UCU announces 18 days of strike action

The University College Union (UCU) has announced 18 days of strike action across February and March, meaning more than 70,000 members of staff across 150 universities will walk out as part of a dispute over low pay, poor working conditions and cuts to members’ pensions - including several staff at Car-

Cynnydd i gyllid myfyrwyr Cymru

Nansi Eccott

Pennaeth Taf-od

Mae Llywodraeth Cymru a Gweinidog y Gymraeg ac Addysg, Jeremy Miles, wedi cyhoeddi cynllun i gynyddu cyllid myfyrwyr Cymru gan 9.4% ar gyfer y flwyddyn academaidd nesaf.

Golyga hyn, yn y flwyddyn academaidd 2023-2024, bydd cyllid myfyrwyr Cymru yn cynyddu o‘r £10,710 presennol i £11,720. Daw’r cynnydd mewn ymateb i’r argyfwng costau byw presennol er mwyn sicrhau cymorth a chefnogaeth i fyfyrwyr y wlad yn ystod y cyfnod hwn.

I ddarllen erthygl Nansi am y newidiadau, trowch i dudalen 13 diff. This follows three days of strike action in November, prompted by a pay increase offer of just 3%, equivalent to a 6% real-terms pay cut. The UCEA (the body responsible for negotiating university staff’s pay) has made a revised pay offer in light of this upcoming action, an increase of between 4% and 5%. The UCU described this offer as falling “well short” of their demands in a press release on January 26th. The union’s General Secretary,

Jo Grady, argued that the offer “will do little to protect our members in a costof-living crisis”.

The UCEA, by contrast, has claimed any increase in pay will put jobs at risk, and that this limits any offer they can make.

To read Zacchaeus' article on the reasons behind action, turn to page 9