Five days of strikes have been confirmed at 140 UK universities for the start of term

Five days of university strikes have been confirmed at 140 UK universities for the end of this month.

Lecturers at 136 universities will be striking from Monday 25th to Friday 29th of September, coinciding with the start of term at many universities.

University strikes will hit Scottish universities on slightly different dates, UCU said.

The marking and assessment boycott which has been ongoing since Thursday 20th April has also officially ended.

The University College Union is striking over low pay and working conditions. Their demands include an above-inflation pay award “to start addressing pay which has fallen in real terms by a quarter since 2009.”

🚨IMPORTANT UPDATE:

Members have voted to end the marking and assessment boycott.

We have immediately served universities with notice of 5 more days of strike action.

More info can be found in your member email and in the thread below.

— UCU (@ucu) September 6, 2023

University College Union General Secretary Jo Grady said: “We are left with no option but to strike during the start of term because our members refuse to stand by while pay is eroded and staff are shunted onto gig-economy contracts.

“It is shameful that vice-chancellors still refuse to settle the dispute despite a year of unprecedented disruption, and have instead imposed a pay award that staff overwhelmingly rejected. Universities are richer than ever, generating tens of billions of pounds in income and hoarding billions more in cash deposits. But they won’t give staff their fair share, a pay award of 5 per cent is a huge real-terms pay cut and is substantially lower than school teachers received.”

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She continued: “We have sought to settle this dispute at every opportunity, including agreeing to a joint review of sector finances, but we are faced with employers that want to see staff and students suffer. We desperately hope vice-chancellors realise we are going nowhere without a fair settlement and make us a realistic offer. If they do not, campuses will be marred by picket lines during Freshers’ Week, and we will launch a new strike ballot allowing us to take action well into 2024.”

The full list of universities that will be striking is below:

Aberdeen, The University of
Abertay University
Aberystwyth University
Anglia Ruskin University
Aston University
Arts University Bournemouth
Bangor University
Bath University of
Bath Spa University
Bedfordshire University of
Birkbeck, University of London
Birmingham, The University of
Birmingham Newman University
Bishop Grosseteste University
Buckinghamshire New University
Bolton The University of
Bournemouth University
Bradford, University of
Bristol, University of
Brunel University
Cambridge, University of
Canterbury Christ Church University
Cardiff, University of
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Chester, University of
Chichester, University of
City, University of London
Courtauld Institute of Art
Coventry University
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Cumbria University of
Derby University of
De Montfort University
Durham University
East London, University of
Edge Hill University
Edinburgh, University of
Edinburgh Napier University
Essex, University of
Exeter, University of
Falmouth University
Gloucestershire, University of
Wrexham Glyndwr University
Goldsmiths, University of London
Greenwich, University of
Glasgow School of Art
Harper Adams University
Heriot-Watt University
Hertfordshire, University of
Huddersfield, The University of
Hull, The University of
Kings College London
Keele University
Kent, The University of
Kingston University
Lancaster, University of
Leeds, The University of
Leeds Beckett University
Leeds Trinity University
Leicester, University of
Lincoln, University of
Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts LIPA
Liverpool, University of
Liverpool Hope University
Liverpool John Moores University
London Metropolitan University City Campus
Loughborough University
London South Bank University Essex
London School of Economics
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Manchester, University of (Staff are striking from Tuesday 19 to Friday 22 September, and Monday 25 September to Friday 29 September.)
Manchester Metropolitan University
Middlesex University
Newcastle University
Northampton, The University of
Northumbria University
Nottingham, The University of
Norwich University of the Arts
Open University
Oxford, University of
Oxford Brookes University
University of Plymouth
Plymouth Marjon University
Portsmouth, University of
Queen Mary University of London
Queen Margaret University
Royal College of Art
Royal College of Music
Royal Holloway, University of London
Robert Gordon, The University of
Roehampton University
Rose Bruford College
Royal Academy of Music
Royal Agricultural University
Royal Northern College of Music
Royal Veterinary College, University of London
Salford, The University of
Senate House University of London
Sheffield, The University of
Sheffield Hallam University
SOAS, University of London
Solent University
South Wales, University of
Southampton, University of
St Andrews, University of
St Georges, University of London
St Mary’s University Twickenham
St Mary’s University College Belfast
Stirling, The University of
Stranmillis University College
Suffolk, University of
Sunderland, University of
Surrey, University of
Sussex, University of
Swansea University
Teesside, University of
Trinity Laban
University of the Arts London
University College Birmingham
University for the Creative Arts
University College London
Central Lancashire, University of
Ulster University
University of Wales Trinity Saint David
Warwick, University of
West London, University of
West of England, University of the
West of Scotland, University of the
Westminster, University of
Winchester, The University of
Wolverhampton, University of
Worcester, University of
Writtle University College
York, University of
York St John University

Featured image via Ray Morgan/Shuttershock

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