University staff on strike this week

UCU members at 40 universities will be on strike across the UK this week as part of a wave of nationwide strikes in a row over pay and conditions. Thirty-three institutions will be hit by strike action on Tuesday with many union branches joining up with colleagues from the National Union of Teachers (who are also on strike) for lunchtime rallies.

The institutions where action is taking place this week are:

Monday 4 July

Central School of Speech and Drama

University of Aberystwyth

Tuesday 5 July

University of Leicester

University of Northampton

Nottingham Trent University

University of Nottingham

Anglia Ruskin University

London Metropolitan University

Middlesex University

University College London

City University London

Goldsmiths

Kingston University

London South Bank University

Liverpool John Moores University

University of Salford

Manchester Metropolitan University

University of St Andrews

University of Dundee

University of Strathclyde

Abertay University

University of Brighton

University of Chichester

University of Southampton

Southampton Solent University

Bath Spa University

University of the West of England

University of South Wales

Aston University

University of Birmingham

Newman University

University of Hull

Leeds Beckett University

University of Huddersfield

Leeds College of Art

Wednesday 6 July

Bangor University

Thursday 7 July

University of Cumbria

University of St Mark & St John

Friday 8 July

York St John University

Saturday 9 July

University of Lancaster

The dispute has arisen following a pay offer of just 1.1% from the universities' employers, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association. UCU said universities can afford to pay more and the offer did little to address the real-terms pay cut of 14.5% that members have suffered since 2009.

The squeeze on staff salaries comes despite vice-chancellors enjoying a 6.1% pay hike. The union has also called for universities to commit to closing the gender pay gap and reducing the proportion of staff on casual and zero-hours contracts. On average, female academics are paid £6,103 less a year than their male counterparts, while 49% of university teachers are on insecure contracts.

Since 2010 the amount spent on staff by universities as a percentage of total income has dropped by 3%. However, the total of cash reserves has rocketed by 72% to stand at over £21bn.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'Our strike action is a result of the employers' failure to deal with the declining real-terms pay of university staff or tackle the problems of growing numbers of zero-hours contracts and the persistent gender pay gap. Members have been left with no alternative but to take this action.'