Here's all the info you need on ASOS
Action Short of A Strike (ASOS) At Northumbria: FAQs
- When is ASOS happening?
ASOS starts Thursday 12 February 2026 until further notice.
- What is ASOS?
As per the terms of the ballot, ASOS ‘may include, but is not limited to’: working to contract (i.e. 37-hour full-time week, no weekends and evenings!), not undertaking voluntary duties, not providing cover for absent colleagues and/or non-replaced staff, not volunteering for open days, graduations, and other significant University events and/or milestones, and a boycott of activities relating to the Research Excellence Framework (no reviewing, no attending meetings etc.). While a strike is a complete stoppage of all work, 'action short of a strike' (ASOS) is normally action which affects only certain aspects of your work. For more info see here: https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13289/Taking-action-short-of-a-strike-ASOS. ‘Working to contract’ means abiding strictly by the terms that your contract of employment (or other formal documents relating to your employment) specifies as your hours of work; breaks; workload; or other matters. At Northumbria, in simple terms, during ASOS you just do what you are already workloaded to do (which amounts to an absolute maximum of 1584 hours for full time staff) as per existing custom and practice. That is, you should have an agreed workload for the year which you have previously discussed and seen. If you are asked to do anything else, even if you think you have ‘headroom’, ask to see your workload first – otherwise, how can you know whether the extra work would take you over your limit? What you do should have been agreed before you do it, so if you had ‘headroom’, keep it.
- What difference does ASOS make? Will anyone notice?
A report by the charity Education Support found that 20% of academic staff worked 16 additional hours per week, the equivalent of an extra two days' work, on top of contracted hours (https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/11839/Half-of-UK-University-staff-showing-signs-of-depression-report-shows). Your university runs on your goodwill and this unpaid work – all the extra hours you put in above and beyond your contract, because you care about doing your best for your students and your colleagues. So when you ‘work to contract’ it can have a massive impact on the institution. It can also have an impact on you and your wellbeing: ASOS means that instead of working for free, you can find time to reflect on how you can rebalance what your work means, and what really matters to you in it.
- What impact will ASOS have on students?
Any industrial action is designed to have an impact on the employer. The employer can avoid that impact, and any action, by reaching a resolution. So, yes, students might be affected, but that isn’t your fault. UCU has tried to offer ways to resolve the dispute but these have been ignored or dismissed. Equally, ASOS can be a way for you to ensure the time you do have actually prioritises students.
- Can the university ‘dock’ (deduct) my pay for ASOS?
Your employer is entitled to make deductions from your pay if you participate in industrial action, including most forms of ASOS. If the ASOS called consists solely of working to contract then an employer cannot impose pay deductions when you are fulfilling your contract. While an employer cannot lawfully dismiss an employee for participating in ASOS where that action and the consequent breach of contract is covered by a legal industrial action ballot, an employer has the right to refuse to accept 'partial performance' of the contract, and to deduct pay in response to that breach of contract. This can be up to 100%.
- Do I have to tell the university I am undertaking ASOS?
It is often the case that management will send out emails/letters demanding that you declare in advance whether you will be taking industrial action, including the various forms of ASOS currently being called. This is intended to minimise the effect of the action and can have the effect of misleading and intimidating members. You are under no obligation to inform anyone in advance as to whether you will be taking part in strike action or action short of a strike. UCU will have provided your employer with all the information about the action required by law.
- What do I say if I’m asked?
If you are asked about whether you are participating in ASOS you should respond only in terms of what action you have taken/are currently taking, but not answer about future intentions regarding ASOS. This will mean that managers will need to keep checking for confirmation as to whether or not you have participated in ASOS and what forms of ASOS you have participated in and when. If you are asked directly whether you participated in ASOS in the past, or are participating in it now (whatever the timeframe, be it last week, yesterday, or today) you should respond truthfully, but you should not declare your intentions regarding future action.
- Can I use an email signature to show the effects of ASOS?
Yes, but given the above you may not want to identify as undertaking it. So, something like: “In accordance with the recent UCU vote many colleagues are participating in Action Short of a Strike, and working to contract. This means some things might therefore take longer than normal, so please accept my advance apologies if my response to you is delayed.”
- What happens to research under ASOS? Will working to contract mean I don’t get any research done?
If you were on strike, you wouldn’t be doing research (or teaching). If you’re doing ASOS and working to contract, you need to work out what you can fit in the 37 hours you have. Some work might take longer. But lots of people in the sector are doing this, so everyone’s work will take longer. If you have urgent research deadlines to meet, take research leave as you might do normally: use the drop-down menu in MyHR and select ‘RSE’. You should be doing this anyway to ensure you get insurance while visiting an archive, attending a conference, networking, or just doing research.
- How does ASOS relate to annual leave?
Leave is leave. If you’re ‘off’, for whatever reason, including research, you’re off so can’t take action or do any work anyway.
- Do we decline admin/meetings under ASOS?
If it is a meeting you would normally attend, in normal hours, and are workloaded for (eg. a module team meeting), then you attend. If it is a new request, and you don’t normally do it, and you’re not workloaded for it, decline. If you’re not sure whether you’re workloaded to do it, ask your LM to show you.
- Do we cover for sick colleagues during ASOS?
UCU’s national guidance states: “Our legal advice is that unless it is explicitly stated within your contract, you can and should refuse to cover for colleagues unless this is a clearly established custom and practice.” At Northumbria, custom and practice mean you can be asked to cover for a colleague, but you do not necessarily have to do so, since it is an additional duty.
- Do we do open days/experience days?
If you have done open days (on Saturdays) in the past, and are a programme leader for whom such activities are sometimes built into workload allocations due to custom and practice, then you carry on, bearing in mind that you can make a case for reasonably refusing (if you have caring responsibilities, for example). But if you don’t normally do such things, and are not already workloaded for them, you don’t do them now.
- How should I approach marking?
You should, as always, take due care and give due consideration when marking work, ensuring that you are precisely meeting the guidelines both from the university itself and from the QAA. We are often placed under pressure to conclude marking or second marking speedily in order to ensure internal deadlines are met. However, you also have a responsibility to ensure that quality standards are being maintained, even if this means deadlines have to be changed. If you find yourself falling behind, you should inform your line manager that, in accordance with your contract, you are fully complying with the University, department and QAA guidance and will therefore be unable to complete your marking or second marking by the specified deadline, and you will inform students accordingly.
