Lecturers who support strikes are in minority, say employers

A LECTURERS’ union that is threatening to prevent students graduating has been accused of exaggerating support for its strikes after just a quarter of members walked out.

The University and College Union (UCU) is this week launching a further five days of strikes at 40 universities, having taken action for 10 days on nearly 70 campuses last month and three days in December.

It has claimed “huge numbers” of academics joined its picket lines and says up to a million students will be affected this week.

The union is balloting staff at 149 universities over a fourth wave of action next term and says it “could stop hundreds of thousands of students … graduating”.

But only a quarter or less of UCU members walked out at four in five of the universities affected last month, the University and College Employers Association said.

It also found that, at 93 per cent of the affected higher education institutions, half or less of UCU members walked out. In December, 9 per cent of staff at targeted universities went on strike.

Raj Jethwa, the association’s chief executive, accused the UCU of making claims “in direct conflict” to the reality of “dwindling pickets”.

Jo Grady, UCU general secretary, accused university vice-chancellors of “spending time cooking up figures”.