UK wide university strike ballot opens

The ballot will open on Monday 20 October and run until Friday 28 November. It will be aggregated across 137 institutions, meaning a successful result will pave the way for strike action at all 137 campuses in the new year. 

The ballot comes after UCU and its sister unions GMB, Unite, Unison and EIS rejected a derisory a 1.4% pay offer from employer body the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA). UCU has also revealed university employers have tried to axe over 15,000 jobs. 

UCU is balloting over its demands UCEA commits to: 

• a national agreement to counter redundancies at all universities 
• protect existing national agreements over terms and conditions 
• a fair pay offer  
• jointly lobby the UK government for a new higher education funding settlement.

Unite, Unison and EIS will also ballot their members, laying the ground for coordinated action alongside other campus unions. 

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: 'Over 15,000 jobs up for the chop. Meanwhile, staff who remain are being told to accept a huge real terms pay cut as they see their teaching and student learning conditions degraded. Our members have no choice but to vote yes for strike action and fight to protect higher education. 

'Vice-chancellors need to understand how angry their workers are, stop harming the sector and return to the negotiating table. Failing to do so will only lay the ground for disruption across UK universities.'