University strikes November 2019: UK dates and why staff are taking industrial action

Tom Herbert26 November 2019

More than one million students across the UK face widespread disruption to their schedules as university staff strike over pay and pensions.

Up to 43,000 members of the University and College union begun an eight-day walkout on Monday, November 25 which is set to last until December 3.

UCU members backed industrial action this month in two separate disputes - one over pensions and one over pay and working conditions.

Nearly half of all UK universities will be affected by the strikes, with staff at 60 institutions to walkout for five days in November and three in December.

Here's everything you need to know:

Students at universities across the UK will be affected
Unsplash/Jane Carmona

When are staff striking?

Up to 43,000 members of the UCU at 60 UK universities will strike for eight days from November 25 until December 4.

The strikes will take place on five days starting November 25 and again for three days from December 2.

However, further industrial action being threatened if agreements cannot be reached.

Why are staff striking?

The dispute centres on two separate disputes, with union members backing a walkout on pensions and one on pay and working conditions.

The union says changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) will leave members paying in more and receiving less in retirement, which the union estimates could leave lecturers around £240,000 worse off in retirement over their career, and up to £730,000 for professors.

It also says staff had reached "breaking point" over a number of issues including workloads, real-terms cuts in pay, and a 15 per cent gender pay gap.

Many universities were also employing academic staff on "discredited" zero hours contracts, said the union.

Those going on strike include lecturers, student support services staff, admissions tutors, librarians, technicians and administrators.

As well pickets lines and protests at campuses across the country, UCU members will begin other forms of industrial action when they return to work.

This will include working strictly to contract, not covering for absent colleagues, and refusing to reschedule lectures lost to strike action.

University leaders say they will try to lessen the impact of the action and insist they want to work with the union to reach an agreement.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: "The employers seem to want to test the mettle of staff and see if they will turn up on picket lines.

"It is really unfortunate they have decided to do that because they are misjudging their staff. More and more people are joining the union and there is a real feeling of anger.

"There could be a second wave of strikes if we don't get a long term, sustainable offer and universities refuse to take our concerns seriously."

Carol Costello, spokesman for the employers' side, said: "We will do all we can to ensure the strike does not impact badly on students and staff.

"The action and claims of the UCU that employers are forcing them into this cannot go unchallenged."

Students will face cancelled lectures during the strike
Getty

The union was insisting that employers should pay the full cost of an increase in pension contributions and had not been prepared to compromise, she said.

"It has been a complete red line for them and has made negotiating impossible.

"It suggests a lack of willingness to recognise the reality of the situation.

"Employers are prepared to invest in our people, but unaffordable sums of money would have to be diverted from other budgets unless individual members make a fair contribution."

This could include cuts to courses and larger class sizes, which would have a damaging impact on students, she said.

She maintained that university employers were committed to ensuring staff had access to one of the best pension schemes in the country.

Universities were working hard to ensure that students do not miss out or are disadvantaged by the strikes, she added.

Which universities are affected?

There are 42 institutions where UCU members are taking action over both pay and pensions. These are:

  1.  Aston University
  2.  Bangor University
  3. Cardiff University
  4. University of Durham
  5. Heriot-Watt University
  6. Loughborough University
  7. Newcastle University
  8. The Open University
  9. The University of Bath
  10. The University of Dundee
  11. The University of Leeds
  12. The University of Manchester
  13. The University of Sheffield
  14. University of Nottingham
  15. The University of Stirling
  16. University College London
  17. The University of Birmingham
  18. The University of Bradford
  19. The University of Bristol
  20. The University of Cambridge
  21. The University of Edinburgh
  22. The University of Exeter
  23. The University of Essex
  24. The University of Glasgow
  25. The University of Lancaster
  26. The University of Leicester
  27. City University
  28. Goldsmiths College
  29. Queen Mary University of London
  30. Royal Holloway
  31. The University of Reading
  32. The University of Southampton
  33. The University of St Andrews
  34. Courtauld Institute of Art
  35. The University of Strathclyde
  36. The University of Wales
  37. The University of Warwick
  38. The University of York
  39. The University of Liverpool
  40. The University of Sussex
  41. The University of Ulster
  42. Queen's University Belfast

Fourteen will be affected by workers taking action over pay and conditions. These are:

  1. Bishop Grosseteste University
  2.  Bournemouth University
  3. Edge Hill University
  4. Glasgow Caledonian University
  5. Glasgow School of Art
  6. Liverpool Hope University
  7. Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts
  8. Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
  9. St Mary's University College, Belfast
  10. Roehampton University
  11. Sheffield Hallam University
  12. The University of Brighton
  13. The University of Kent
  14.  The University of Oxford

Four will be affected due to the pensions strike only. These are:

  1. Scottish Association of Marine Science
  2. The University of East Anglia
  3. Institute for Development Studies
  4. University of Aberdeen