University staff are to stage a second one-day strike on December 3 in an ongoing row over pay.
Institutions across the UK could be affected by the walkout.
The dispute centres on a 1% pay rise offered to university staff including lecturers, technicians and administration workers which the unions insist means there has been a 13% pay cut in real terms since October 2008.
The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), which represents and negotiates on behalf of universities as employers, said it was “disappointed” with the move.
It has said that, on top of the 1% general pay rise, many university staff get other contributions which will increase pay by 3% overall.
Members of three unions the University and College Union (UCU), Unison and Unite took part in a one-day walkout on October 31, which saw lectures, libraries and university services cancelled, postponed or closed.
Union leaders claimed that many institutions across the country resembled “ghost towns” as their members joined picket lines.
But UCEA insisted that the strike had minimal impact.
The walkout affected 149 universities across the UK, according to the unions, with support services such as catering, cleaning and security hit alongside academic departments.