The UCU has released all 18 strike dates for Sussex University

The UCU have just announced the dates for the nation-wide strikes in February and March. If they go ahead it will be the largest coordinated series of strikes that UK universities have faced.

The full dates uni lecturers and staff will be striking are:

Week 1 – Wednesday 1 February

Week 2 – Thursday 9 and Friday 10 February

Week 3 – Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 February

Week 4 – Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 February

Week 5 – Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 February and Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 March

Week 6 – Thursday 16 and Friday 17 March

Week 7 – Monday 20, Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 March

BREAKING: NOTICE SERVED ON UNIVERSITY EMPLOYERS

18 days of strike action in February and March

1 Feb
9, 10 Feb
14, 15, 16 Feb
21, 22, 23 Feb
27, 28 Feb. 1, 2 March
16, 17 March
20, 21, 22 March

RT if you back our members

UCU and PROUD#ucuRISING pic.twitter.com/WpitQutIYs

— UCU (@ucu) January 24, 2023

Jo Grady, General Secretary for the UCU said:

“The university sector in the UK has over £40bn sitting in reserves, but instead of using that vast wealth to deliver a cost-of-living pay rise and reverse devastating pension cuts, university vice-chancellors would rather force staff to take strike action and see campuses shut down.

“There is a clear route out of these disputes, but at present vice-chancellors lack the political will to take it. They are failing staff who want to get back to work, and students who want to get on with their studies.

“Students understand that staff working conditions are their learning conditions and we are proud to have their support in these disputes. A system that relies on low pay and the rampant use of insecure contracts is a system which fails everyone.

“A resolution can be reached, but that is in the gift of university vice-chancellors who need to urgently reassess their priorities and deliver a deal that benefits staff and students. From February, our union will begin reballoting its members to allow action to continue through the rest of the academic year, should they continue to drag their feet.”