Hundreds of staff at the University of Brighton including cleaners, administrators, library, catering and security workers will begin strike action this week in a dispute over pay, says UNISON.
The workers, some of the lowest paid in the higher education sector, will walk out tomorrow (13 October), Friday (14) and Monday (17) after rejecting a 3% pay award from the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA).
Staff had asked for a pay increase 2% above the rate of inflation, the union says.
With inflation running at almost 10% and further increases likely, the award amounts to a significant pay cut. The wage rise is a long way behind the cost-of-living pressures squeezing household budgets, says UNISON.
UNISON members at the University of Brighton are taking part in action with colleagues from over 20 universities across the UK who are staging a series of strikes over different dates.
UNISON South East regional organiser Louise Barter said: “Low pay has been a massive, and growing, problem in the university sector for upwards of a decade.
“Staff have become expert at stretching their pay to make ends meet. But the shock of the cost-of-living crisis has pushed many to breaking point.
“It’s always a difficult decision to strike but staff feel they’ve been left with no choice. A 3% pay award is nowhere near enough and the employers know it. This ludicrously low increase does nothing to ease the financial pressures for thousands of struggling staff.
“Universities and UCEA must put people before profits and pay staff fair wages. Otherwise, they’ll leave and look for better paid, less stressful jobs.”
Notes to editors:
– Picket lines will be in place throughout all three strike days at the University of Brighton’s City campus, Moulsecoomb campus and Falmer campus for all three days of the strike (13, 14 and 17 October).
– The following case study is for use (the name and job title have been changed to protect the individual’s identity):
Jennifer Smith, an administrator at the University of Brighton, said: “We’ve been asking for a reasonable adjustment to pay – but we’re not listened to. It makes me feel like they do not care about me and what I do. We do so many things behind the scenes that are taken for granted. Without us, the university would be unable to function. With the cost-of-living crisis getting out of control, I need to act now or slip further into debt. My partner and I are unable to save money towards a deposit for a house, even though we’re both working full time. I cannot save for the future. Even if I could, it would take me at least a decade to save up enough for a deposit to buy a home. I live month to month – and with the price of rent, electricity, gas, water and day-to-day living going up – I barely have enough to maintain myself. I’ve been seriously considering whether I should be in the office all week because of the free heating. I cannot see a way out. I truly feel desperate for someone to listen and help me.”
– The strike ballot opened on 22 July 2022 and closed on 26 August 2022.
– The 3% increase is for all staff earning £25,627 annually and above. Staff earning less than this were offered a slightly higher percentage, on a sliding scale, with those earning £17,338 being offered a rise of £1,560 and those earning £24,871 offered a rise of only £771.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
