14 days of walkouts at University of Manchester as part of biggest ever UK strikes

  • Staff at 74 universities will walk out for 14 days in UK’s biggest ever higher education strikes
  • Disputes are over pay and working conditions, and rising pension costs
  • Guardian newspaper forced to move Labour Leadership event from behind picket lines

The University of Manchester will be hit with 14 days of strike action between Thursday (20 February) and Friday 13 March.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) are walking out in two disputes – one over pensions, and another over pay and working conditions – in the largest wave of strikes ever seen on UK campuses.

UCU members will be taking action on:

Week one – Thursday 20 & Friday 21 February

Week two – Monday 24, Tuesday 25 & Wednesday 26 February

Week three – Monday 2, Tuesday 3, Wednesday 4 & Thursday 5 March

Week four – Monday 9, Tuesday 10, Wednesday 11, Thursday 12 & Friday 13 March

 

Striking staff will be on picket lines at all entrances to the university from 8:30am, including:
The Archway to the Old Quadrangle and University Place on Oxford Road, the Samuel Alexander Building and the Arthur Lewis Building.

The disputes centre on changes to USS pensions and universities’ failure to make improvements on pay, equality, casualisation and workloads. Earlier this week, the Guardian had to move a Labour leadership hustings event from University Place to Manchester Central because of the action by UCU members.

UCU regional official Martyn Moss said: ‘It is incredibly frustrating that UCU members are being forced to walk out again to secure fair pay, conditions and pensions. This unprecedented level of action shows just how angry staff are at their universities’ refusal to negotiate properly with us.

‘If universities want to avoid continued disruption then they need to get their representatives back to the negotiating table with serious options to resolve these disputes.’

UCU members at the University of Manchester were among staff at 60 universities who walked out for eight days of strikes before Christmas. They will be joined this week by staff at another 14 institutions, as more UCU branches crossed a 50% ballot turnout threshold required by law for industrial action.

The number of universities being hit by the action is the largest since a nationwide two-day strike in 2016, while the number of strike days is unprecedented. Following the eight-day walkout before Christmas, this latest round of 14 strike days means the total number of walkouts will be 22 by March; higher than the previous record of 14 days in 2018.

14 days of walkouts at Liverpool universities as part of biggest ever UK strikes

  • Staff at 74 universities will walk out for 14 days in UK’s biggest ever higher education strikes

  • Disputes are over pay and working conditions, and rising pension costs

The University of Liverpool, Liverpool Hope University, the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) and Edgehill University will be hit with 14 days of strike action in February and March.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) are walking out in two disputes – one over pensions, and another over pay and working conditions – in the largest wave of strikes ever seen on UK campuses.

UCU members at Liverpool and Liverpool Hope will be taking action on:

Week one – Thursday 20 & Friday 21 February

Week two – Monday 24, Tuesday 25 & Wednesday 26 February

Week three – Monday 2, Tuesday 3, Wednesday 4 & Thursday 5 March

Week four – Monday 9, Tuesday 10, Wednesday 11, Thursday 12 & Friday 13 March

Their colleagues at LIPA will not be taking action on Thursday 20 February or Friday 21 February. They will still be taking the full 14 days and will walk out on Monday 16 and Monday 17 March instead. This is due to a reading week at the start of the action.

Striking staff will be on picket lines each day and are planning to organise teach outs for students and rallies in the city over the weeks of action. There will be a rally from 11.45am on Friday at University Square. Speakers will include Liverpool Wavertree MP, Paula Barker, as well as staff and students.

The disputes centre on changes to USS pensions and universities’ failure to make improvements on pay, equality, casualisation and workloads.

UCU regional official Martyn Moss said: ‘It is incredibly frustrating that UCU members are being forced to walk out again to secure fair pay, conditions and pensions. This unprecedented level of action shows just how angry staff are at their universities’ refusal to negotiate properly with us.

‘If universities want to avoid continued disruption then they need to get their representatives back to the negotiating table with serious options to resolve these disputes.’

UCU members at the three institutions were among staff at 60 universities who walked out for eight days of strikes before Christmas. They will be joined this week by staff at another 14 institutions, as more UCU branches crossed a 50% turnout threshold required by law for them to take industrial action.

The number of universities being hit by the action is the largest since a nationwide two-day strike in 2016, while the number of strike days is unprecedented. Following the eight-day walkout before Christmas, this latest round of 14 strike days means the total number of walkouts will be 22 by March; higher than the previous record of 14 days in 2018.

14 days of walkouts at University of Lancaster as part of biggest ever UK strikes

  • Staff at 74 universities will walk out for 14 days in UK’s biggest ever higher education strikes

  • Disputes are over pay and working conditions, and rising pension costs

The University of Lancaster will be hit with 14 days of strike action between Thursday (20 February) and Friday 13 March.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) are walking out in two disputes – one over pensions, and another over pay and working conditions – in the largest wave of strikes ever seen on UK campuses.

