Strikes suspended in university staff job cuts row

Lancaster University said it was having to make "very difficult but necessary decisions"

Planned industrial action by teaching and research staff at Lancaster University has been suspended following talks.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) were due to go on strike on 27 and 28 November in an escalation of their row with university bosses over potential job losses.

The union said management had "agreed to halt all planned compulsory redundancies for academic staff until at least July 2026".

Interim Vice-Chancellor Professor Rebecca Lingwood said she was pleased to be able to reassure students their studies would not be disrupted by the industrial action.

'Protect jobs'

The university previously said it was having to make "very difficult but necessary decisions" due to financial pressures as it seeks to save £30m amid rising costs and a fall in international student admission numbers.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: "I want to congratulate every Lancaster UCU member for beating back the threat of compulsory redundancies.

"There is no doubt that the threat of strike action has forced management back to the table and helped save jobs and student provision.

"We now look forward to working with senior managers to find alternative options to protect jobs and student provision in Lancaster."

Prof Lingwood said she appreciated that the UCU had acted so quickly to enable the sharing of the news that the strike action had been suspended.

She added: "We have made significant progress towards our savings target, helped by the measures that staff have taken to cut costs.

"We'll continue to work to ensure the university operates on a sustainable financial footing and is able to deliver high-quality education and research in line with our mission."

Lancaster University employs the full-time equivalent of 1,300 academic staff and 1,700 professional services staff.

It has about 10,000 students from Great Britain and the European Union, with another 3,000 from other international countries.