Staff at dozens of British universities call off some strikes over pay
- Strikes originally planned at 140 universities later this month will now only take place in 52, the University and College Union said
- About 151,690 students at UK universities come from mainland China, while about 20,000 are from Hong Kong, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency
Staff at dozens of universities across Britain have called off a planned strike next week after many employers agreed to end pay deductions linked to previous industrial action, the University and College Union (UCU) said on Friday.
Strikes originally planned at 140 universities later this month will now only take place in 52, the UCU said.
Staff at universities around the country have taken part in a six-month long marking and assessment boycott in an ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions this year which saw classes, exams and graduations disrupted.
While the boycott has now ended, the union had been in dispute with universities about pay deducted from its members who took part in that industrial action.
The UCU, which represents more than 120,000 staff, began balloting staff this week to renew its strike mandate over the pay dispute, in order to continue strike action into 2024.