University staff walk out over calls to return to the office three days a week
University of Liverpool employees – who receive a guaranteed, inflation-linked pension for life, along with a generous tax-free lump sum – will walk out on Friday and Saturday to coincide with the university's open days.
Members of the Unite union accused the university's leadership of 'riding roughshod' over the 'well-being and personal lives' of staff members.
Current rules dictate that employees in administrative roles must come into work two days a week, but bosses are demanding staff attend in-person for three days.
A University of Liverpool spokesman said the new requirement for staff to be in attendance 60pc of the working week is 'intended to strike the right balance as a face-to-face higher education provider'.
They added: 'It will both enhance the experience of campus for our students and improve the impact colleagues have in their roles by spending more time together, whilst retaining the benefits and positives which staff value about working remotely.'
But the changes have come in for criticism from the 340 staff members poised to walk out on Friday.
One staff member said: 'It takes me 15 minutes on the train, but 45 minutes walking to get to campus. Now I'm hybrid working, I have to carry a backpack with all my work gear which can weigh up to 10kg due to laptop, headphones, lunch and anything else required for a day away from home.
'By the time I've finished two days on campus, I am so tired physically and mentally that I'm good for nothing the following day.'
Unite said university managers have begun scheduling more in-person meetings ahead of the rule change.
Unite regional officer, Sam Marshall, said: ' Strike action will cause huge disruption across the university campus, but this is entirely the fault of university management which has refused to listen to its workers and openly negotiate.
'The University of Liverpool leadership can stop the planned industrial action by being willing to negotiate in good faith.'
Industrial action in Liverpool comes after staff in Edinburgh walked out this month. They went on strike amid disputes over senior management's plans to cut £140m from the university's annual budget, and its refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies.
As university employees go on strike, students are being saddled with ever-increasing debt after finishing their degrees. Figures from the Student Loans Company show loan balances were £5,000 higher in 2024-25 than the year before, with the average coming in at £53,000.
Strikes from university staff come after civil servants threatened to not to work over new rules demanding more in-office working.
Civil Service heads of department have reiterated a minimum office working threshold of 60pc for officials, with senior managers expected to exceed this amount.
The so-called '60:40 rule' was introduced by the Conservative government in November 2023 and, at the time, was opposed by unions.
The Labour government indicated it might change the policy when it came to office in July, but has stuck with it.
The University of Liverpool said 'individual adjustments can be made where necessary' for staff members with personal circumstances which hinder a 60:40 model.
A spokesman said: 'Formal consultation with our recognised trade unions has taken place in line with our agreed procedures and, while agreement was not reached, dialogue has been maintained to try to resolve the remaining areas of concern raised.'
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