Bournemouth University will be hit with eight days of strike action from Monday after no agreement could be reached between university representatives and the University and College Union (UCU) over pay and working conditions.

Staff will be on picket lines at Poole Gateway, on Boundary Roundabout from 8am each day.

Earlier this week, UCU accused universities of “playing games” after their representatives refused to even discuss pay.

The dispute at Bournemouth University centres on universities’ failure to make improvements on pay, equality, casualisation and workloads. In the ballot of UCU members at Bournemouth University, 67% of those who voted backed strikes over pay and conditions.

UCU Bournemouth branch co-chair Marian Mayer said: “Strike action is a last resort, but universities’ refusal to deal with absolutely key issues have left us with no alternative.

“We hope students will continue to put pressure on university vice-chancellors to get their representatives back round the negotiating table for serious talks with the union.”