Students facing new disruption as university lecturers vote to strike

LECTURERS have voted in favour of strikes this term which could mean weeks of cancelled classes on campuses across the country.

The University and College Union (UCU) has vowed to stage walk-outs across 68 institutions before Christmas in a row over cuts to pensions.

Last night, 76 per cent of members who voted backed strike action, while 88 per cent supported action short of a strike.

The overall turnout was 53 per cent, higher than the legally required threshold of 50 per cent to provide a mandate.

The move will be a further blow to students, who have already endured almost two years of disruption and online learning due to the pandemic.

It follows a long-running dispute over the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) for lecturers’ pensions. The UCU says staff will face a 35 per cent cut to their retirement incomes, based on a ‘flawed valuation’ of the scheme. University bosses say staff would still have ‘one of the most attractive pension schemes in the country’ even after the changes.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: ‘These results are a clear mandate for strike action over pension cuts and should be heard loud and clear by university employers. It is now in the gift of employers to avoid strike action... All management need to do is withdraw their needless cuts and return to negotiations.’

The union is also expecting the results of a ballot for strike action over pay and conditions today. Last year, universities saw the biggest ever strike action with 14 days of walkouts over similar issues.