UK universities facing 18 days of strikes as dispute over pay and conditions intensifies

Staff at 150 UK universities are set to go on strike from Wednesday in a significant escalation of an ongoing dispute over pay, working conditions and pension cuts. It will be the biggest series of strikes ever seen in the UK’s academic sector.

70,000 members of the University and College Union (UCU) took part in three days of strikes last November, and are now set for a further 18 days of industrial action across February and March. The move comes after unions rejected the latest pay offer from the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA). The first walk out will take place on 1 February.