Higher education facing national strike over cuts, union boss warns

Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU) said action could escalate without a national agreement over redundancies.

Universities are already facing funding cuts of more than 1bn with fears that more could be on the way in the coalition Government's emergency budget next month.

Universities across the country have been involved in disputes with the union over cost-cutting plans and as the UCU met for its annual congress, in Manchester yesterday, Ms Hunt warned it could be forced to take action nationally to protect jobs.

"We have been dealing with this at local level, but that can only go on for so long," she said.

"If we are finding that the employers at national level are still refusing to have an agreement, a national jobs security agreement, we have no choice but to believe that it is because they anticipate there to be job losses, and that's something we cannot accept.

"We have got tough times ahead and we want to deal with this in an adult fashion.

"If we can't get an agreement, we are a trade union and we will do what we need to do to protect our members' interests and that of students."

Jocelyn Prudence, chief executive of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), has, however, dismissed calls for a national agreement.

Funding cuts have already led to the UCU becoming involved in a number of disputes in the region.

The previous Government had identified 1bn of cuts from the higher education sector including 449m in the current financial year.

Chancellor George Osborne and his former Liberal Democrat deputy David Laws announced last week that universities would also need to make further savings of 200m this year.

Yorkshire's leading universities – Russell Group members Leeds and Sheffield – have warned the Government that any further cuts could damage the quality of education they provide.

The UCU had been set to strike at Leeds University in protest over planned cuts at the faculty of biological sciences and the institution's refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies.

The university was also carrying out a major cost-cutting programme aimed at saving 35m from 2011 to deal with the expected cuts in higher education funding which it estimates could result in up to 400 posts being lost.

The action was called off following an agreement reached in talks brokered by ACAS.

Union members also took part in a strike last month over redundancy fears at Bradford College.

It is believed that there have been around 15 rounds of strikes and industrial action taken at universities and colleges across the country in the past two months.

Last month lecturers at 11 further education colleges and three universities staged a one-day walkout.

Staff at three West Midlands colleges and lecturers at Manchester College are currently being balloted on industrial action.

Ms Hunt said: "We are getting almost daily reports of redundancies from our officials and there's a point in time when you can't actually carry on without a backlash."

Ms Prudence said: "We are disappointed that the union is raising the possibility of national industrial action.

"Two months ago we put out some jointly-agreed ACAS guidance on job security, created by all the unions and UCEA.

"We haven't yet had the opportunity to get any feedback on how that's worked out.

"A one-size-fits-all approach would be like the CBI creating an agreement for the private sector."