It has been confirmed that staff at 58 UK universities are to go on strike from December 1 to December 3, amid grievances over pensions, pay and working conditions.
The University and College Union called on university leaders to “get round” the negotiating table, warning of further industrial action if staff demands were not satisfied.
The pensions row has been ongoing for several years with the Universities Superannuation Scheme pension fund a recent bone of contention.
A valuation of the pension scheme was conducted in the early weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic when global markets were being hit. The University and College Union has suggested that members’ guaranteed retirement incomes could be as much as 35 per cent lower than previously estimated as a result of this, describing the valuation as "flawed".
Elsewhere, within the Union’s demands are a £2,500 pay rise for its members, an end to zero-hours contracts, and eliminating what it calls “pay injustice”. It has also asked university leaders to crack down on “unmanageable workloads” for staff.
Meanwhile, staff at a further six universities will not strike, but they have voted for other forms of action which may involve working “strictly to contract and refusing any additional duties”. This will start from December 1 and could last for around five months.
Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, said that Universities UK and the Universities and College Employers Association had received prior warning as to how the strikes could have been avoided.
“While we set out pragmatic solutions that could halt widespread disruption to UK campuses, university bosses refuse to revoke unnecessary, swingeing pension cuts or even to negotiate on issues like casualisation and the unbearably high workloads that blight higher education,” she said.
“A resolution to this dispute is simple. But if employers remain intent on slashing pensions and exploiting staff who have kept this sector afloat during a pandemic, then campuses will face strike action before Christmas, which will escalate into spring with re-ballots and further industrial action.”
National Union of Students president, Larissa Kennedy, urged university bosses to return to the negotiating table to avoid further disruption to students on top of the events of the previous two years.
“Staff teaching conditions are student learning conditions,” Kennedy said. “The onus for minimising disruption for students lies with university bosses. They must come back to the table to address the clear issues in how higher education is currently run.”
However, the Universities and College Employers Association has said that the threat of strikes was an “unrealistic attempt” by university staff to try and force university leaders to meet their demands.
Raj Jethwa, CEO of the Universities and College Employers Association, went further, accusing the strikers of aiming to “harm students” with the industrial action being taken.
He said: “We have made repeated offers of joint work in these areas for two years, but the University and College Union has rejected them. The Universities and College Employers Association genuinely wishes to engage on these matters as far as we can at a national level, noting that they are ultimately for local negotiations.”
Universities UK added that the strikes would not address the need for reform to keep the pension scheme affordable, explaining that it was “fully committed to continuing” with talks over its future.
A spokesperson for Universities UK reassured students that they would be able to continue to learn during the industrial action in a bid to avoid more disruption.
“Universities will put in place measures to minimise the impact on students, other staff and the wider university community, and will ensure that students can continue to learn and receive support,” said the spokesperson.
Photo by Dom Fou on Unsplash
