Members of Cambridge’s staff union will vote on whether to strike this autumn as part of a national round of industrial action, described as the “biggest campaign in the history of UK education”.

If the motion passes, proposed strikes at Cambridge will be the fifth of their kind in five consecutive years, beginning in February 2018 with 14 days of escalating industrial action over changes to pension schemes.

The University and College Union (UCU), the national trade union representing academics, announced earlier today (8/8) that it would be sending a ballot to all members on whether to take part in a national strike.

While local industrial action, like the round of strikes which took place in Cambridge earlier this year, only needs the approval of a majority of local union members, the national strike requires the support of a majority of national members.

Following the UCU’s announcement, the Cambridge branch of the union said that it would be encouraging members to vote for the strikes “in response to the unprecedented cost of living crisis and the failure of universities to give staff a fair deal”.

Members will vote on the same two ballots which passed in 2020, 2021 and earlier this year: one concerning staff pensions, and a second over issues related to pay, equality, workload and casual contracts.

The timeline for the opening of ballots - and any subsequent walkouts — has yet to be announced, so it is unclear how much of the Cambridge term would be affected.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said that UK higher education is at a crossroads, citing “every decreasing pay, devastating cuts to pensions, and the proliferation of precarious employment practices”.

The campaign for a national strike will launch officially on Wednesday (10/8) with a livestream on Facebook, Youtube and Twitter.