Lancaster University College Union calls for strike action in response to staff job cuts

Lancaster University and College Union (UCU) has announced a call for strike action in response to university budget cuts that will result in staff job losses.

In an open letter addressed to students, Lancaster UCU said approximately one in four academics and professional service staff are facing redundancy.

The Lancaster UCU membership has elected to begin “action short of strike” (ASOS) starting on Monday 10th November, meaning that union members will not be engaging in work outside of their contract.

In the Lancaster UCU ballot, which had a turnout of 58 per cent, 88 per cent voted in favour of taking strike action. However, it remains unclear as to when this action will take place.

Lancaster UCU has claimed staff do not want to strike, but feel forced to do so, having been “pushed to, and in many cases beyond, our limits”.

Lancaster University had previously announced job cuts as a part of its future budget in June 2025, with the strike ballot announced by Lancaster UCU in September 2025.

The letter alleges that Lancaster UCU had attempted to negotiate with management for “months”. The decision for strike action, it says, has been “in response to the senior management’s intention to get rid of approximately one in four academics and similar numbers of Professional Services (PS) staff, the indispensable people who keep the university running.”

Lancaster University says it’s making “difficult but necessary” decisions to seek cost savings of £30m, with efforts for such savings to be sought through voluntary means. It added that achieving financial sustainability is “essential to securing the university’s future”.

Lancaster University says it’s making ‘difficult but necessary’ decisions

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Lancaster UCU recognised the impact the action would have upon education and pastoral care, describing it as “unbearably distressing” for students and staff.

The letter continues: “So why go on strike? We do it because we care about you, about education, about contributing to humankind’s knowledge base, about each other, and about our planet. That dedication isn’t something that we can just switch off.”

UCU members address the “record numbers” of academics and professional service staff off sick due to reports of “stress and overwork”.  The union cited the “long, hard” hours staff work to cover the responsibilities expected, which range from teaching, admin, research and pastoral care.

Proposed job cuts, the UCU says, “will mean a poorer education and environment for you, the students”.

“The amount of material that we can teach will drop, teaching quality will drop, pastoral care for students will be greatly reduced, the brilliant research that we do will decrease and leading positions will be lost,” it continues.

The letter says staff “are the university”, expressing concern that employee salaries are seen as a supposed financial burden: “We are numbers on a spreadsheet to them, and because we are paid, we show up in the ‘negative’ column; but we also bring in every bit of the university’s income.”

Senior management, the UCU claims, “talks about the loss of staff as ‘gains'”, writing: “Our sacrifices provide their [the university’s] ‘gains’, and they are insatiably hungry. It is heartless, and infuriating, and so unnecessary.”

UCU members have accused senior management at the university of viewing the loss of staff as ‘gains’

At the end of the letter, the union called for student support for strike actions. The first being “insisting on a refund for any lectures or teaching that was missed due to industrial action”; the second being visiting staff on the picket lines to show a united opposition to the cuts; and the final being a request for students to write to the senior management team to express opposition to compulsory redundancies.

A spokesperson for Lancaster University told The Lancaster Tab: “Lancaster University is a leading UK university offering ‘gold’ rated teaching and an excellent research-intensive learning environment to our students.

“In the light of financial pressures impacting the whole UK university sector, Lancaster University is having to make very difficult but necessary decisions to protect the excellent student experience we pride ourselves on.

“The university is seeking cost savings of £30M from our payroll budget across both academic and professional services and is making every effort to try to find these savings through voluntary means – a process which is currently underway in consultation with our trade unions.

“In September, the University and College Union (UCU) invited its members at Lancaster University to vote on whether to take industrial action.

“Its members voted in favour, and UCU has now notified the university that it will begin ‘action short of a strike’ (ASOS) beginning on Monday 10th November. This means staff will continue to work, but within limits.

“The Lancaster branch of UCU has asked its members to work strictly to the terms of their contract. Its members also voted to take strike action. However, there are no current plans for strike action to begin.

“We recognise that this period of change is a deeply unsettling time for our staff, students, and the communities we serve, and we do not enter into this process lightly. However, achieving financial sustainability is essential to securing the university’s future.

“The university is determined to remain a recognised sector leader which has a transformative impact on students’ lives and on the communities in which we operate.”

The full open letter can be viewed here.

Featured image before edits via Lancaster University and College Union website