out!
What you can do
We are all frustrated by the current situation. If you want to find out more or show support for staff, please see the information below.
https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/template-letter-to-students
Thank you for your understanding.