Lecturers begin five-day strike at Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at the two institutions are joining a UK-wide dispute over pension cuts and deteriorating pay and conditions.

Staff at both universities will be at picket lines at main university entrances.

The UCU says that across the UK, over 50,000 staff at 67 universities are striking over the next two weeks.

A UCU press release said: “Staff at both universities recently took ten days of strike action over three weeks, from Monday 14 February to Wednesday 2 March, and previously went on strike for three days in December 2021.”

The union accused university employers of forcing through pension cuts, which it claimed will see 35% slashed from a typical member’s guaranteed retirement income.

“In the pension dispute, UCU is demanding that employers revoke their cuts and re-enter negotiations,” the statement said.

“New retail price index inflation figures of 7.8% mean UCU estimates staff pay is now down by 25.5% in real terms since 2009.

“Over 70k academics are employed on insecure contracts. The gender pay gap in UK universities sits at 16%, whilst the disability pay gap is 9% and the race pay gap is up to 17%.”

UCU also said it was demanding “an end to race, gender and disability pay injustice; a framework to eliminate zero-hours contracts; and meaningful action to tackle unmanageable workloads; as well as a £2.5k pay rise for all university employees”.

There are strikes or threatened strikes, related to cost of living, in a range of areas of employment in Northern Ireland, such as by council workers and Housing Executive staff and Translink.