More university strike days planned for September

Universities could be hit by more strike action into the new academic year

University strikes are set to continue in September after negotiations with employers broke down, the University and College Union (UCU) has said.

The union announced more strike days and a continuation of its marking boycott, on Monday afternoon.

It also said it was preparing a fresh ballot for strike action to continue into the new academic year.

Last week, education minister Robert Halfon wrote to employers and the UCU calling for an end to the dispute.

The union said the number of strike days and when they will take place, would be confirmed at a later date.

The marking boycott, which began in April at 145 universities, has caused disruption to graduations and left some students without their grades.

The UCU claimed the boycott would affect tens of thousands of students over the summer, but universities said they had been working to minimise its impact.

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Now the union has said there will be more disruption in September, if negotiations with the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) do not restart.

It is also planning to send out a fresh ballot to members to renew its six-month mandate for industrial action, which is due to expire at the beginning of October.

If members vote in favour, strikes could continue into 2024.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: "The UK higher education sector presents itself as a world leader, but it is riddled with casualisation, insecurity and low pay - our members have no choice but to stand up for themselves."

Responding to the announcement, the UCEA's chief executive, Raj Jethwa, said the UCU was forcing its members to "target students".

He said continuing the marking boycott was "the wrong thing to do".

"While UCEA respects the right of workers to take industrial action, the choice of the marking and assessment boycott, described by Jo Grady as a 'tactic', is extremely concerning," he added.