A TWO day nationwide strike of lecturers at every university in the country has been called in an escalating row over pay, the University and College Union (UCU) confirmed yesterday.
UCU members in higher education will walk out on Wednesday May 25th and Thursday May 26th. They have been offered an insulting 1.1% pay rise while university vice chancellors, some of them who are already on salaries of over £300,000 a year, have been awarded a 3% pay rise.
Because of years of pay freezes or below inflation pay rises, university staff have suffered a real terms pay cut of 14.5% when compared to the soaring cost of living, since 2009. University staff will also begin working to contract from May 25th, which means they will refuse to work overtime, set additional work or undertake any voluntary duties like covering timetabled classes for absent colleagues.
If no agreement is reached in the coming weeks, members have agreed to target further strike action in June and July, and are considering additional action in August to coincide with the release of A-level results.
The union is also beginning preparations for a boycott of the setting and marking of students’ work, to begin in the autumn if an acceptable offer has still not been made. The employer body, the Universities and Colleges Employers’ Association (UCEA) proposed the 1.1% pay offer, which the union has described as ‘an insult’.
The union also countered UCEA’s claim that their offer would amount to a 3% average salary increase once pay progression is included, saying that 54% of union members are already at the top of their pay grade and will not be eligible for an annual increment.
The UCU said: ‘The squeeze on staff salaries comes at a time when pay and benefits for university leaders have increased, on average, by 3%, with the average pay and pensions package for vice-chancellors standing at over £270,000.’
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt said: ‘Members in higher education have sent a clear message to employers that, after six years of real-terms pay cuts amounting to 14.5%, they will not tolerate a continued squeeze on their income.
‘Industrial action which impacts on students is never taken lightly, but staff feel that they have been left with no alternative. A 1.1% offer is an insult to the hard work and dedication of higher education staff, particularly in light of the 3% average pay rise enjoyed by vice-chancellors this year.
‘The ball is now in UCEA’s court, but the employers need to come back to the table with a much improved offer if they wish to avoid significant disruption to students in the coming months.’
