Announced by the UCU on the 28th of February and confirmed in an email to students today from Vice Chancellor Charlie Jeffrey today, university strikes are now back on commencing Week 10 of Spring term.
With the additional date of Wednesday 15th of March, university staff are now expected to strike on the 15th, 16th and 17th of this month, with further strikes taking place from the 20th to the 22nd of March outside of term time.
The UCU have stated that they are still “in negotiations with employers via conciliation service Acas”, stating that “as part of the process, employers had agreed not to impose a pay offer. However, part way through the talks, employer body UCEA instructed its member institutions to implement the first part of the pay offer, despite unions never agreeing to it.”
The UCU is also reballoting its members to extend the union’s mandate to take industrial action, meaning further strikes and disruption may occur next term.
In his email to students, Charlie Jeffrey reassured students that:
“We need to build on the momentum established in recent weeks, and I will certainly continue to do all that I can to help achieve a stable settlement. Yet again, I’d like to reassure you that we will do all we can to support you through this period of disruption.”