Today, the UCU has announced that the next two weeks of strikes will be stood down.
Jo Grady, General Secretary of the UCU has detailed “breakthroughs” in negotiations with employers which has lead her to announce a “period of calm” which will be used to hold “intensive negotiations” in the hope of coming out with a final agreement in both disputes.
They are also conducting a re-ballot of members from 22 February for a further six months of industrial action.
This announcement means that industrial action planned for 21, 22, 23, 27, 28 February and 1 and 2 March will not go ahead.
The pause breaks up what the UCU previously described as the biggest series of strikes to ever hit UK university campuses, with an initially scheduled 18 days of walkouts that started on 1 February. The announcement of action marked an escalation in ongoing disputes regarding pay, working conditions and pensions cuts.
Strike dates are also scheduled later on the 16 and 17 March, as well as the following week on the 20, 21 and 22 March. As of the release of today’s announcement, these strikes are still expected to take place.
