Lecturers stage five strikes over pension cuts

Members of the University and College Union have arranged five separate strikes over redundancies and cuts to pensions and pay.

Members of the Universities Superannuation Schemes (USS) in Scotland will strike over pensions on 17 March, whilst strikes will hit Wales on 18 March and Northern Ireland on 21 March.

English lecturers will strike on 22 March, before a general UK-wide UCU strike on 24 March.

The Trades Union Congress ‘March for the Alternative' protest over pay and pensions in central London will take place on 26 March.

"Staff at colleges and universities across the UK will be out on strike on Thursday 24 March in an unprecedented level of action across the further and higher education sectors," says UCU general secretary Sally Hunt.

"The attacks on staff's pensions, pay and job security have created real anger throughout the sector and instead of burying their heads in the sand the employers need to respond urgently to UCU's attempts to negotiate."

On 10 March, the final Hutton report into public sector pension reform said civil servants' pensions should be changed from final salary schemes to career average schemes by 2015.

Civil servants are also facing higher contributions to pensions, as well as widespread redundancies and a three-year pay freeze.