Strikes by university staff over the next two weeks have been called off after a breakthrough in negotiations over pay, pensions and working conditions, unions have announced.
Five unions – Unison, UCU, GMB, Unite and EIS – issued a joint statement with the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) confirming three days of strikes will be suspended following talks at the conciliation service Acas, though discussions will continue.
It follows an agreement from university employers to give more money to the lowest paid in higher education and undertake a thorough review of the salary grades of all staff, according to Unison.
The University and College Union said it had called off seven days of strikes planned to take place on 21, 22, 23, 27 and 28 February and 1 and 2 March. But five days of campus strikes scheduled for later in March could still go ahead.
Jo Grady, the UCU general secretary, said: “To allow our ongoing negotiations to continue in a constructive environment, we have agreed to pause action across our pay and working conditions and pensions disputes for the next two weeks and create a period of calm.”
