The first date of the University and College Union’s next round of strike action has been confirmed as 1 February.
Up to 70,000 staff across 150 universities in the UK could take part in the action, which comes after a pay offer worth between 4 and 7 per cent was rejected by the union.
The UCU and representatives from other higher education unions met with negotiators from the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (Ucea) on 16 January, but no new offer was presented.
The latest round of university strikes coincides with action being taken by other unions including the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) and the National Education Union (NEU). It has been dubbed a “protect the right to strike” day by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), in light of government plans to pass a bill through Parliament that would place a minimum service requirement on critical industries.
