The Sheffield branch of the University and Colleges Union (UCU) have announced a second round of strikes as part of their ongoing disputes over “cuts to pensions, falling pay and worsening working conditions”.
Sheffield UCU members are due to walk out for a total of 10 days, starting in February. The first round of strikes will take place from the 14th – 22nd February, with later strike days also planned on the 1st and 2nd of March. Nationally, the strike action is expected to affect over a million students.
This semester’s strikes follow a short stint of industrial action last December, during which UCU-affiliated members of staff at the University of Sheffield and 56 other higher education institutions in the UK walked away from work for three days.
The UCU promised to “escalate its disputes” if its demands were not met after last semester’s industrial action. This time round, UCU-affiliated staff at 68 universities and colleges in the UK will undertake strike action for 10 days, including those at the University of Sheffield.
The UCU claim that higher education staff are at “breaking point” and say that “falling pay, the gender and ethnic pay gap, precarious employment practices, and unsafe workloads” have motivated them to strike, as well as significant disputes over pensions.
The University of Sheffield is yet to comment on the latest round of strikes, though Michelle Donelan, Minister of State for Higher Education, called the strikes “deeply irresponsible”.
