University of Bristol staff to strike over “insulting” pay offer, says UNISON
Library assistants, administrators and IT workers will be among the support staff at the University of Bristol walking out today (Tuesday) after they rejected a below-inflation pay offer of just 1.4%, says UNISON
Library assistants, administrators and IT workers will be among the support staff at the University of Bristol walking out today (Tuesday) after they rejected a below-inflation pay offer of just 1.4%, says UNISON.
Staff said the offer was insulting, coming on the back of years of wage deals that have fallen behind rising bills and in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.
The workers will be on strike on Wednesday and Thursday (10 to 12 February) after bosses proposed the lowest pay uplift for university staff since 2020.
Recent figures show the average salary of vice chancellors in the Russell Group of research-intensive institutions – which the University of Bristol is a member – shot up by 5% last year.
University of Bristol vice chancellor Professor Evelyn Welch received a 3% pay rise this year – more than double the 1.4% staff have been offered – and now earns £312,600, almost ten times the £33,000 a year average salary of the institution’s staff.
The university head also benefits from free accommodation on campus and, according to the most recent available accounts, racked up annual expenses of more than £4,500 on travel, accommodation and hospitality, says UNISON.
In the recent ballot of university staff, there was 'overwhelming support for strikes'
UNISON head of education Mike Short said: “University workers have suffered years of below-inflation pay offers. So for bosses to come to the table with just 1.4% is nothing short of an insult.”
UNISON South West regional manager Jayne Jackson said: “Staff at the University of Bristol are taking strike action because they're not going to swallow the lowest pay offer in years during a cost-of-living crisis. It's even worse when set against the kind of pay rises those in charge continue to enjoy.”