University of Manchester staff strikes called off as new deal agreed ahead of new academic year

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at University of Manchester have brought to an end a run of strike action. The industrial action had been ongoing since September 19. 

The action was taking place as part of workers' dispute over pay docking. This has been called off as a result of an agreement being made with management. 

Members voted to call off strike action earlier this week. The agreement comes as students start back at the university, the first semester of the 2023/24 academic year got underway on Monday September 25. 

A separate period of strike action is also taking place nationwide this week. This is as part of an on-going dispute over pay and working conditions.

UCU regional official Matt Arrowsmith said: 'We have agreed to stand down strike action this week after management belatedly agreed to return some of the punitive wage deductions they made over summer in response to the marking boycott.

“We now call on other universities to follow Manchester's lead. We are always willing to negotiate and strike action is always a last resort.”

A spokesperson for the University of Manchester said: “We are very pleased to report that this afternoon (Monday, 25 September) it was agreed that strike action will be called off with immediate effect.

“We have continued to work with representatives from our local branch of the University and College Union (UMUCU) to reach an agreement, and it follows our latest offer to withhold only 25% of pay for those staff who participated in the marking and assessment boycott (MAB).

"We have also agreed that colleagues who participated in MAB should complete outstanding marking and assessment as soon as practical, and were reasonably possible by Friday 13 October 2023. We believe this outcome is in the best interests of our students and staff. Once again, we wish to thank all colleagues who worked so hard to help us mitigate the impact of the boycott on our students and wider community.”