A leaked email has said that some Cardiff University students may not be able to graduate because of strikes by university staff.
Eight days were lost before Christmas due to strikes with a further 14 more days planned from Thursday this week.
The strikes are officially supported by Cardiff Students Union but a leaked email from SU president Jackie Yip suggest that some students would not be able to graduate due to the actiion.
In the email leaked to The Tab she said: "Confidentially, further strike action will now mean some of my students will have missed so much content that they will not be able to graduate this year, even if there are mitigating actions put in place.
"We have not told students this as we do not want to cause panic and behind closed doors, I am doing everything I can to protect my students."
In the private email she added: "I agreed to sign the letter because of my mandated stance and that I have to support the UCU, despite my personal opinions regarding the matter."
The strikes by the University and College Union (UCU) will affect 74 universities.
The disagreement is over pensions, working conditions and pay.
A spokesman for the UCU said: said: “The support from students on the picket lines, through social media and on campus between strikes has been phenomenal and a little overwhelming.
"We are so pleased to have received this support and really appreciate that students understand how our working conditions are their learning conditions.
"We are on the same side in this dispute and want to reassure students we are doing all we can to get this sorted out. We would ask students to continue to put pressure on their vice-chancellors to work with us to try and resolve the disputes.”
Responding to the leak Jackie Yip said: "Cardiff students voted to support UCU Strike action at the Annual General Meeting in November. As a students union, our priority will always be our students, both those that will be campaigning on the picket line and those who are concerned about the teaching they are missing.
"The email shared was never meant for public distribution and it is unhelpful to consider in isolation of the broader and complex situation. We do not know the full impact the strikes will have on students across all programmes. Yes, the university is having to plan for all outcomes, but they have confirmed it is their priority to ensure students can graduate - so we really hope that will be the case.
"We are of course, working to mitigate any impacts and continue to lobby the university and national stakeholders in bringing this strike action to a close with a good result for all parties involved."
WalesOnline approached Cardiff University to find out if any students affected had been informed.
A Cardiff University spokesman said: "At this stage, we are expecting that all of our students will be able to graduate as planned.
"As part of our work in managing the industrial action, we are taking steps to ensure that all our students are able to meet their programme learning outcomes.”
