MORE than 1,000 staff working across five Scottish universities will take part in a 24-hour strike on Friday in a dispute over a real-terms pay cut.

Following a 1.4 per cent pay offer for 2025-26, security staff, cleaners, librarians and administrators announced the walk-out today.

Joint trade unions from Glasgow, Strathclyde, Glasgow School of Art, Edinburgh Napier and Heriot Watt universities highlighted the increase in inflation due to the US-Israeli war on Iran.

They are demanding at least RPI — currently 3.6 per cent — plus 3 per cent or £3,000, to be paid by August 2026, and a minimum hourly rate of pay of £15.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “University workers deserve far better from higher education institutions.

“For years they have had real-terms pay cuts imposed on them which is unacceptable. Inflation throughout this time has soared and now workers are facing another cost-of-living crisis.”