WINCHESTER University staff were today again on strike amidst rows over pay and pensions.

Around 40 members of staff, including lecturers and UCU (University and College Union) liaison officers, picketed the main entrance on Sparkford Road to stand against recent decisions to cut wages.

It comes just a month after hundreds of university staff across the country held protests against proposals to increase wages by one per cent despite claims of their pay plummeting 13 per cent in real terms over the last four years.

In a speech to the protestors, UCU branch secretary, Simon Boxley, said: “We’re back again. For all of us there’s not been a lot of movement by management but my feeling is this will continue into the next calendar year. We have been talking to our Vice Chancellor. On the one hand we are assured that they are calling for a return to negotiations. That’s good and we will ask for names on the petition to back our Vice Chancellor. On the other hand they are imposing the one per cent so we face another phase in our dispute.

“We have to be realistic and be ready for the next phase. On the very positive note we have asked for the money we are giving up today to be used productively and this means the money has been pledged to go back to the students. I hope any other money we forgo will be used in a similar way.”

Unison representative, Emma Howden, said: “Obviously it’s great to have a good turn-out for the second time and members clearly feel strongly about this.”