Solid support for university strike action, union claims

SUPPORT for the biggest ever wave of strikes on university campuses was said to be solid yesterday.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at 74 universities, including Bangor and Cardiff are walking out for 14 days in February and March in a long-running dispute over pay and pensions.

Employers said they would try to minimise any impact on students and staff.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “We have been receiving news of solid support for the strikes across the UK.

“That support sends a clear message to universities that, instead of focusing on silly games and spinning in the run-up the walkouts, they should have been working with us to try and sort things out.

“We have been clear that we are always ready to seriously discuss all the issues at the heart of the disputes. Students are understandably unimpressed at the intransigence of their university leaders and have made clear demands today that vice-chancellors and principals work harder to try and resolve the disputes.”

Professor Alistair Fitt, Vice Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, and a member of the Employers Pensions Forum for Higher Education, told the PA news agency that progress had been made in talks.

Employers are committed to maintaining a good pension scheme, he added, pointing out that their contribution is more than 21%.

A Universities and Colleges Employers’ Association spokesman said universities are “deeply disappointed” that extensive strikes are going ahead.

“UCEA has offered UCU further informal talks and urges the union’s leaders to reconsider pursuing damaging strike action at less than half of universities, damaging students, staff and their own members.”