Edinburgh University staff to strike for 18 days between February and March

Staff at the University of Edinburgh will be striking for 18 days between February and March.

The strikes have arisen due to continuing disputes over pay, conditions and attacks on pensions.

Strikes will also be going ahead at every single university in the UK leading to a nationwide ‘shut down’.

🚨BREAKING🚨

EVERY SINGLE UK UNIVERSITY WILL BE SHUT DOWN WITH 18 DAYS OF STRIKE ACTION ACROSS FEBRUARY AND MARCH

RT if you support our members. #ucuRISING pic.twitter.com/eLygR0LAeO

— UCU (@ucu) January 12, 2023

The higher education committee also agreed to renew UCU’s mandate and allow the unions to take action into 2023, including a marking and assessment boycott from April, unless the disputes are settled.

Whilst the Universities and Colleges Employers Association made UCU a pay offer worth between 4 per cent and 5 per cent, the UCU said the offer was ‘not enough’.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “Today our union came together to back an unprecedented programme of escalating strike action. The clock is now ticking for the sector to produce a deal or be hit with widespread disruption.

“University staff dedicate their lives to education and they want to get back to work, but that will only happen if university vice-chancellors use the vast wealth of the sector to address over a decade of falling pay, rampant insecure employment practices and devastating pension cuts. The choice is theirs.”

The exact dates of the strikes will be confirmed next week.

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