Lecturers will be on strike next week as staff at Universities in Liverpool prepare to walk out in a long-running dispute.

The strike will affect 140 universities across the UK. Action is being taken in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.

Last year’s graduates were affected by a marking boycott which meant some graduated without their full marks. One furious student at the University of Liverpool was “cheered on” at her graduation ceremony earlier this year after revealing a white cloth inside her gown which demanded a refund for her tuition fees.

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Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming strikes.

Why are lecturers are striking?

The University and Colleges Union (UCU) wants a pay rise worth the RPI measure of inflation plus 2%. The union is also calling for an end to zero-hours and temporary contracts.

The Universities and College Employers Association (UCEA) has claimed its improved pay deal for 2023-24, worth between 5% and 8%, was the highest offer of its kind in nearly 20 years. The UCU have insisted the offer still amounts to a real-terms pay cut. A separate dispute regarding pensions is ongoing.

When will the strikes take place?

Most strikes will take place from Monday September 25 to Friday 29 September, which is the first assigned teaching week for many universities. Some universities will have slightly different dates for action.

Action short of strike is included within this, which includes staff not rescheduling lectures which were cancelled due to strike action. The marking and assessment boycott has been called off. However, strikes could continue into 2024 if members vote in favour of industrial action later in the year.

Which local universities are affected?

Lectures at the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores, Liverpool Hope, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts and Edge Hill University will be on strike. Action will take place from September 25 to 29 September.

Lectures at John Moores are also striking this week. According to the UCU’s website, this is because LJMU lecturers who took part in the marking boycott have suffered deductions in pay as a result.

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