Union announces 14 strike days at 74 UK universities in February and March

Seventy-four UK universities* will be hit with 14 days of strike action in February and March, the University and College Union (UCU) announced today (Monday). The action will start on Thursday 20 February and escalate each week, culminating with a week-long walkout from Monday 9 to Friday 13 March.

Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, sending a message of solidarity to the UCU strikers, said:

“Labour stands in solidarity with striking university workers’ today. They are on strike due to the failed marketised system created under the Tories.

“They don’t do so lightly. Reasonable terms and conditions and fair pensions are the minimum they should expect, and their treatment is a stark contrast to the eye watering pay packets of a few Vice Chancellors.

“It‘s about time for the employers to put staff and students first, get back to the table and talk.”

NUS Vice-President (Higher Education) Claire Sosienski Smith explains why NUS is fully supportive of university staff fighting over low pay,  gendered and racialized pay gaps, increasing workloads and the casualization of their contracts:

“Government reforms have forced higher education providers to fight each other in a ‘market’ built on student fees rather than  providing accessible, life-long, fully-funded learning, and teaching staff are bearing the brunt of it. As long as our education remains a market, these situations will continue,  with more and more students feeling aggrieved. Students and employees are the ones paying a personal price here; the people in charge of the situation, our institutions and their Vice Chancellors, must work harder to resolve these disputes.

“Students have a right to be angry about the lack of progress on the discussions between UK institutions and the staff who teach and support them, day in and day out. We know that the student experience will always be better with satisfied staff who are able to teach and support students to their fullest ability. Unfortunately, this isn’t able to happen, which is why we stand together with UCU as they seek to negotiate a solution.

“When students are angry, they should make their voices heard to those in charge, and the advice service of their student union should be able to support them. It is perfectly reasonable to want compensation for their missed teaching – when Vice Chancellors and employers care so much about their own financial wellbeing, redistributing money from universities to the pockets of students in a system where the poorest students graduate with the most debt should at least encourage them to end the dispute sooner.”

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said:

“We have seen more members back strikes since the winter walkouts and this next wave of action will affect even more universities and students. If universities want to avoid further disruption they need to deal with rising pension costs, and address the problems over pay and conditions.

“We have been clear from the outset that we would take serious and sustained industrial action if that was what was needed. As well as the strikes starting later this month, we are going to ballot members to ensure that we have a fresh mandate for further action to cover the rest of the academic year if these disputes are not resolved.”