Two-thirds of UCU branches pull out of nationwide strikes

Only a third of UK universities will now face strikes planned to disrupt the start of the new academic year, with the University and College Union (UCU) claiming the action will “target the very worst employers”.

Walk-outs had been called by the union at 140 universities as part of its long-running dispute over pay and working conditions but branches were unusually given the option to opt out of the national action.

A list published by the UCU ahead of the first strike date on 25 September showed 42 universities will still be hit by five days of action, with a further 10 seeing strikes on at least one day.

Institutions where strikes are going ahead include the universities of Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Oxford and Sheffield. The University of Glasgow, Durham University and Oxford Brookes University are among those that will only be impacted for a single day.

UCU branches at UCL, the London School of Economics and the universities of Cambridge, Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester and Warwick were among those opting not to take part.

The fragmentation of the strikes comes after the end of a five-month marking boycott that disrupted thousands of students’ plans to graduate or progress in their studies but failed to secure an increase in pay beyond the 5 to 8 per cent rise already implemented by the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (Ucea).

UCU has launched a new ballot of members on taking action in 2024 and it said the strikes had been called off to allow branches to focus on getting the vote out. The union’s current mandate will expire at the end of the month, meaning strikes will have to pause at least until mid-November. 

“Renewing our mandate and keeping the pressure on is the way we will win this dispute, but the strike action due to go ahead next week stands as a reminder to all employers that if you behave egregiously, you will face further disruption,” said UCU general secretary, Jo Grady.

Many of the strikes still going ahead were partly motivated by the large wage deductions imposed on union members for taking part in the marking boycott.

Some universities including Aberdeen, Bristol, Bath, Stirling and Sussex have agreed deals that will see them repay some or all of these deductions in return for academics clearing the marking backlog by set deadlines.

At the University of Liverpool, Mark O’Brien, chair of the UCU branch, said they had offered to stand the action down in return for a similar offer on deductions, but the university had declined.

He said some members had lost between £5,000 and £6,000 as a result of deductions of 50 per cent of their wages over the period of the boycott, something he said was “grossly disproportionate” to the amount of work they refused to mark. 

A Liverpool spokesperson said: “We are in discussions with our branch about their request and have made an offer which we believe should enable strike action to be averted next week. We remain absolutely committed to playing our part in resolving this national dispute.”

Raj Jethwa, Ucea’s chief executive said the suspension of strikes at the majority of institutions would be “welcomed” by staff and students.

“It is still disappointing that a number of UCU branches will attempt to carry out strike action,” he added.

He said Ucea’s priority was to work with the UCU and the other higher education unions on “a number of important pay-related matters including the review of the pay spine, workload, contract types and further action to reduce the already falling pay gaps in the sector”.

“A crucial element of resetting industrial relations in the sector is developing a shared understanding of affordability”, said Mr Jethwa. “For the sake of students and staff alike, it is now vital to work together to bring to an end the sector’s recent cycle of industrial disputes.”

Institutions where strike action will no longer take place:

• Abertay University
• Aberystwyth University
• Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)
• Arts University Bournemouth
• Aston University
• Bangor University
• Bath Spa University
• Birmingham Newman University
• Bishop Grosseteste University
• Canterbury Christ Church University
• Cardiff University
• Cardiff Metropolitan University
• City, University of London
• Courtauld Institute of Art
• Coventry University
• De Montfort University
• Edinburgh Napier University
• Falmouth University
• Glasgow School of Art
• Glasgow Caledonian University
• Goldsmiths, University of London
• King’s College London
• Lancaster University
• Leeds Beckett University
• Leeds Trinity University
• Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
• Liverpool Hope University
• Loughborough University
• London School of Economics and Political Science
• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• London South Bank University
• Manchester Metropolitan University
• Middlesex University
• Northumbria University
• Norwich University of the Arts
• Rose Bruford College
• Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London
• Royal Northern College of Music
• Royal Veterinary College
• Senate House, University of London
• Sheffield Hallam University
• SOAS University of London
• Solent University, Southampton
• St George’s, University of London
• St Mary’s University, Twickenham
• Swansea University
• Teesside University
• UCL
• University of Aberdeen
• University of Bath
• University of Bedfordshire
• University of Birmingham
• University of Bolton
• University of Bradford
• University of Bristol
• University of Cambridge
• University of Central Lancashire
• University of Chester
• University of Chichester
• University of Cumbria
• University of Derby
• University of Essex
• University of Exeter
• University of East London
• University of Hertfordshire
• University of Huddersfield
• University of Hull
• University of Kent
• University of Leicester
• University of Lincoln
• University of Northampton
• University of Nottingham
• University of Portsmouth
• University of Roehampton
• University of Southampton
• University of St Andrews
• University of Stirling
• University of Suffolk
• University of Sunderland
• University of Surrey
• University of West London
• University of the West of Scotland
• University of Wales Trinity Saint David
• University of Warwick
• University of Winchester
• University of Wolverhampton
• University of Worcester
• Wrexham Glyndwr University
• University of York
• York St John University

Institutions where five days of strike action will go ahead:

• Birkbeck, University of London
• Bournemouth University
• Brunel University London
• Buckinghamshire New University
• Edge Hill University
• Harper Adams University
• Heriot-Watt University
• Keele University
• Kingston University
• Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
• Liverpool John Moores University
• Newcastle University
• The Open University
• Plymouth Marjon University
• Queen Margaret University
• Queen Mary University of London
• Royal Academy of Music
• Royal Agricultural University
• Royal College of Art
• Royal College of Music
• Royal Holloway, University of London
• Stranmillis University College
• St Mary’s University College, Belfast
• Ulster University
• University of the Arts London
• University of Brighton
• University College Birmingham
• University for the Creative Arts
• University of Dundee
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Greenwich
• University of Leeds
• University of Liverpool
• University of Manchester
• University of Oxford
• University of Salford
• University of Sheffield
• University of South Wales
• University of Sussex (subject to ongoing negotiations)
• University of Strathclyde,
• Writtle University College

Institutions where strike action will go ahead for at least one day:

• University of the West of England –25 and 26 September
• University of Plymouth – 25 September
• University of Westminster – 25 and 26 September
• Oxford Brookes University – 27 September
• London Metropolitan University –25 and 26 September
• Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance – 28 September
• University of Glasgow – 27 September
• Durham University – 26 September
• Robert Gordon University – 25 and 26 September
• University of Gloucestershire – 25 and 26 September

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com