Strikes are likely at the University of Sheffield after Easter, after ballot results showed that UCU members voted in favour of industrial action.

Sources confirmed that 74% of members voted to withdraw their labour, with 82% voting to take action short of a strike.

The turnout for the ballot was 57%.

The dispute relates to planned cuts worth £46 million by the university management, with staff redundancies of up to 600 projected.

Restructuring plans, if given the go ahead, will particularly affect parts of the university such as the Department for East Asian Studies and may lead to a number of courses being merged.

Ben Golding, a foundation year student, chose Sheffield because he wanted to study Physics with Philosophy. He was informed that the course would be cut after the UCAS deadline.

It comes as strike action took place last week at Sheffield Hallam University in response to a delay in paying staff the nationally agreed wage increase from the previous academic year.

Strike action at the University of Sheffield’s International College (USIC) was called off last Friday after management withdrew the last of the compulsory redundancy notices if had issued to staff.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) had been involved in the long-running dispute

A meeting will be held tonight at the University of Sheffield Student Union Building at 6pm after students there voted overwhelmingly in a referendum to support staff strike actions.

Dates for any strikes are yet to be confirmed.