Strikes set to di8k8 free 108srupt UK university return

Students looking forward to starting or resuming their studies at universities across the United Kingdom in the coming weeks could face disruption after five days of strike action were called as part of a long-running pay dispute between the Universities and Colleges Employers Association, or UCEA, and lecturers' group the Universities and Colleges Union, or UCU.

Workers at 136 universities will strike from Monday, Sept 25 to Friday, Sept 29, with four more universities in Scotland also taking action, but on different dates.

The UCEA has imposed a pay award on most UCU members for the coming year amounting to just 5 percent, despite it having been overwhelmingly rejected. The union says that in real terms, pay has fallen by a quarter since 2009, so it is seeking an above inflation pay rise.

Union members had been boycotting marking since the spring, although this action has since ended, and other forms of industrial action, such as a work to rule, continue. It will soon be having another ballot of members about other potential courses of action for the coming months.

"We are left with no option but to strike during the start of term because our members refuse to stand by while pay is eroded and staff are shunted onto gig-economy contracts," said union general secretary Jo Grady.

"Universities are richer than ever, generating tens of billions of pounds in income and hoarding billions more in cash deposits. But they won't give staff their fair share, a pay award of 5 percent is a huge real-terms pay cut and is substantially lower than school teachers received," she continued, adding that "we are faced with employers that want to see staff and students suffer".

UCEA chief executive Raj Jethwa hit back by saying the union was "attempting to inflict maximum damage" with the timing of the latest strike.

"UCU is intentionally seeking to target the important welcome weeks which many institutions provide during this vital time for new students," he said. "It is disappointing that UCU seeks to disrupt welcome weeks instead of providing support for new students."

According to data published earlier this year by the UK-based Higher Education Statistics Agency, students from China make up the biggest overseas cohort at UK universities, with a record number of 151,690 students attending in 2021-22.

Julian Fisher, a senior partner at consultancy Venture Education, told China Daily that the steady rise in the number of Chinese students in the UK was down to years of growth in the teaching of English in China, increasing prosperity, and the generally high quality of education in the UK, while some of the geopolitical issues that might impact studying in the United States or Australia were less apparent.