MMLL students have been recommended to do group work in cafés to mitigate against the consequences of the UCU’s 18-day strike action.

In an email seen by Varsity, MMLL faculty co-chairs Geoffrey Kantaris and Ianthi Tsimpli warned of cancelled lectures and seminars, encouraging students “to engage with your studies and with your peers in other ways".

“For example, you could convert a cancelled seminar into a student reading group meeting at a café, focussing the discussion on one or two topics that had originally been set for that week."

The email precedes the first day of UCU strike action due to take place on Wednesday (01/02). Thirteen days of strikes are currently scheduled to take place during Lent term, with a further five days of national strikes planned after term ends in March.

Cambridge academics will be joining 70,000 staff at 150 universities, walking out over pay, pensions and working conditions.

The faculty’s email also suggests that affected students “could use the time of a cancelled lecture to go to the University Library and undertake some research around the area of a topic that was cancelled.”

A message from the HSPS department similarly suggested that its students should “book rooms in… college to study in groups” to “cope with missed lectures”.

In a faculty-wide email, the chair of the English faculty, Raphael Lyne, shared his “profound disappointment about this situation” and promised that he was “making a particular point of noting effects on teaching in my communications with the people who can influence the University’s decisions at higher levels”.

A University-wide memo sent on Monday afternoon (30/01) from the pro-vice-chancellor for education Bhaskar Vira said: “Faculties, departments and other University institutions have been asked to put in place local contingency arrangements to minimise any impact on your academic progress, and to ensure the smooth-running of departmental support services.”

On Wednesday, Cambridge UCU will join the Student Union, Cambridge & District Trades Union Council, the National Education Union, Unison, PCS and ASLEF for a rally starting on Parker’s Piece at 11:00 before marching to the Guildhall. The union also promises that picket lines will be present at Sidgwick, Downing and Old Schools site and the Education faculty.

Anne Alexander from Cambridge UCU said that Wednesday’s protest will “bring Cambridge to a standstill” and said: “This has to be the beginning of a massive wave of resistance”.

The MMLL department's email also suggested that exam boards would examine the impact of strikes to consider changes to examinations in the summer.

During a previous round of strikes last summer, the University ruled out offering any general financial reimbursement to students affected by strike disruption.