University of Sussex staff set to strike for 18 days this term

The University and College Union (UCU) has announced 18 more days of strikes between February and March at 150 UK Universities.

The strikes have arisen due to continuing disputes over pay, working conditions and attacks on pensions, which also caused three days of nationwide strikes last November.

The higher education committee has also agreed to re-ballot staff at all 150 universities 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.

🚨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

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.

UCU says ‘the clock is ticking’ for university bosses to avoid widespread disruption this year.

The exact dates of the strikes are to be confirmed next week.