University union lays groundwork for first-ever strike ballot against Labour government
26 May 2025, 00:36
The UK’s largest post-16 education union has voted in favour of preparing for a strike, following funding cuts in the sector.
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At its annual congress in Liverpool on Sunday, the University and College Union (UCU) voted to prepare industrial action against Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.
This would be the union’s first ever strike ballot against a Labour government.
They have demanded Ms Phillipson address funding issues in the sector, in order to avoid the dispute.
The announcement comes after major cuts to higher education were revealed by Ms Philipson, citing an “extremely challenging” fiscal landscape.
Last week, Ms Phillipson told the sector regulator that capital “top-up” funding for universities would have to be halved in the 2025-26 financial year, and that remaining funding would be diverted to lab-based subjects.
Read More: Universities must be more transparent with public money, skills minister says
The UCU, which represents more than 120,000 staff, said they were concerned by Labour’s failure to reverse years shrinking funding for universities, as well as moves to restrict international students’ enrolment.
They have said that over 10,000 jobs are at risk in the higher education sector if funding is not increased, citing a swathe of redundancies at Cardiff and Sheffield Universities.
“The Prime Minister and Chancellor must stop standing in the way of proper funding for our universities,” said UCU general secretary Jo Grady.
“Our members are fighting to protect jobs and UK academia’s world-leading reputation. But we are being hamstrung by a Government that has refused to deal with the underlying financial issues plaguing our sector, and now seems intent on making the crisis worse still with new cuts, levies and restrictions on recruitment.
“This vote sends them a crystal-clear message: if you refuse to listen to the educators responsible for the world-leading reputation of Britain’s universities, then you must be prepared to face a potential strike ballot.”
The Department for Education has responded, again citing the fiscal situation inherited from the former Conservative government.
“This Government inherited a sector facing serious financial risk, and has taken tough decisions to fix the foundations of higher education to deliver change for students and staff,” a spokesperson has said.
“Universities are independent from Government, but we remain committed to boosting the sector’s long-term financial sustainability and restoring universities as engines of opportunity, aspiration and growth.
“The Government has refocused the efforts of the Office for Students on monitoring financial sustainability, to help create a secure future for our world-leading sector.”
University lecturer strikes became a regular fixture of student life between 2018 and 2023, as regular pickets took place between university staff and their employers.
Constituting the longest ongoing strike period in higher education history, the dispute was thought to be mostly resolved in 2023.
However, amid declining government funding and a swathe of redundancies across the sector, tensions rose again as around a quarter of universities announced staff cutbacks this year.