UCU members will be taking action on:
Week one – Thursday 20 & Friday 21 February
Week two – Monday 24, Tuesday 25 & Wednesday 26 February
Week three – Monday 2, Tuesday 3, Wednesday 4 & Thursday 5 March
Week four – Monday 9, Tuesday 10, Wednesday 11, Thursday 12 & Friday 13 March

Striking staff will be on picket lines at all entrances to the university from 8am, including the main campus entrance off the A6, the Alexandra Park entrance and the cycle path entrance next to Bailrigg House.

The disputes centre on changes to USS pensions and universities’ failure to make improvements on pay, equality, casualisation and workloads.

UCU regional official Martyn Moss said: ‘It is incredibly frustrating that UCU members are being forced to walk out again to secure fair pay, conditions and pensions. This unprecedented level of action shows just how angry staff are at their universities’ refusal to negotiate properly with us.

‘If universities want to avoid continued disruption then they need to get their representatives back to the negotiating table with serious options to resolve these disputes.’

UCU members at Lancaster were among staff at 60 universities who walked out for eight days of strikes before Christmas. They will be joined this week by staff at another 14 institutions, as more UCU branches crossed a 50% turnout threshold required by law for them to take industrial action.

The number of universities being hit by the action is the largest since a nationwide two-day strike in 2016, while the number of strike days is unprecedented. Following the eight-day walkout before Christmas, this latest round of 14 strike days means the total number of walkouts will be 22 by March; higher than the previous record of 14 days in 2018.

Tackling Casualisation at Lancaster University

On the back of UCU campaigning on casualisation at Lancaster University the employer has finally recognises that insecurity caused by the use of fixed-term contracts and casual arrangements is bad for business.

UCU North West Regional Office and Lancaster University UCU Branch have negotiated an entirely new policy to combat casual and fixed-term employment. The new policy delivers for UCU members:

  • transferring current fixed-term contracts to indefinite
  • treating research staff with parity, and removing time-limited funding as justification for the use of fixed-term contracts
  • limiting the future use of fixed-term contracts to specific and exceptional situations
  • making clear commitments to pay GTAs and demonstrators for all the work they undertake
  • ensuring casual workers are provided with a contract, are paid on time, and that payment for ad-hoc work is made when the work is cancelled at short notice

This policy represents a significant improvement at Lancaster University, and would be a helpful exemple for other branches tackling casualisation in higher education. UCU branches can obtain a copy from North West Regional Office: henorthwest@ucu.org.uk

Week #1 of strike action in the North West: images from the picket lines

Week #1 is done and the strike is strong!

Below are a selection of highlights from the first week of strike action the HE institutions across the North West. From the excellent support of hundreds of members on picket lines across all the branches to the inspiring and incredibly well attended marches and rallies in Manchester and Liverpool on Monday and Tuesday. Congratulations to the branches at the University of Manchester, the University of Liverpool, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, Lancaster University and Edge Hill University.

 

UCU NW Anti-Casualisation Network – register your interest today!

Dear Colleagues

Please share this message with members particularly those on casual and precarious contracts.

  • Are you on a casual contract in HE or FE?
  • Does your work far exceed your hourly pay?
  • Are you on a secure contract but know of teachers/lecturers who are employed on casual contracts in your institution?
  • In the North West we are planning set up a network of UCU members on precarious employment contracts to enable members to share experiences and work with the union to tackle insecurity of employment. If you would like to get involved email henorthwest@ucu.org.uk or fenorthwest@ucu.org.uk

Did you know…

  • 46% of universities and 60% of colleges use zero hours contracts to deliver teaching.
  • 68% of research staff in higher education are on fixed term contracts, with many more dependent on short-term funding for continued employment
  • Many teaching and lecturing staff are not actually paid for planning and preparation (it’s often included in the rate of pay) which could mean when weighed up, some staff may well be working for below the living wage.
  • UCU believes that high quality education and fair working conditions depend on contracts that give staff stability and continuity of employment. Casualisation is bad for staff and bad for education, yet it’s endemic in our colleges and universities.
  • UCU is working to bring an end to this by building a network to support our members on precarious contacts.  We need members on secure contracts to get behind this and support members who are not.

This year, let us all pledge to speak up for precarious workers in our organisations by;

  • Talking to staff in your faculty/department on precarious contracts
  • Promoting the network at branch meetings
  • Emailing your branch chair/secretary
  • Getting the word out through recruitment events, leafleting.
  • Pledge your support on Twitter/Facebook

If you are on a precarious contract, want to make a difference and get involved in the UCU North West anti-casualisation network please register your interest by emailing henorthwest@ucu.org.uk or fenorthwest@ucu.org.uk

Best wishes

Maxine Looby

UCU North West Regional Committee Anti-Casualisation Officer

71% of university staff say insecure contracts have damaged their mental health

A UCU report says staff are working unpaid, holding down multiple jobs and struggling to pay the bills.

Some hourly paid and part-time academics may be effectively earning less than the minimum wage and this is taking a toll on mental and physical health. Over two-thirds of respondents (71%) said they believed their mental health had been damaged by working on insecure contracts and more than two-fifths (43%) said it had impacted on their physical health. The report warns that the widespread use of casual contracts is damaging the quality of research and the education students receive.

Read UCU’s Counting the Cost of Casualisation in HE here.