All 18 dates of UCU Strike Action Announced
Abby Davidson
The University College Union (UCU) has confirmed that over 70,000 staff at 150 universities, including Queen’s University Belfast, will strike on 18 days across February and March 2023.
The union had previously confirmed Wednesday 1 February as the first day of strike action, but has now released the dates of the 17 following days. These are as follows:
Thursday 9 and Friday 10 February
Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 February
Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 February
Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 February
Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 March
Thursday 16 and Friday 17 March
Monday 20, Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 March
The action will affect thousands of students studying at Queen’s University.
In a statement UCU general secretary Jo Grady said, “The university sector in the UK has over £40bn sitting in reserves, but instead of using that vast wealth to deliver a cost-of-living pay rise and reverse devastating pension cuts, university vice-chancellors would rather force staff to take strike action and see campuses shut down…”
“…A resolution can be reached, but that is in the gift of university vice-chancellors who need to urgently reassess their priorities and deliver a deal that benefits staff and students. From February, our union will begin reballoting its members to allow action to continue through the rest of the academic year, should they continue to drag their feet.”
Abby Davidson is Deputy Head of The Scoop and is a Liberal Arts student at Queen’s University Belfast