Strike action at the University in Easter term (Unite)
The Cambridge University branch of Unite has secured a mandate for strike action at the University. The University has been informed by Unite that its members will be taking strike action on the following dates:
• 20, 21, 22 May (Wednesday to Friday)
• 26, 27, 28, 29 May (Tuesday to Friday)
This action is in connection with a dispute over pay; the dispute affects the University and its departments only, not the Colleges. There may be picket lines outside University buildings, including the University Library, Faculties and Departments.
Staff, students and institutions can find further details and updates on the University's industrial action website (sign in with your Cambridge/Raven password).
As far as possible, University of Cambridge Libraries aim to maintain services during the strikes to avoid disruption to studies.
It may be necessary for us to make changes at short notice, if our staffing levels are affected. We will keep this page updated. We'll make an assement before 9am each strike day and during the day to review our capability to maintain services and close the building at the agreed time. Any changes will be communicated as soon as possible.
How you can plan for strike days
We suggest you order, find or reserve any material in advance, that you are planning to use on the strike days. In particular, Special Collections material may not be fetched on strike days. If you are travelling to use a specific service, we recommend you check ahead with the library you plan to visit.
Should any libraries need to close, students and other users will be able to use other libraries for study space and access to material, including alternative online support and resources. College libraries are not directly affected by the industrial action. We recommend Spacefinder for help in locating alternative study spaces.
Electronic resources remain available, both remotely and onsite:
• Ebooks, ejournals and databases
• iDiscover (single search for the library’s catalogue)
• Cambridge Digital Library
• Apollo (the University’s research outputs)
• ArchiveSearch
We will keep this page up to date during the industrial action. You can also follow Cambridge University Library on social media for any significant closure updates.
This page was last updated or checked on 15 May 2026 at 17:21.