The University and College Union voted again in the last week of October for further action to be taken. They described this as a ‘historical ballot’. 70,000 university staff from 150 UK universities voted. They voted to take action on three things: pay, working conditions and pension and all saw over 80% voting in favour of the action. The last vote in November 2021 was followed by a stream of strikes early this year.
Despite the reasoning behind the votes, students are still frustrated at the news that they will be subject to more missing content, catch-up work, and self-learning. As justified as these frustrations are, I think we need to consider the context behind the industrial action they have taken and plan to take in the coming months.
Last year, UCU strikes disrupted teaching across universities for ten days between February and March. As put on their website, the dispute was about “a 20% real terms pay cut over the past 12 years, unmanageable workloads, pay inequality and the use of exploitative and insecure contracts.” When seen in figures, it is understandable why they decided to strike.
A member of university staff commented that: “The employers are making us poorer and poorer as our workload increases. No trade union would allow this to happen without resisting. We do not undertake industrial action lightly, and it has a high financial cost for us, but we feel we have no choice.”
This time, the reasons are slightly different. In the first ballot, for pay and working conditions, the union is demanding a pay rise in line with inflation, and that is sufficient in this cost of living crisis. In the second, on pensions, the union is demanding employers take back the 35% cut made earlier this year.
Students generally think that the industrial action that has and will be taken is unfair and impacts their studies. It is okay to feel frustrated, but we have to know where to direct our frustrations. But we should not ignore the facts – the university staff deserve fair pay that is in line with inflation, job security that doesn’t rely on short-term contracts, and fair pensions that don’t get cut unexpectedly, just as much as someone in any other sector. This means that when they do not receive this fairness, they have to take action.
The university staff understand the frustrations felt by students, but acknowledge that they can’t take away from the bigger message – as outlined by a member of staff at the university, who is a member of the UCU: “I understand that further industrial action will be harmful to students, and that’s regrettable. But the universities’ treatment of their staff is not just unacceptable to us, but is seriously harming the entire higher education sector.”
They continued: “Our pensions—which were never very generous—are being cut by 35%, even though it’s been demonstrated that this cut is financially unnecessary. And we are being offered a pay rise of just 3%, at a time when RPI—the measure of inflation that includes housing costs—is 15%. And this is not an isolated fact: most university staff have not had a pay rise equal to inflation in 13 years, and our pay has already declined by around 27% in real terms.”
Tory austerity alongside the cost of living crisis means it is not shocking that workers are striking. Postal workers went on strike not long ago, train drivers are striking every other week – the Royal College of Nurses has also announced strike action this week. This just shows that the issue is not just with how the universities are treating their staff; the problem runs deep into the public sector.
So, is student resentment justified? Or should we picket in support? I know a lot of people that would, and a lot of people that wouldn’t. I think it would be unreasonable of us to not support the strikes, because the decision to strike is not one made lightly.
As Rosa Vince, a Sheffield UCU member, and lecturer in philosophy said: “The decision to take industrial action isn’t easy, and it’s never taken thoughtlessly. Staff don’t get paid when we’re on strike; for those of us on part-time contracts, temporary contracts, hourly-paid and casualised staff, losing that pay is a really difficult sacrifice to make. We’d much rather not have to do it, but higher education needs urgent change”.
They continued: “Staff and students need the same things: if the university doesn’t pay staff properly, doesn’t employ enough staff, and piles their workload too high, then staff don’t have time to give adequate support and feedback, to reply to students emails, or to improve teaching materials or resources. We all need to fight for better working and learning conditions. If we can show university bosses that staff and students are willing to fight for those better conditions, we have a chance at getting what we all need.”
After strike action in the last academic year, the UCU had some demands met. But obviously this has not gone far enough, and it is clear that universities do not really care about the effect their policies will have on staff and students.
Last year, according to the UCU, UK universities generated a ‘record’ income of £41.1bn. £45 million went to vice chancellors. If we do the maths – this means that from 160 universities, 160 vice chancellors made around £250,000 each last year – according to online sources, the average salary for a lecturer in Sheffield is £33,500. This pay can of course vary depending on the position one holds in the university – senior lecturers can earn anywhere up to £50,000 a year, and professors up to £90,000. Even a higher salary in this range is still £110,000 less per year than a vice chancellor. When looking at it like this – the split doesn’t seem fair.
Figures like these show how the UCU have every right to dispute pay discrepancies and the staff right to secure retirement. But when placed against a background of inequity in the sector, it seems fair that the UCU demands more, and the University and Colleges Employers Association listens.
But how can we as students help? We can direct our frustrations away from staff and toward the university. We can send emails to university management and our vice chancellor in support of those on strike and we can educate ourselves on the importance of industrial action, learning more about why the UCU are striking and what we can do to support them.
