All eighteen days of the UCU strikes have been announced

The eighteen days of strikes will take place between February 1st and March 22nd


The dates for nation-wide strike action have just been confirmed by the UCU.

Last month, it was announced that staff and lecturers at the University of Warwick will be striking for 18 days over pay disputes.

Over 70,000 UCU members across 150 universities will take part in this ‘nation-wide’ shutdown.

Here are the dates that university staff and lecturers will be striking:

• Week one – Wednesday 1st February

• Week two – Thursday 9th and Friday 10th February

• Week three – Tuesday 14th, Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th February

•Week four – Tuesday 21st, Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd February

• Week five – Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th February and Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd March

• Week six – Thursday 16th and Friday 17th March

• Week seven – Monday 20th, Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd March

If all 18 days of strike action go ahead, it will be the biggest series of strikes ever to hit UK university campuses, the UCU says.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady 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.”

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