UK university lecturers to begin 48-hour strike over unresolved pay row
UK university lecturers are poised to launched a 48-hour strike today over an unresolved pay row.
Members of the University and College Union (UCU) will also refuse to work overtime, set additional work, or undertake any voluntary duties such as covering timetabled classes for absent colleagues.
Protests are planned around the UK, with rallies taking place in Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton, Cambridge, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield.
The union has rejected a 1.1% pay offer from employers, arguing that universities can afford to pay more, after pay and benefits of university leaders went up by 5.1% last year.
If the dispute is not resolved in the coming weeks, members have agreed to further strike action which could affect open days, graduation ceremonies and the clearing process.
UCU is also beginning preparations to boycott the setting and marking of students' work, which will begin in the autumn.
UCU General Secretary Sally Hunt said: "Members have made it clear that they won't tolerate a continued squeeze on their income, pay inequality and the increasing job insecurity blighting the sector.
"It's time to invest properly in the teachers, researchers and administrators who are the backbone of our universities."
Britain's biggest trade union Unite, which has around 12,000 members in the higher education sector, said it is consulting on the possibility of joining the action. A ballot closes on June 6.