The cancellation of seven days of strikes at UK universities has been branded “undemocratic” by some members of the University and College Union (UCU), who say employers’ offer of more talks was not sufficient to justify the decision.
Academics were left scrambling to hastily plan lectures following the union leadership’s announcement late on 17 February that walkouts planned for the period 21 February to 2 March would not go ahead.
A period of calm was needed to allow for intensive talks after “significant progress” on key issues including pay, pensions and zero-hours contracts, Jo Grady, the general secretary, said.
But many members said they felt blindsided by the temporary truce, with some organising a protest on 20 February outside UCU’s headquarters in Camden, to call for the leadership to stop acting “unilaterally” without engagement.
