Hitchin's nearest university could see staff including lecturers take industrial action soon.

Staff at the University of Hertfordshire could strike later this year over pay.

The move comes in the wake of the under-pressure establishment also experiencing student unrest with many lectures still kept online despite Covid easing, to the disquiet of many attending the university who pay fees.

The University and College Union (UCU) has confirmed the Hatfield-based university is one of 152 institutions to be balloted next month as part of a national pay dispute.

University of Hertfordshire staff will be balloted on pay and working conditions, with the union raising concerns about unsafe workloads, casualisation and equality failings in institutions across the country.

The University of Hertfordshire declined to comment.

UCU claims pay for university staff fell by around 20 per cent between 2009 and 2019, and expressed disappointment with the the University and Colleges Employers Association's (UCEA) latest offer of a 1.5 per cent increase.

The union is also balloting members at other institutions in relation to a row on potential cuts to pensions.

The National Union of Students has offered its support for staff planning to take action if concerns aren't addressed.

The ballots will run from October 18 to November 4, unless employers resolve the dispute beforehand. The union's higher education committee will meet to consider the results on November 8, with action potentially taking place before the end of the year.

More than 50,000 UCU members took industrial action in early 2020 over similar issues, but members of staff from the University of Hertfordshire were not part of these strikes.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: "University staff propped up the entire sector during the pandemic, but they are now being thanked with huge cuts to their pensions, unbearably high workloads, and another below-inflation pay offer – all whilst universities continue to generate a handsome income from tuition fees.

"The truth is that very well paid university leadership, who manage institutions with bigger turnovers than top football clubs, are choosing to exploit the goodwill of staff, repeatedly refusing to address the rampant use of casualised contracts, unsafe workloads or the shocking gender and ethnicity pay gap in the sector.

"Our members across the UK know that working in a university does not have to be like this and are clear that they are ready to take action to stand up for their dignity, defend pensions and win long overdue improvements to their pay and working conditions. There is still time for university chiefs to resolve a situation which is entirely of their own making, but they must return to negotiations and make credible offers."

A Universities UK (UUK) spokesperson claimed that proceeding with ballots showed the union was unconcerned by "higher contributions, pay cuts, job losses, damage to the student experience and financial hardship for their members" which could be the result of employers paying more into pensions.

A UUK spokesperson on behalf of Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) employers said: "We are disappointed UCU is campaigning for industrial action over reforms to USS, as they have not proposed a viable solution of their own."

It continued: "Employers have asked UCU to put forward alternative proposals, but as yet, none have been forthcoming. By proceeding with ballots, the union appears unconcerned by higher contributions, pay cuts, job losses, damage to the student experience, and financial hardship for their members, that will all result if employers are forced to pay more into pensions.

"We have formally invited UCU to work with employers to develop lower-cost options for members, consider alternative scheme designs – including Conditional Indexation – and review the scheme's governance – these are issues where employers and scheme members share a common desire for change.

The statement added: "Universities are well prepared to mitigate the impact of any industrial action on students' learning, and minimise disruption for those staff choosing not to take part."