Staff members from nearly 140 UK universities are set for a fresh wave of strikes later this month.

The University College Union (UCU) has confirmed that its members will strike for five days from Monday, September 25 to Friday, September 29, coinciding with some freshers’ weeks.

The move comes amid an ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions at UK universities. University staff have been campaigning for higher pay throughout the year, and previously held walkouts in February and March.

The union members also voted to reject a pay offer earlier this year which would have led to around a five per cent pay rise, saying it was “not enough”.

Regarding the pension dispute among university staff, UCU has demanded employers revoke earlier cuts and restore benefits. The package of USS pension cuts meant the average lecturer was set to lose 35 per cent of their future guaranteed retirement income, with those starting out in their university career potentially losing hundreds of thousands of pounds.

So, how much do university staff earn?

How much does a university lecturer make in the UK?

In the United Kingdom, there is a pay spine known formally as the HE Single Pay Spine.

This is led by the UCU, which negotiates salaries, employment conditions, and pay structure on behalf of higher education (HE) and further education (FE) institutions.

According to the 2019 HE Single Pay Spine and the typical 2019/20 university grade system, an average salary for university staff in the UK is £40,761 for a lecturer, £51,590 for a senior lecturer, £64,356 for an associate professor, and £90,891 for a professor.

The vast majority of UK universities use the HE Single Pay Spine, however, a handful of institutions do not. When not using the HE Single Pay Spine, staff salaries are regulated internally.

According to the 2018/19 HE Single Pay Spine and the average 2019/20 grading levels, the average salaries of research assistants, lecturers, and professors include:

• Graduate Research Assistant, £30,760, £26,715 – £34,804

• Associate Lecturer, £30,760, £26,715 – £34,804

• Postdoctoral Research Assistant, £31,990, £29,176 – £34,804

• Lecturer, £40,761, £34,804 – £46,718

• Research Fellow, £40,761, £34,804 – £46,718

• Senior Lecturer, £51,590, £44,045 – £59,135

• Senior Research Fellow, £51,590, £44,045 – £59,135

• Associate Professor, £64,356, £55,750 – £72,962

• Professor, £90,891, £68,531 – £113,251.

When are the next strikes by university workers in September?

Stikes will take place between Monday, September 25 to Friday, September 29.

Speaking about the upcoming industrial action, UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “We are left with no option but to strike during the start of term because our members refuse to stand by while pay is eroded and staff are shunted onto gig-economy contracts.

“It is shameful that vice-chancellors still refuse to settle the dispute despite a year of unprecedented disruption, and have instead imposed a pay award that staff overwhelmingly rejected. Universities are richer than ever, generating tens of billions of pounds in income and hoarding billions more in cash deposits. But they won’t give staff their fair share; a pay award of five per cent is a huge real-terms pay cut and is substantially lower than school teachers received.”