University strikes: UCU action paused over seven days

Seven days of strikes by tens of thousands of assemblage unit person been paused.

The planned enactment during February and aboriginal March volition nary longer spell ahead, said the University and College Union (UCU).

The national said it had made "significant progress" crossed aggregate issues during talks with employers.

Pausing walkouts implicit the adjacent fortnight volition alteration a "period of calm", Jo Grady of the UCU said.

The enactment had been owed to instrumentality spot connected 21, 22, 23, 27 and 28 February and 1 and 2 March.

Planned strikes aft these dates, for 16, 17, 20, 21 and 22 March, volition inactive spell ahead.

The quality is implicit wage and conditions, portion immoderate members are besides striking implicit pensions.

Ms Grady, UCU wide secretary, said: "To let our ongoing negotiations to proceed successful a constructive environment, we person agreed to intermission enactment crossed our wage and moving conditions and USS pensions disputes for the adjacent 2 weeks and make a play of calm."

University unit connected onslaught had been facing 18 days without wage this period and adjacent - until this latest announcement.

Some UCU members said connected societal media that they would conflict to spend it, but galore of those believed the onslaught enactment could pb to semipermanent fiscal gain.

UCU has a hardship money for its members connected strike.

Students had besides been facing 18 days without classes, often aft already facing disruption to their learning due to the fact that of Covid.

When assemblage unit walked retired successful November implicit the aforesaid dispute, one pupil told the BBC she felt she was "not getting what [she] paid for".

The National Union of Students (NUS) has antecedently said it was supporting the strikes due to the fact that "staff moving conditions are students' learning conditions".