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Students could face more strike action at universities this term after the academics' union opened a ballot over pay, pensions and conditions.

University and College Union (UCU) General Secretary Jo Grady said the UK's flagship university sector was built on the " exploitation of staff".

They had experienced a decade of pension cuts, collapsing pay and insecure contracts, She Said .

University employers said the prospect of disruption was " disappointing".

The Union is demanding:

a £2,500 pay increase across all pay pointsan end to race, gender and disability pay injusticea framework to eliminate zero-hours and other precarious contractsmeaningful action to tackle unmanageable workloadswithdrawal of pension cuts

The ballot represents a ramping up of the long-running dispute between UCU members and university employers, with staff at 152 institutions being balloted.

A total of 78 of these are being consulted during The Next three weeks over pay and working conditions, with another 68 facing two ballots - over pay and conditions, plus the USS pensions scheme.

The dispute over pensions has been rumbling on for nearly a decade, and has been kicked into action again after what the UCU describes as a " flawed valuation of the USS pension fund" wiped " an estimated 35% off the value of a typical pension".

The pay dispute has led to numerous strike days over The Past two years, and was only paused during the pandemic.

'Dirty secret'

Ms Grady said: " There is a sense that We Are at a Breaking Point and a sense that this is a sector that needs saving. I don't think I can over-articulate that enough.

" The idea that staff would want to go out on strike again could not be further from The Truth . "

She accused institutions of spending their increased fee and research income on extravagant building projects, advertising and advice from consultants, rather than the staff who are teaching Young People .

And she added that " exploitative contracts" were the " dirty secret" of a Higher Education sector which requires students to pay £9,000-plus fees a year for tuition.

The Union estimates that there are some 74,000 staff working on such temporary contracts.

The UCU says pay for university staff fell by 17. 6% relative to inflation between 2009 and 2019.

Since then employers made further below-inflation offers, despite university income from tuition fees growing by a third in The Last five years, it said.

'Fair and meaningful'

The has offered guaranteed increases of at least 1. 5% to the pay spine.

Higher percentage rises were pledged for lower-paid staff, up to a maximum of 3. 6%.

Chief executive Raj Jethwa said: " We Are disappointed that UCU is encouraging its members to ballot for action which is specifically designed to disrupt teaching and learning for students who have endured so many recent upheavals. "

Mr Jethwa continued: " The Final Offer from employers was fair and meaningful in the context of the sector's ongoing delicate financial situation.

" We very much hope The Trade union members understand the considerable pressures which continue to face their HE [Higher Education ] institutions. The financial impact of Covid-19 continues to affect these HE institutions, alongside declines in other income sources. "

He added that most staff understood the " financial realities facing their institutions".

Source of news: bbc.com