UCU strike days: What dates are university strikes planned in February and March 2023

Over 2.5 million students will be affected by the UCU strikes, as university staff join nurses, ambulance workers and train workers in disputes over pay, terms and conditions

More than 70,000 staff at 150 universities across the UK will strike for 18 days between February and March in disputes over pay, conditions and pensions, it has been confirmed.

Over 2.5 million students will be affected by the strikes, which was called by the University and College Union (UCU).

They join the nurses, ambulance workers and train workers who have been walking out of work in respective disputes over pay and terms and conditions.

University staff and ambulance workers were staging more strike action on Friday

(PA Wire)

The first university walkout was on 1 February,..

On February 3, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) - which represents university employers - made the UCU a pay offer worth 4 to 5 per cent, which the union has said is insufficient; and so will walk out over the next two months until a new offer is made.

The UCEA has said the current offer is worth up to 7%.

But if the dispute is resolved before the planned strike dates, it’s possible that some strikes may be suspended or cancelled.

Many universities have advised that unless their lecturers or tutors have informed them they are striking, they should assume that teaching is taking place as usual.

Therefore, many universities across the country have said that students can attend classes, use the libraries and facilities as they will remain open throughout the strike action.

However, it is important that students check their university website for the latest advice.

How much are university lecturers paid?

According to the UCU 2018/19 HE Single Pay Spine and the average 2019/20 grading levels, the average salaries of research assistants, lecturers, and professors mean that an associate lecturer can be paid an average salary of £30,760 a year.

Meanwhile, a university lecturer could see an average yearly income of around £40,761 per year.

And a Senior Lecturer may be paid around £51,590, while a professor will be paid, on average, a whopping £90,891 per year.

University and College Union (UCU) members on the picket line outside the London School of Economics (LSE)

(PA Wire)

Speaking out about the strikes, UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “There is a clear route out of these disputes, but at present vice-chancellors lack the political will to take it. They are failing staff who want to get back to work, and students who want to get on with their studies.

“Students understand that staff working conditions are their learning conditions and we are proud to have their support in these disputes. A system that relies on low pay and the rampant use of insecure contracts is a system which fails everyone.

“A resolution can be reached, but that is in the gift of university vice-chancellors who need to urgently reassess their priorities and deliver a deal that benefits staff and students.”

Here is everything else you need to know about the strikes:

When are the university strikes?

The union will strike on the following dates:

• Tuesday 21 February
• Wednesday 22 February
• Thursday 23 February
• Monday 27 February
• Tuesday 28 February
• Wednesday 1 March
• Thursday 2 March
• Thursday 16 March
• Friday 17 March
• Monday 20 March
• Tuesday 21 March
• Wednesday 22 March

Up to 70,000 members of the UCU are taking strike action in a long-running dispute over pay, working conditions and pensions

(PA Wire)

Which universities will be affected by the strike action?

Here is the full list of universities that will be affected:

• Aberdeen, The University of
• Abertay University
• Aberystwyth University
• Anglia Ruskin University
• Arts University Bournemouth
• Aston University
• Bangor University
• Bath Spa University
• Bath, University of
• Bedfordshire, University of
• Birkbeck, University of London
• Birmingham, The University of
• Bishop Grosseteste University
• Bolton, The University of
• Bournemouth University
• Bradford, University of
• Brighton, University of
• Bristol, University of
• Brunel University
• Buckinghamshire New University
• Cambridge, University of
• Canterbury Christ Church University
• Cardiff Metropolitan University
• Cardiff University
• Central Lancashire, University of
• Chester, University of
• Chichester, University of
• City, University of London
• Courtauld Institute of Art
• Coventry University
• Cranfield University
• Cumbria, University of
• De Montfort University
• Derby, University of
• Dundee, The University of
• Durham University
• East Anglia, University of
• East London, University of
• Edge Hill University
• Edinburgh Napier University
• Edinburgh, University of
• Essex, University of
• Exeter, University of
• Falmouth University
• Glasgow Caledonian University
• Glasgow School of Art
• Glasgow, University of
• Gloucestershire, University of
• Goldsmiths, University of London
• Greenwich, University of
• Harper Adams University
• Heriot-Watt University
• Hertfordshire, University of
• Huddersfield, The University of
• Hull, The University of
• Imperial College London
• Institute of Development Studies (IDS)
• Keele University
• Kent, The University of
• King’s College London
• Kingston University
• Lancaster, University of
• Leeds Arts University
• Leeds Beckett University
• Leeds Trinity University
• Leeds, The University of
• Leicester, University of
• Lincoln, University of
• Liverpool Hope University
• Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA)
• Liverpool John Moores University
• Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
• Liverpool, University of
• London Metropolitan University
• London School of Economics
• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• London South Bank University
• Loughborough University
• Manchester Metropolitan University
• Manchester, The University of
• Middlesex University
• Newcastle University
• Newman University
• Northampton, The University of
• Northumbria University
• Norwich University of the Arts
• Nottingham, The University of
• Open University
• Oxford Brookes University
• Oxford, University of
• Plymouth Marjon University
• Plymouth, University of
• Portsmouth, University of
• Queen Margaret University
• Queen Mary, University of London
• Queen’s University Belfast
• Reading, University of
• Robert Gordon University
• Roehampton University
• Rose Bruford College
• Royal Academy of Music
• Royal Agricultural University
• Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
• Royal College of Art
• Royal College of Music
• Royal Holloway, University of London
• Royal Northern College of Music
• Royal Veterinary College, University of London
• Salford, The University of
• Sams at University of the Highlands and Islands
• Senate House, University of London
• Sheffield Hallam University
• Sheffield, The University of
• Soas, University of London
• Solent University
• South Wales, University of
• Southampton, University of
• St Andrews, University of
• St George’s, University of London
• St Mary’s University College, Belfast
• St Mary’s University, Twickenham
• Staffordshire University
• Stirling, The University of
• Stranmillis University College
• Strathclyde, University of
• Suffolk, University of
• Sunderland, University of
• Surrey, University of
• Sussex, University of
• Swansea University
• Teesside, University of
• Trinity Laban
• University for the Creative Arts
• Ulster University
• University College Birmingham
• University College London
• University of the Arts London
• University of Wales Trinity Saint David
• Warwick, University of
• West London, University of
• West of England, University of the
• West of Scotland, University of the
• Westminster, University of
• Winchester, The University of
• Wolverhampton, University of
• Worcester, University of
• Wrexham Glyndwr University
• Writtle University College
• York, University of
• York St John University

Strikes have affected UK campuses for the past five years, but the latest are set to be the biggest yet.

The action will include academics, librarians and other university staff.