STAFF at the University of Chester’s campus in Padgate will go on strike tomorrow, Friday, in a national row over pay and conditions.

But the university said it will be ‘business as usual’ for students despite the industrial action.

Members of the University and College Union at the university will be on the picket lines from 8.30am to protest against a squeeze on staff salaries.

Employees were offered a pay rise of 1.1 per cent and the union says this represents a pay cut of 14.5 per cent in real terms.

But university vice chancellors will be enjoying a pay rise of 6.1 per cent.

The union has also called for universities to close the gender pay gap after figures revealed that female academics are paid £6,103 less each year than their male colleagues.

Union members are also concerned about the number of staff on zero hours contracts, with almost half of university teachers on insecure job contracts.

UCU regional official, Martyn Moss, said: “Our strike action is a result of the employers’ failure to deal with the declining real-terms pay of university staff, or tackle the problems of growing numbers of zero-hours contracts and the persistent gender pay gap.

“Nobody wants to be out on strike, but we have been left with no alternative. We hope the employers will finally come back to us with a proper pay offer.”

A spokesman for the University of Chester said: “The university will be open for business as usual during tomorrow’s proposed strike (Friday, June 24) and every effort will be made by the university management to minimise any disruption to its students.”