UK college employees to stage ‘greatest ever’ strike in November

Workers at 150 UK universities will strike over pay and pensions this month in what unions warned would be the largest ever co-ordinated industrial motion to hit greater schooling.

The College and Faculty Union on Tuesday introduced that greater than 70,000 employees would stroll out on November 24, 25 and 30, except employers made “quick and improved provides”.

The strike is the newest skirmish in a protracted standing battle over stagnating wages, insecure contracts and cuts to retirement advantages at UK universities. It’s also a part of wave of nationwide walkouts as rising inflation squeezes employees’ residing requirements throughout a lot of sectors from well being to move.

Jo Grady, common secretary of UCU, stated employers had been “about to expertise strike motion on a scale by no means seen earlier than”. On November 23 hundreds of college employees will even take motion by working solely their contracted hours and refusing to cowl for absent colleagues.

“UCU members don’t wish to strike however are doing so to avoid wasting the sector and win dignity at work,” Grady stated. “If college vice-chancellors don’t get severe, our message is easy — this bout of strike motion can be just the start.”

UCU has been locked in a bitter dispute with employers over pensions, pay and dealing circumstances since 2018. In February, college employees went on strike for 10 days at nearly 70 establishments.

Beforehand, every UCU department needed to safe its personal mandate and meet a authorized threshold of fifty per cent turnout to allow a strike vote to go forward. Nevertheless, following a change in method, the union has this time sought a single mandate throughout all universities, securing a 50 per cent turnout amongst all members.

Workers at some 150 establishments together with the distinguished Russell Group will participate within the walkouts this month resulting in the cancellation of lectures and disruption to programs for big numbers of scholars.

Grady final week known as on UCU members to ship the “greatest picket strains our union has ever seen”, including that they’d stand alongside “different unions within the motion”.

Lecturers and headteachers in English colleges are presently voting on whether or not to stroll out, with a end result anticipated in January. The Scottish instructor union will announce its personal poll end result this week.

UCU stated that the strikes this month may impression as many as 2.5mn college students however Chloe Subject, vice-president of upper schooling for the Nationwide Union of College students, famous that many on campus however stood “in solidarity” with lecturers.

The union is asking for a “significant pay rise” for workers in response to the price of residing disaster, following the provide of a pay enhance beginning at 3 per cent.

It additionally known as for a reversal of cuts to sector pensions, made to plug an estimated £14bn deficit within the sectors’ pension fund. UCU argued that the deficit was overstated as a result of it was primarily based on a valuation on the peak of the pandemic, and the scheme has since reported a surplus.

The Universities Superannuation Scheme hinted that financial shifts, mixed with current adjustments to the scheme, may permit enhancements for pensions when a brand new valuation is held in March.

Universities UK, which represents greater schooling employers, stated a “extremely risky financial local weather” meant a direct reversal of the pensions determination was not potential.

It stated it could proceed to fulfill the union whereas putting in “measures to guard college students’ schooling” in the course of the strikes.