Thousands of staff at 60 universities across the UK began eight days of strike action on Monday in a dispute over pensions, wages and conditions, as their union raised the prospect of extending action to other institutions early next year.
The University and College Union (UCU), which represents the 43,500 academic and non-academic employees who voted earlier this month to go on strike, said it had enrolled 3,500 new members since the ballot and would consider holding votes to extend its protests in the coming weeks.
It called on employers to launch fresh negotiations on improved conditions, and to pull back from “strong-arm” tactics in docking strikers’ pay and issuing warnings to students who refused to turn up for lectures or cross picket lines.