More than 70,000 staff at 150 universities across the UK are set to go on strike for 18 days between February and March.
The strikes had been called amid disputes over pay, working conditions and pensions. The University College Union (UCU) said ‘the clock is ticking’ for university bosses to make staff a serious offer and avoid disruption. Members of the University College Union at all eight universities in Wales are joining colleagues at 150 institutions across the UK in strike action.
The union is demanding a reasonable pay rise in order to deal with the cost-of-living crisis and end the use of insecure contracts.
Employers imposed a pay rise worth just 3% this year following over a decade of below-inflation pay awards. The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), which represents university employers, made UCU a pay offer worth between 4% and 5% earlier in the year however UCU says the offer is ‘not enough’. Over a decade of low pay awards from employers has caused staff pay to fall 25% behind inflation.
There is also an issue of insecure employment and unfair workload within the higher education sector as there are over 90,000 university staff on insecure contracts and staff work an average of two extra days unpaid per week. In the pension dispute, UCU is demanding employers revoke the cuts and restore benefits.
The package of cuts made last year will see the average member lose 35% from their guaranteed future retirement income. For those at the beginning of their careers the losses are in the hundreds of thousands of pounds.
It is noteworthy that this sector holds £44bn in reserves and a yearly income of over £42bn. According to UCU general secretary Jo Grady, ‘Whilst the cost-of-living crisis rages, university vice-chancellors are dragging their feet and refusing to use the vast wealth in the sector to address over a decade of falling pay, rampant casualisation and massive pension cuts.
‘Staff aren’t asking for much. They want a decent pay rise, secure employment and for devastating pension cuts to be reversed. These demands are reasonable and deliverable by a sector which has over £40bn in reserves.
The strikes will impact nearly 2.5 million students through February and March. According to the UCU, the disruption is entirely the responsibility of university bosses who have refused to make staff fair offers.