UCU announced that more than 70,000 staff at 150 universities across the UK will strike for 18 days between February and March in disputes over pay, conditions and attacks on pensions. The precise dates of the action will be confirmed next week.
The decision was taken by the union's higher education committee (HEC) which met today. The committee also agreed to re-ballot staff at all 150 universities to renew UCU's mandate and allow the union to call action well into 2023, including a marking and assessment boycott from April, unless the disputes are settled.
UCU says 'the clock is ticking' for university bosses to avoid widespread disruption this year.
The union is demanding a meaningful pay rise to deal with the cost-of-living crisis as well as action to end the use of insecure contracts. Employers imposed a pay rise worth just 3% this year following over a decade of below-inflation pay awards.
