The University and College Union (UCU) has announced that lecturers and other university personnel will go on strike this month over salary, pensions, and working conditions.
On November 24, 25, and 30, 150 universities will participate in a strike.
The UCU asserts that 70,000 employees will go on strike.
Universities assert that they are “well-prepared” to “defend the education of students.”
Lectures could be canceled or rescheduled for students, some of whom backed earlier strikes by university workers.
UCU stated that employees will also begin non-strike industrial action on November 23, such as refusing to cover for absent colleagues.
The pension issue, which has been ongoing for more than a decade, was sparked by a “faulty valuation” of the Universities’ Superannuation Scheme (USS), a pension fund utilized by university personnel.
They are partially overpaid. This academic year, a 3% pay raise was recommended for personnel, with a 9% increase for the lowest pay categories. But UCU members want a pay increase to account for the rising cost of living, similar to unions in other industries that have advocated for strike action in recent months.
The rate of price increase, or inflation, is the highest it has been in forty years. This indicates that living expenses are increasing faster than wages, leaving employees worse off.
Jo Grady, general secretary of the UCU, criticized vice chancellors’ wages by contrasting them to those of UCU members with “low-paying and unstable contracts.”
She stated, “UCU members do not want to go on strike, but are doing so to save the sector and earn dignity at work.”
Universities UK (UUK), an organization that represents 140 universities, stated, “We recognize that this could be a challenging period for students, who may be concerned about potential disruptions to their education.
“Universities are well-prepared for industrial action and will implement a range of safeguards to preserve the education of students, staff, and the community as a whole”
The National Union of Students (NUS) endorses the demonstration.
Chloe Field, the company’s vice president of higher education, stated that student struggles such as high rents, high tuition fees for international students, and real-term cuts to maintenance support are the result of the university sector prioritizing profit over staff and student well-being, resulting in “huge workloads” for staff.
Raj Jethwa, chief executive officer of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), which represents university employers across the United Kingdom, stated that “disappointment” will permeate the sector.
He stated that the UCU must provide its members with a “realistic and fair evaluation of what is possible” and that all institutions of higher education “want to do more for their great personnel, but any wage increases put employment in danger.
