Support staff at the University of Gloucestershire are taking strike action over a pay dispute.
Members of UNISON, including library assistants, administrators and IT workers, have walked out after rejecting a proposed 1.4 per cent pay rise.
The union says the offer does not keep pace with the rising cost of living and follows several years of below-inflation pay increases.
It also says the situation is made worse by financial pressures on staff, including higher costs for food, housing and energy.
The strike comes as the university has recently invested around £75 million in its new City Campus in Gloucester.
UNISON argues this raises questions about priorities while staff face what it describes as a real-terms pay cut.
Further strike action is planned for April 21 and 22 as the dispute continues.
Union representatives say staff do not want to strike but feel they have no other option.