The University and College Union (UCU), one of EI’s national affiliates in the UK, has planned a coordinated strike action on 31 October with UNITE and UNISON to demand fair pay in higher education. Unions are disappointed that employers refused talks to try and avert a walkout, but said they are still prepared to meet for eleventh-hour talks.
The unions, however, admitted they were not optimistic this would be achieved as the employers had so far refused to talk.
Staff will be on picket lines in towns and cities across the UK from early morning, with many then making their way to local rallies in their area. All three unions said they expected there to be widespread support for the action.
Classes will be cancelled as staff walk out in protest at a pay offer of just one per cent. Staff have faced a real-terms pay cut of 13 per cent since 2008.
Dialogue offer still open
“There is widespread anger over the pay cuts staff have had to endure in recent years and all the reports we are getting is that Thursday's strike will be very well supported,” UCU head of higher education Michael MacNeil said. “We are amazed the employers are still refusing to sit down with us to try and resolve this without any need for disruption. There are precious few hours left now, but our offer of talks remains open.”
The last time there was strike action in universities in the UK over pay was in 2006 when UCU members walked out. This time, colleagues in UNITE and UNISON are also on strike, MacNeil highlighted.
UCU stresses that the cumulative operating surplus in the higher education sector is now over £1 billion and many higher education institutions have built up cash reserves. It deplores that overall staff costs in higher education, as a proportion of income, have fallen from 58 per cent in 2001/02, to 55.5 per cent in 2011/12.
EI: Untenable position for staff
“We urge higher education staff’s employers to reconsider their untenable position and still avert this strike,” EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen said. “Opening faithful negotiations on pay and conditions with organisations representing university staff would lead to a decent offer, avoid disruption to students, and ensure quality education un the UK.”
Follow the hashtag #fairpayinHE on Twitter for updates.
For live reporting from the joint union strike action on 31 October, click here