University staff across Sussex could go on strike over pay dispute
The University and College Union says staff across the country will vote on taking action next month
Staff at both the Universities of Sussex and Brighton could go on strike later this year.
The University and College Union (UCU) says staff from the two schools will be voting on whether to take action in October, as part of a dispute over cuts to pensions, declining staff pay, the use of casual contacts, unsafe workloads and equality failings.
It claims university staff have been left £240,000 worse off due to rising costs and cuts to benefits over the last decade.
University of Brighton staff will be voting over the issues of pay, workload, casual contracts and equality, while staff at the University of Sussex will be voting on that and cuts to pensions.
Ade Phillips is the UCU's Regional Support Official for the South East. He said: "We have national negotiations with universities and their final offer was 1.5% this year on pay, and that was following an offer of 0% last year where they took advantage of the fact that Covid was happening. Whilst they were still taking in tuition fees, they knew our ability to respond to such a ridiculous offer was negated by our members working from home.
"That's coupled alongside the fact that we've got an attack on our pensions...That's facing a 35% cut, so that will cost, on average for a member, about £240,000...it's an astonishing cut to a pension.
"Pay has been cut over the last decade by 20%. So we're really at a stage where...the race to the bottom just continues or at some point we have to draw a line and say enough is enough".
"These institutions have the money to do this"
The National Union of Students (NUS) has come out in support of the UCU's campaign. Ade says it's "tremendous" to get their backing.
He said: "The students are paying £9,000 a year in student fees...they are in effect consumers as well as students on that basis and so they should rightly be looking at the service they're getting. But what they're seeing is that the service they're getting is being greatly affected by the attacks on working staff.
"We've gone from a situation where staff would work in excess of their contracted hours because they're professionals and they wanted to support students...whereas now we've got to a stage where workloads are so excessive that people are putting in 60 or 70 hour weeks, which is in effect compulsory.
"Clearly we need a more significant offer, or agreement on the pay award itself. The pensions need to be addressed by the VCs (Vice-Chancellors) this is directly attributable to them. We've got universities with reserves of over £46.8 billion, they've got a total income of £41.9 billion. We're not putting pressure on a small business that's hardly surviving, or it's in a cut-throat industry. These institutions have the money to do this".
In response to the concerns raised regarding pensions, a UUK spokesperson on behalf of USS employers said: “We are disappointed UCU is campaigning for industrial action over reforms to USS, as they have not proposed a viable solution of their own. The USS Trustee’s assessment of the scheme’s costs means reforms are needed; no change is not an option. The employers’ reform proposal will prevent harmful and unaffordable rises in contributions. UCU may not like the legal and regulatory constraints pensions operate under, but it is irresponsible to make students and staff suffer as a result.
“The reforms voted for by the Joint Negotiating Committee ensure good benefits can be provided for affordable contributions, but employers will still consider alternative solutions. Employers have asked UCU to put forward alternative proposals, but as yet, none have been forthcoming. By proceeding with ballots, the union appears unconcerned by higher contributions, pay cuts, job losses, damage to the student experience, and financial hardship for their members, that will all result if employers are forced to pay more into pensions.
“We have formally invited UCU to work with employers to develop lower-cost options for members, consider alternative scheme designs – including Conditional Indexation – and review the scheme’s governance – these are issues where employers and scheme members share a common desire for change.
“Universities are well prepared to mitigate the impact of any industrial action on students’ learning, and minimise disruption for those staff choosing not to take part.”
Raj Jethwa, Chief Executive of UCEA, said: “It is very disappointing that UCU seeks to kick-start another campaign to encourage its members to cause disruption for students through potentially damaging industrial action.
“UCEA, representing 146 participating HE employers, concluded the dispute resolution meetings with UCU and other trade unions following the 2021-22 pay round of three negotiating meetings which ended on 7 May. UCEA’s final pay offer guaranteed increases of at least 1.5% and has been implemented by HE institutions as it was due from 1 August. Also, UCEA included in its offer details of proposals for concrete action and further joint work to reduce the gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps.
“The final offer from employers was fair and meaningful in the context of the sector’s ongoing delicate financial situation. We very much hope the trade union members understand the considerable pressures which continue to face their HE institutions. The financial impact of Covid-19 continues to affect these HE institutions, alongside declines in other income sources. These pressures sit alongside the future changes to sector funding and HE institutions have relayed to us that the great majority of the 325,000 sector colleagues covered by the collective negotiations understand the financial realities facing their institutions.”