LAMPETER university students and staff joined a two-day University and College Union strike against what they say are worsening pay and conditions last week.

Academic and support staff, who are also concerned over the increase in temporary contracts and threats of forthcoming redundancies, demonstrated outside the university’s main gates.

Some staff wore masks to highlight their fears of being identified saying they felt vulnerable due to the latest wave of redundancies.

The strike followed the breakdown of talks between UCU negotiators and the University and College Employer Association held amid growing anger over news that vice-chancellor pay rose by 6.1 per cent last year.

“Regrettably, UCEA made no improvement on the 1.1 per cent pay offer to staff or on measures to address gender inequality and insecure contracts,” said a UCU spokesman.

Students and local residents joined the demonstrators and passing cars honked their horns to show their support for the strike action.

A spokesperson for the university said: “The university received formal notification from UCU that it would be calling its members to take industrial action which would take the form of two days of strike action.

“The university has noted this information and has ensured that there is a process in place to ensure that the quality of the student experience is maintained.”