Three more English universities are facing strikes over job cuts, with unions pledging to disrupt the start of the coming academic year.

University and College Union (UCU) members at Liverpool Hope University have announced they will strike for 10 days in September and October after the institution refused to rule out compulsory redundancies.

Staff at Lancaster University have also voted to strike while the University of Leicester UCU branch has called a ballot on whether it should hold industrial action. 

At Liverpool Hope, UCU objected to previously announced plans to make 39 compulsory redundancies across three of its faculties – education and social sciences, creative arts and humanities, and human and digital sciences.

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The union said the university has since “partially retreated” and is now looking to cut 11 roles, with 30 staff members remaining at risk.

A voluntary redundancy scheme has been reopened, but the university has refused to rule out compulsory redundancies if this does not deliver the necessary number of job cuts.

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The strike action will occur in the first two weeks of the next academic year between 22 September and 3 October, after 85 per cent of union members backed strike action on a turnout of 69 per cent.

Jo Grady, general secretary of UCU, said the cuts were part of a “politically motivated plan to reshape the institution”.

“These cuts are not driven by necessity, they’re the result of poor management choices and ballooning capital spending,” she added.

“Our members are absolutely right to fight back. It is outrageous that hardworking staff are being made to pay the price while senior managers continue to reward themselves handsomely. We call on the university to halt these cuts, rule out compulsory redundancies, and work with us to find a constructive path forward.”

A Liverpool Hope spokesperson said it was “disappointed that UCU have made the decision to take strike action.”

“The decision to enter the potential redundancy process was extremely difficult and driven both by financial considerations and the needs of future students”, they added. 

“Universities across the UK are facing funding challenges and Hope is not immune to these pressures. It is vital that we respond to these challenges to ensure that we continue to provide an excellent experience for Liverpool Hope students.”

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At Lancaster, the union won a consultative ballot in favour of strike action after the university announced plans to cut 400 full-time equivalent positions by July 2026 in a bid to save £30 million.

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The branch said members voted “overwhelmingly” for strike action at 86 per cent of members, and a further 93 per cent voted in favour of action short of strike.

Leicester’s UCU branch, meanwhile, has announced that it will open a strike ballot after it said the institution failed to rule out compulsory redundancies. 

Staff in chemistry, history, geography, film studies and modern languages have been informed they may face redundancy, and the union said it is calling on the university to “guarantee that there will be no compulsory redundancies during the 2025-26 academic year”.

It further argues that the university reported a deficit “far smaller as a proportion of income than over 80 other UK universities”, claiming that building sales reduced the projected 2024-25 deficit to £2.9 million and it still held £16 million in cash and equivalents at the end of July 2024.

Grady said staff at Leicester have already made “significant sacrifices” and added “there is no justification for compulsory redundancies, especially when the university has other options on the table and continues to waste money on capital projects”.

A Leicester spokesperson said that “we are exploring a range of options to ensure our future sustainability. No decisions have been made and, as such, we cannot rule out compulsory redundancies.

"We will communicate any decisions as soon as possible and hope to work together with staff and union colleagues to secure a sustainable future for our university.”

Liverpool Hope and Lancaster were both contacted for comment.

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juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com