Striking university lecturers warned they could be held liable for student failures

Two universities have warned lecturers that if they go on strike they will be partly responsible for student failures and could face legal action.

In emails seen by the Daily Telegraph, staff at both Reading University and City University, London, were told that by opting to take part in industrial action, due to start on Thursday, they could be liable for damages if students sue for breach of contract.

The threats were likened to “bullying” by the University and College Union.

Teaching staff at more than 60 universities are due to begin a wave of walkouts if a bitter dispute over pensions is not resolved, affecting more than one million students.

The scale of the strike action is understood to be unprecedented on British campuses.

But it will result in cancelled lectures, tutorials and seminars which could have a significant impact on students who pay £9,000 annual tuition fees.

Already, thousands of students from universities including York and King’s College, London, have called for compensation for the loss of teaching hours from the forthcoming strikes.

Almost 1,000 students at City have signed a petition demanding they be refunded more than £1,000 each if their studies are affected.

The university emailed staff a warning that if their participation in strike action does result in a legal claim they may be held liable.

It said: “Individuals choosing to take part in this industrial action will need to be aware that City reserves the right to join an individual member of staff as a party to any claims for damages made against City that have arisen as a result of non-performance of their duties, for example, claims from students.

“As a result, that member of staff may be personally liable for any damages awarded in those claims.”

Staff at Reading University were warned their pay could be cut and that they too could be joined as a party to any claim for breach of contract brought against the university as a result of the action.

Sally Hunt, University and College Union (UCU) general secretary, said: “Some universities are choosing to take a hard-line approach to try and bully staff into not joining the strike action.

“This is utterly counterproductive and, in our experience, treating staff with such contempt only hardens their resolve.”

Members of UCU are due to begin the wave of walkouts after they backed action in an industrial ballot over proposed changes to pensions covered by the Universities Superannuation Scheme which are expected to make them £10,000 worse off each year in retirement.

The two-day walkout this week will be followed by three-day, four-day and five-day strikes into next month.

Further strikes could run into the summer exams season if the dispute is not resolved.

Ms Hunt said union officials were meeting on March 2 to discuss the response from universities to the industrial action and warned that if the dispute is not settled then "nothing is off the table".

The union has a mandate to take industrial action up until July 19, which covers the period when exams are being taken by students and marked.

University employers have said changes to the pension scheme are necessary.

A Universities UK spokesman said: "The USS pension scheme has a deficit of £6.1 billion and the cost of future pensions benefits has increased by one third since 2014.

"To maintain current benefits, overall contributions would have to increase by approximately £1 billion every year.

"We hope that employees recognise that changes are necessary to put the scheme on a secure footing, and that the proposed strike action will only serve to unfairly disrupt students' education.”