University of Liverpool staff begin 10-day strike

Staff and supporters gathered outside the university on the first day of strike action

Staff at the University of Liverpool have begun 10 days of strike action.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) are in dispute over redundancies at the university's Faculty of Health and Life Sciences.

Plans for 47 redundancies have been reduced to two after industrial action.

The action is expected to disrupt the university's confirmation and clearing system affecting the processing of A-level results on 10 August.

Liverpool Guild of Students says the university should drop the redundancy plan

Talks between the two sides on Monday failed to reach agreement.

About 1,300 staff went on a three-week strike in May, followed by an ongoing marking and assessment boycott, which was supported by the Guild of Students.

The university has since reduced the number of proposed redundancies from 47 down to two.

A University of Liverpool spokesman said the strike was "premature and potentially very damaging to our aim of reaching a resolution".

He said the university was "extremely disappointed" at the UCU's action after it had offered to increase the voluntary severance payment for staff at risk of redundancy and the suspension of pay deductions for staff who took part in the marking and assessment boycott.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said managers "have it in their gift to resolve this dispute" by "removing the threat of redundancy to the final two".

Local branch president Anthony O'Hanlon said "the ball is firmly in the employer's court" to avoid "the prospect of widespread disruption during one of the most crucial periods of the academic year - confirmation and clearing".

Staff will walk out from 4-7 and 9-14 August.