University strikes Manchester: latest on walk-outs and impact on students

University staff across Greater Manchester are continuing strike action this week on February 9 and 10 as part of an ongoing dispute over pay, pensions, and working conditions. This is the second week of walkouts by University and College Union members, and more than 70,000 staff from 150 universities nationwide will be participating.

The action will be going ahead on two days this week after staff rejected the employers’ pay offer worth five percent for most UCU members. UCU said employers have not responded with an improved offer or addressed insecure employment practices and workloads. It said there are over 90,000 university staff on insecure contracts and some staff work an average of two extra days unpaid per week.

There is expected to be a further five weeks of strike action if an agreement is not reached, totalling 18 days of industrial action over February and March.

UCU General Secretary Jo Grady said:“It is no surprise that university staff have overwhelmingly rejected a low-ball five percent offer from employers, this is a huge real-terms pay cut that would leave our members worse off. We are striking for 48 hours this week and will take escalating action until we get a fair deal.”

We spoke to an engineering student at the University of Salford to find out how this strike action affects students and their education.