Sixty universities across the UK, including the University of Nottingham (UoN), are to be hit by an eight-day strike action from Monday 25 November to Wednesday 4 December.
The action announced by University and College Union (UCU) on Tuesday (5 November) came as a result of disputes over pay and working conditions, and rising pension costs.
At the University of Nottingham, with a turnout of 53% on both ballots, eighty per cent of polled UCU members backed the action over changes to Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) and 75% were in favour of strike over pay and conditions.
In response to UCU’s enquiries, the University of Nottingham said, “the majority of staff are receiving pay rises this autumn of between 3.8% and 5.6%, in addition to a benefits package that includes a 25-30 days’ annual leave, defined pension, sick pay and a range of discounts from major retailers and transport providers.”
Previously, the union threatened with another walkout as an action against the university’s outsourcing plans of IT services, which could affect up to 125 staff working in this department.
Jo Grady, the general secretary at UCU said, “Strike action is a last resort, but staff have made it quite clear that enough is enough and universities can be in no doubt about the strength of feeling.”
The union told that along with the eight strike days, staff will also begin “action short of a strike” when they are back to work, which includes working strictly to contract – not covering for absent colleagues and refusing to reschedule lectures lost for strike action.
In a statement made by the Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner last month, she said that she ‘fully supports’ the action taken by UCU members fighting for fair pay and decent pensions, but also called on both sides to ‘urgently return to unconditional talks’ in order to resolve the disputes.
By Qing Na