UNIVERSITY lecturers are to stage more strikes next month as a dispute over pay and conditions enters its second academic year.

University and College Union (UCU) members voted on Monday to take further industrial action before the end of September.

A marking boycott will continue and they are also preparing for a new ballot to restore their industrial action mandate, meaning that the disruption could continue into 2024.

The boycott, which began in April at 145 universities, has disrupted graduations and left some students without their grades.

Last week, University of Brighton criminology lecturer James Pickles told the Morning Star that he had been left with £4 a day on live on after “arbitrary” pay deductions were imposed for taking part in the boycott.

Last week, Higher Education Minister Robert Halfon wrote to the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) and the union calling for an end to the dispute. 

UCU members have rejected a 5 per cent pay offer and are now warning that there will be more disruption in September if negotiations do not restart.

General secretary Jo Grady said: “We will not be bullied into accepting gig-economy universities, nor will we accept employers imposing punitive pay deductions.

“While we have agreed to requests for a joint review of sector finances, employers have made no attempt to compromise on the key issues.

“If they had shown some goodwill, the boycott could now be over. Instead, tens of thousands of students have been impacted and strike action is likely to stretch into next year.”

She said it was a “national scandal” that vice-chancellors have “decided that crushing their own workers is more important than seeing students graduate,” adding: “The UK higher education sector presents itself as a world leader, but it is riddled with casualisation, insecurity and low pay. Our members have no choice but to stand up for themselves. 

“Therefore, the marking boycott will continue, we will call more strike action in September and we will now begin plans to reballot university staff so we can take further action in the coming academic year.”

UCEA chief executive Raj Jethwa accused the union of forcing its members to “target students” and said that continuing the marking boycott was “the wrong thing to do.”

He added: “While UCEA respects the right of workers to take industrial action, the choice of the marking and assessment boycott, described by Jo Grady as a ‘tactic,’ is extremely concerning.”