Angry Lancaster University staff announce eight days of strikes

Staff at Lancaster University will stage eight days of strikes in disputes over pay, working conditions and rising pension costs.
University staff walked out last February over pay and conditionsUniversity staff walked out last February over pay and conditions
University staff walked out last February over pay and conditions

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at 60 UK universities - including Lancaster - will walk out from Monday November 25 to Wednesday December 4.

Last week UCU members backed strike action in ballots over both pensions, and pay and working conditions.

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The union said universities had to respond positively and quickly if they wanted to avoid disruption before Christmas.

The disputes centre on changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) and universities’ failure to make improvements on pay, equality, casualisation and workloads.

As well as eight strike days from 25 November, union members will begin “action short of a strike” when they return to work.

This involves things like working strictly to contract, not covering for absent colleagues and refusing to reschedule lectures lost to strike action.

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At the University of Lancaster, 84 per cent of UCU members polled voted for strikes over changes to USS pensions and 79 per cent backed strikes over pay and conditions.

UCU Lancaster branch Vice President Sunil Banga said: “Lancaster University UCU members have given the Union a strong mandate for industrial action in the two ballots which closed last week on USS pensions, pay, equality, casualisation, and workload. We have been left with little choice following the employers backtracking on their commitment to support the implementation of the JEP (joint expert panel on pensions) leading to rising pension costs for our members; and the refusal of universities to deal with issues like precarity, equality and workload that have all reached a crisis point impacting on our member’s health and wellbeing.

“The ballots show just how unhappy and angry staff are at the state of higher education in the UK and universities must take our concerns seriously.”

Last year, university campuses were brought to a standstill by unprecedented levels of strike action.

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Last month, shadow education secretary Angela Rayner called on both sides to get round the table for urgent talks.

She said she fully supported UCU members fighting for fair pay and decent pensions and called on both sides to work together to find solutions to the disputes.

A spokeswoman for Lancaster University said: “The impact of any industrial action on our students is very concerning, and colleagues across the university will be working hard to minimise disruption and ensure, as a priority, that students are supported in their studies and assessment.

Lancaster values the high quality staff we have here. They help to make Lancaster the successful and vibrant university it is and we are committed to achieving the best possible and fairest pay and pension for staff, but it must be affordable and sustainable for the long term.