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31/10/2013
UK Universities Begin One-Day Strike
Lecturers and staff in higher education have begun a one-day strike in opposition to a 1% pay offer.
The action began at midnight as security guards at Glasgow Caledonian University started a day of shutdown of universities and higher education colleges across the UK.
UNISON members are say they are "upset and angry" at a 1% pay offer that has seen pay fall by nearly 15% over the past four years.
The union claims over 4,000 staff are currently paid below the living wage while over half of vice-chancellors earn over £242,000.
Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said: "Taking strike action is never an easy decision, especially for those already struggling on low pay. With Christmas less than two months away losing a day’s pay is even harder, but it shows just how angry and upset our members feel at this miserly 1% offer.
"Even members earning above the Living Wage are finding their incomes squeezed to breaking point. It is a disgrace that universities are sitting on cash surpluses worth £2bn, but they are not prepared to reward their staff, who are the backbone of our world class university system.
"We know that the total wage bill is falling while staff numbers have increased – that dynamic spells misery for many thousands of families. It is time for university employers to think again about the value that they place on their workforce and come back with a better offer."
(IT/CD)
The action began at midnight as security guards at Glasgow Caledonian University started a day of shutdown of universities and higher education colleges across the UK.
UNISON members are say they are "upset and angry" at a 1% pay offer that has seen pay fall by nearly 15% over the past four years.
The union claims over 4,000 staff are currently paid below the living wage while over half of vice-chancellors earn over £242,000.
Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said: "Taking strike action is never an easy decision, especially for those already struggling on low pay. With Christmas less than two months away losing a day’s pay is even harder, but it shows just how angry and upset our members feel at this miserly 1% offer.
"Even members earning above the Living Wage are finding their incomes squeezed to breaking point. It is a disgrace that universities are sitting on cash surpluses worth £2bn, but they are not prepared to reward their staff, who are the backbone of our world class university system.
"We know that the total wage bill is falling while staff numbers have increased – that dynamic spells misery for many thousands of families. It is time for university employers to think again about the value that they place on their workforce and come back with a better offer."
(IT/CD)
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