Staff at the University of Liverpool are set to take part in industrial action as part of a long running dispute over pensions and pay.
The ten days of action has been organised by the University and College Union (UCU) in response to grievances over pensions, pay and working conditions.
UCU members at the University of Liverpool have joined the UK wide strike which affects 44 universities across the country and could affect up to one million students.
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There will be five days of action this week, starting today (Monday), two days of action next week and three days of action during the third week.
A picket line is expected outside the main entrance to the university.
A UCU spokesperson said: "Staff are also engaged in action short of a strike (ASOS) which involves working strictly to contract, not covering for absent colleagues, not rescheduling lectures or classes cancelled due to strike action, or undertaking any voluntary activities.
"To resolve the pension dispute UCU is demanding employers revoke the cuts to staff pensions and formally accept the union’s compromise proposals. To resolve the pay and working conditions dispute UCU is demanding a £2.5k pay increase for all staff, as well as action to tackle unmanageable workloads, pay inequality and the use of insecure and exploitative contracts."
"The union claims universities can more than afford to meet the demands of staff. University finance figures, from 2019/20, show total income across the sector was £41.9bn with reserves of £46.8bn."
University bosses said the scale of the action is not yet clear as staff who do not belong to UCU will not take part.
A spokesperson for the University of Liverpool said: "After almost two years of disruption we understand the concern that this news may bring. The scale of likely disruption is not yet clear, particularly given that only a minority of academic, professional and managerial staff are members of UCU and not all of them support this action.
"Staff are currently working hard to prepare for the potential disruption of the strike action and will be well equipped to mitigate any impact on students’ learning and to minimise disruption. Further detailed information about the current industrial disputes will be communicated via email to all students ahead of the strike dates. This will include a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) which are being prepared to answer the most common queries."
UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: "The action that begins today and will eventually hit 68 universities is down to vice chancellors who have failed staff and students. They have pushed through brutal pension cuts and done nothing to address falling pay, pay inequality, the rampant use of insecure contracts and unmanageable workloads.
"Throughout these disputes, our union has offered simple solutions that would avert industrial action and benefit the sector in the long-term, but time and again employers have chosen to continue pushing staff to breaking point, all whilst the sector continues to bring in tens of billions of pounds each year. To avoid this period of industrial action all vice chancellors had to do was accept UCU’s viable pension proposals and take action over worsening pay & working conditions. That they didn’t is an abject failure of their leadership.
"Students are standing by our members because they know that staff working conditions are their learning conditions. And they know that this sector, which is awash with money, can afford to treat its staff with dignity. As ten days of action begins today vice chancellors need to urgently get around the table and help UCU resolve these disputes."
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