DURHAM UNIVERSITY staff have voted to strike over “completely untenable” working conditions after the university slashed hundreds of jobs to make £20 million budget cuts, the University and College Union (UCU) announced today 

Bosses have refused to put in place any workload agreements for staff who remain and rebuffed all attempts to negotiate over working conditions and job security, said the union.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady accused the university of “running roughshod over its own agreed policies and refuses to negotiate over our reasonable demands. 

“University management has axed hundreds of jobs, expects those who remain to take on the additional workload without an agreement over how it will be managed and ignores staff when they raise concerns through the agreed channels.”

UCU said 63 per cent of balloted members voted for strike action on a turnout of 54 per cent.