UCU announces 14 days of strike action in Cardiff University

UCU have confirmed there will be more strike action this term in Cardiff, as well as over 70 other universities.

After much speculation following the last strikes and talks with the Higher Education Committee on January 30th, it has been officially confirmed that more strike action will take place.

The action will start on Thursday 20th of February and will increase each week, ending with a week-long walkout from Monday 9th to Friday 13th of March. The full strike dates are:

Week 1 – Thursday 20th and Friday 21st February.

Week 2 – Monday 24th February till Wednesday 26th February.

Week 3 – Monday 2nd March till Thursday 5th March.

Week 4 – Monday 9th March till Friday 13th March.

Student supporting the strike last term

According to the UCU, the disputes centre on: "The sustainability of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) and rising costs for members, and on universities' failure to make significant improvements on pay, equality, casualisation and workloads."

Currently, no statement has been made by Cardiff University or Cardiff University Students' Union. The Students' Union actively supported all staff striking in last year's strike.

UCU have stated that: "This next wave of strikes will affect another 14 universities and an additional 200,000 students, as more UCU branches crossed a 50% turnout threshold required by law to take industrial action."

As well as the strike days, union members will also be undertaking "action short of a strike", which involves working strictly to a contract, not covering for absent colleagues and refusing to reschedule lectures lost to strike action.

UCU General Secretary Jo Grady said:

"We have seen more members back strikes since the winter walkouts and this next wave of action will affect even more universities and students. If universities want to avoid further disruption they need to deal with rising pension costs, and address the problems over pay conditions. We have been clear from the outset that we would take serious and sub-stained industrial action if that was what was needed."

47 universities will be affected by the strike action on both disputes, a further 22 will be affected on pay and conditions dispute only, and 5 will be affected on USS pensions dispute only.

It is currently unknown which schools and lecturers will be striking in Cardiff. Last term's strike saw many students support the cause for strike action, whilst others tried to attend university and its buildings as normal.

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