Across UK universities, we’re seeing union members undertaking a massive wave of industrial action in recent weeks. Currently, over 65,000 University and College Union (UCU) members are having their say on potential nationwide university strikes.
The ballot opened back on 30 October, and will run up until 28 November. The union will aggregate the results across 137 institutions. As such, should the majority of members wish it, we could see strikes on every one of those 137 campuses in 2026.
Meanwhile, the UCU declared strike action at both Lancaster and Derby universities this week, with Northumbria also taking a step closer to strikes of its own by declaring a dispute with management.
University strikes — Lancaster University
Lancaster University staff will strike for two days on 27 and 28 November. A decisive 88% of the members who voted backed the industrial action. They’ll picket both the main university entrance and a secondary entrance to the southwest, at Alexandra Park.
They’re currently engaged in a dispute over uni bosses’ threat to make an eye-watering quarter of all staff redundant. Management is aiming to cut over 400 jobs – including 200 academic jobs – by the end of the academic year.
Along with the strikes themselves, UCU members at Lancaster are already working to rule. This means that they’re refusing to do work outside that is absolutely required by their job descriptions. That includes refusing to cover colleague absences.
The union has accused Lancaster of using overly pessimistic budget forecasts, and being too quick to make savings by cutting jobs rather than other expenses. UCU general secretary Jo Grady stated that:
Strike action is a last resort for our members, but staff have been left no choice to protect Lancaster University from the devastating cuts management is attempting to inflict.
Management is relying on overly pessimistic figures and must now fully open the books and work with us to protect jobs and student provision here in Lancaster, rather than spending a fortune on vanity campuses on the other side of the world. If the university does not listen, it will face disruption on campus this month and the potential of more action in the new year.
Lancaster University has been in talks to open a campus in Bengaluru, Karnataka State, India. They announced a new stage in their plans just last week, by issuing a letter of intent during PM Starmer’s Mumbai trade mission. Starmer actually had the nerve to state:
Our great British universities are admired all over the world for their teaching excellence, high-quality research and commitment to innovation.
I’m delighted that more Indian students will be able to benefit from a world-class British education in the near future – strengthening the ties between our two countries while pumping millions back into our economy and supporting jobs at home.
Far from ‘supporting jobs back home’, Lancaster is steaming ahead with its plans to build in India whilst axing 25% of UK staff. The UCU is urging university bosses to engage in reviews of their financial assumptions. Likewise, the union also wants Lancaster to commit to ruling out compulsory redundancies.
Derby
Next up, staff at the University of Derby have also voted overwhelmingly for strike action. Like Lancaster, they’re also fighting against compulsory redundancies, along with course closures. On a 66% turnout, 93% backed action short of a strike. 82% also voted for strike action to go ahead.
Derby has already gone through two rounds of redundancies, mostly targeting research and managerial staff. The university has also refused to rule out compulsory job losses for the 2025/26 academic year, in spite of the UCU’s repeated attempts to engage in constructive negotiations on the topic.
As seems to be a common thread in a lot of unis where hundreds of jobs are suddenly up for the axe, Derby has also recently engaged in a multi-million-pound building project. The new seven-story Cavendish Building opened just two months ago in Derby city centre. The “dynamic environment designed to shape the next generation of business leaders and innovators” cost a massive £75m.
Given this recent massive spending, the UCU is arguing that the threat of compulsory redundancies is both unjust and unjustifiable. Jo Grady said:
This overwhelming mandate for action at Derby is yet another sign that university staff across the UK will not tolerate needless cuts. The university’s management could resolve this dispute immediately by ruling out compulsory redundancies and working with UCU to develop a fair, sustainable financial plan. Staff deserve security, respect, and a voice in shaping the future of their institution.
Northumbria
And finally, staff at Northumbria University, this week, have also moved closer to a ballot on strike action. At a meeting of nearly 250 UCU members this week, an overwhelming 99% voted to declare a dispute with university management over changes to their pensions and the threat of a pay freeze. The union now plans to ballot members on industrial action if the uni doesn’t back down from its proposals.
Northumbria is trying to force staff to switch over from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). Should staff members refuse, the university has threatened to freeze their pay. This would essentially lock them into years of real-terms pay cuts as inflation continues to balloon.
Management contend that switching pension schemes could save them as much as £11m. However, the union has argued that staff could be significantly worse off, endangering their retirement security for the sake of the university’s bottom line. Grady stated that:
Telling staff they must choose between their pay or their pension is no choice at all. Pensions are about the long-term. Senior management are only thinking short-term. The anger from our members is palpable, and was crystal clear at this week’s mass meeting. They are rightly furious about being forced to pay the price for decisions made by university management.
Northumbria’s leadership is rushing through a process that has no place in higher education and may face industrial action if the proposals are followed through. It needs to think again or risk serious reputational risk and becoming an educational establishment which loses the respect of staff, students and the local community.
Northumbria’s attempt to bully staff into a disadvantageous pension scheme is part of a broader trend. The UCU has warned repeatedly that university management across the UK are undermining established pension schemes like TPS and USS. Taken alongside years of pay degradation and staff cuts, university educators are being threatened both in the short-term and in their future retirement.
Featured image via Socialist Party
This post was originally published on Canary.