Bournemouth University (UCU) Strike Calendar

The dispute is over plans to cut 116 academic staff next month (by Thursday 31 July). Bournemouth leaders claim they need to make £20m cuts due to a fall in student numbers. This would see 15 courses permanently closed, including undergraduate degrees in English, politics and anthropology. Overall, including academic and professional services staff, the university is planning to slash more than 200 jobs.

University bosses also want to slash academics' research time and are threatening to tear up union-agreed terms and conditions such as how workloads are managed. UCU said striking staff are standing up for the future of Bournemouth University itself, which is threatened by the rush to cut staff and courses, a path being trodden by management despite the university having been in surplus and holding over £150m in net financial assets.