UKRO has received questions about how to implement the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks and Postdoctoral Fellowships where the recruited researchers have participated in an industrial action.
The MSCA funding rules, as set out in the MSCA Model Grant Agreement, stipulate that MSCA-funded researchers must receive the full amount of the researcher allowances to which they are entitled. However, in accordance with national legislation strike days are unpaid, and for each day an individual is on strike a percentage of their pay will be deducted from their monthly salary. As a result, MSCA-funded researchers would not receive the full amount of the researcher allowances to which they are entitled under the terms of their grant agreement. UKRO asked the European Research Executive Agency (REA) for clarification on how to deal with such situations.
The REA has confirmed that if a researcher is on strike for more than 30 consecutive days, the individual project will need to be suspended. During the suspension no charges can be made to the grant (Article 31 of the MSCA Grant Agreement).
If the researcher is absent for less than 30 consecutive days due to strike action, the period of absence should be charged to the grant in line with MSCA funding rules. UKRO understands that in most cases the deduction in pay corresponding to the strike day(s) is done automatically by payroll from the monthly salary. The REA have further confirmed that any necessary adjustments to compensate for the lost pay during the affected payroll period may be implemented either within the regular payroll process, such as through monthly adjustments, or at the conclusion of the fellowship during the final reconciliation stage. By the end of the project the MSCA-funded researchers must receive the full amount of the researcher allowances to which they are entitled.