At the , staff are currently engaged in significant industrial action, including a strike scheduled for Thursday, April 23, 2026 , as reported by the University and College Union (UCU) . This follows 16 days of previous action earlier in the year.

: A walkout is set for Thursday, April 23, 2026 , with a major rally and march planned for Saturday, April 25 starting at Pier Hill.

While "Essex College" is a fictional setting in the show The Sex Lives of College Girls —which featured a food workers strike storyline in 2022—real-world labor disputes at the University of Essex and surrounding institutions are currently ongoing. Current Strike Details: University of Essex (April 2026)

: Approximately 540 unionized workers voted 98.3% in favor of strike action on April 27, 2026, as their contract expires in early May.

: Nationally, food service strikes remain common in 2026. For instance, hundreds of Sodexo food workers at Connecticut state universities prepared for walkouts late last year over wage concerns.