News
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14th February 2023
concrete-online.co.uk/news/ | @ConcreteUEA
"We want a national s o l u t i o n ." UEA faces 18 days of strike action over six weeks Badriya Abdullah & Ray Khawaja Deputy Editor & News Writer
Once again, UCU (Universities and College Union) members at UEA and around the country are striking to demand a better deal from UCEA (Universities & Colleges Employees Association) regarding pay, working conditions and the decrease of pensions in real terms. At the time of writing, industrial action took place on the 1st, 9th and 10th of February.
Some members may notify students of their strike action beforehand, but they are not obligated to. Thus, classes and lectures may not be announced as cancelled in advance. Disruption to study can be expected should all of the strike days go ahead; however, some staff may not be striking this semester. The Chair of the UEA branch of UCU, Michael Kyriacou, gave more insight into the reasons for the strikes: “There is currently too much work for academics and administrative staff. I’ve had members tell me they’re doing one and a half people’s jobs. That means universities get half a staff member for free. We want a national solution to this.”
Other scheduled strike dates in February are the 14th, 15th, 16th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 27th and 28th. In March, industrial action is planned for the 1st, 2nd, 16th, 17th, 20th, 21st and 22nd, totalling 18 strike days before the Easter break. He then goes into detail concerning the casualisation of staff members. “Chances are, across your degree, you will have been taught by someone who is casualised. Often, associate tutors and PhD students are working, so they get enough money to eat some staff members are on 1-2 year contracts. This is a national issue. We don’t think it’s appropriate as a sector to rely on casual labour.”. Finally, when asked about the matter of pay,
"We don't think it's appropriate for the sector to rely on casual labour"
Michael replied, “Locally and nationally, we’ve seen about 3% in In addition, some staff may opt to terms of pay increase. The private partake in ‘action short of strike’ sector has seen a 7% increase. This (ASOS), which for students most is not professors on hundreds of likely means the refusal to cover any thousands of pounds; this is for junior cancelled lectures or classes that colleagues and those less than that. have been affected by the strikes. If you’re getting paid below inflation, that’s a problem.”
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Concrete/ Jamie Bryson to strike, and if he does, I could miss about three weeks worth of lectures and seminars. I wouldn’t be able to do that assignment to the best of my ability, and I don’t think that’s fair.”
“80.4% of UCU voted to Conversely, an reject the last pay offer” LDC Postgraduate
"No one wants to strike, but that doesn't mean we won't take action"
anonymous student told Concrete, “For those saying they support the strikes in theory but don’t think they are effective, consider all the worker's rights On the 3rd of February, 80.4% of the that have been fought for and UCU voted to reject the last pay offer won, from a 5-day work week to from UCEA, indicating that (at the time minimum wage to mandatory of writing) the furthered scheduled breaks.” These strikes are unlikely to be the dates of striking will continue unless last teaching and learning disruption a “much-improved pay offer is made In response to concerns about we have this academic year, and alongside commitments on workload disruption to learning, David Michael urges students to start a and casualisation.” Nowell-Smith, the Teaching conversation with their lecturers Director for LDC, has stated should they have any more questions. In response to UCU’s statement, UCEA that “the last time there was Alternatively, he is happy to respond has stated, “UCEA’s final offer is an a strike that really impacted to any questions students may have uplift of 8 per cent, with a minimum students, we didn’t have a lot of and can be reached by email at of 5 per cent for anyone earning the asynchronous material that between £31,000 and £65,000.” UCU we now have. I can’t speak for all michael.kyriacou@uea.ac.uk. states this offer would be “equating schools, but I’d like to think that to another significant real-terms pay it does give students something to Unsure of how the strikes will affect cut” as “Over a decade of low pay be getting on with and hopefully you? Please see the all-student email awards from employers have caused minimise the disruption to you.” ' Update regarding upcoming UCU staff pay to fall 25% behind inflation.” strike action' of 25/01/23 or speak to When asked if there was anything lecturers directly he’d like to say to students, Michael Molly Warner, a PPL Academic replied, “No one wants to strike, but Representative, commented that she that doesn’t mean we won’t take is generally in favour of the right to action. What we want is the employer strike, but “I don’t think 18 days is to recognise the situation that the right. Some of the girls I live with sector is in and seriously sit down commute to uni. I think for those and negotiate.” people; it’s impacting them because they’re spending more money they might not have. Personally, I have a summative due on the 26th of March. I don’t know if my lecturer is going
