“The clock is now ticking for the sector to produce a deal or be hit with widespread disruption throughout spring,” UCU general secretary Jo Grady said.

The union, which represents academics, trainers, librarians and professional staff in colleges and universities, said it was demanding better pay after employers set a pay rise worth 3% following more than a decade of below-inflation pay awards.

As the country grapples with double-digit inflation, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under pressure to resolve a wave of industrial actions in Britain that began last year.

The strikes have involved hundreds of thousands of workers and repeatedly disrupted key services like healthcare and rail transport.