The deterioration of pay and conditions has hammered staff morale. Students will feel the effects
In February last year, the largest-ever wave of strikes by university staff exposed the level of discontent in a sector where pay and conditions have eroded steadily in recent years. When coronavirus subsequently shut down Britain’s campuses altogether, the focus of lecturers and students shifted to making online learning work and getting through a unique crisis. This winter, however, hostilities are about to be resumed.
Staff at 58 universities have voted in favour of strike action over pensions cuts, pay and conditions. This week, the form and timing of the coming disruption will be discussed and decided upon by the University and College Union (UCU), which organised the strike ballots. It seems likely that action will begin before Christmas and stretch into the new year.
