Northern Ireland universities to face further strike action
- Published
Academics at both institutions also took part in a strike over pension changes in 2018
Queen's University and Ulster University face further strike action from many lecturers and support staff.
University and College Union (UCU) members at both universities previously walked out for eight days in November and December 2019.
The union has now said its members will strike for a further 14 days from Thursday, 20 February.
The action is due to ongoing disputes over pay, workloads and pensions.
As well as Queen's and Ulster, more than 70 universities across the UK are likely to be affected.
The UCU has 583 members at Ulster University (UU) and 933 members at Queen's University (QUB).
Turnout in the strike ballot at both Northern Ireland universities was lower than the UK-wide turnout of 53% in the pensions ballot and 49% in the pay and conditions ballot.
Not all UCU members at UU and QUB went on strike in late 2019 but a significant number did, causing some classes and lectures to be cancelled.
The UCU has said its members will take strike action on:
Thursday 20 and Friday 21 February;
from Monday 24 February to Wednesday 26 February;
and from Monday 2 March to Thursday 5 March.
They will then walk out for the entire week beginning Monday, 9 March.
The disputes centre on changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), with the union also claiming there has been a failure to improve pay, equality, rates of casual employment and workloads.
The UCU general secretary Jo Grady also warned that it will carry out a further ballot if the dispute is not resolved to allow its members to take further strike action throughout 2020.
"If universities want to avoid further disruption they need to deal with rising pension costs, and address the problems over pay and conditions," she said.
'We have been clear from the outset that we would take serious and sustained industrial action if that was what was needed."
Academics at QUB and UU also took part in a previous strike over pension changes in 2018.