University staff will be holding a three-day strike in a row over pay and working conditions.

Staff at the University of Central Lancashire are holding a picket line today (December 1) until Friday outside the Engineering Innovation Centre after saying that university bosses and their representatives refused to address falling pay and worsening working conditions.

UCLan is one of 58 UK universities taking part on the strike, with other universities also striking over claims of pension cuts.

The strikes are being backed by the University and College Union from two separate ballots, one over pension cuts and one over pay and working conditions.

Staff from the University of Lancaster will also be striking for the rest of the week.

The University and College Union claim that staff pay has fallen by 20 per cent after twelve years of below inflation pay offers whilst almost 90,000 academic and academic-related staff are employed on insecure contracts.

Research by the National Union of Students shows 73 per cent of students support university staff taking strike action.

A spokesperson for the UCLan said: “Following the recent national strike ballots in relation to the 2021/22 pay award, UCU has confirmed that strike action will take place at UCLan over three days in December 2021.

"Action short of a strike will run continuously from December 1.

“The decision to strike is very disappointing and first and foremost our concern is for our students.

"They have already been through a period of considerable uncertainty and disruption due to the pandemic so we will do everything we can to minimise the strike’s impact by putting contingency plans in place.”

UCLan claim that the nationally negotiated 2021-22 pay award for all university staff provided above inflation base pay increases for all of between 1.5 and 3.6 per cent.

Over half of the employees covered by these negotiations were also eligible to receive progression pay increases averaging 3 per cent.