UCU Announces Strike Action: What, Why, So What?

How will the strike action impact Cardiff and other Universities

Zacchaeus Hayward Contributor

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 Cardiff. 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”.

Rishi Sunak Receives Fine for Not Wearing Seatbelt

Megan Huws Contributor

On the 20th of January, Rishi Sunak received a Fixed Term penalty notice for his failure to wear a seatbelt in a levelling up campaigning video. This follows the fines which both he and Boris Johnson received for gatherings which were held during lockdown.

During a trip to northern England, to promote the government ‘levelling up’ fund, which promises millions of pounds of grants, Sunak filmed a video to promote the fund.

In this video posted to Sunak’s Instagram, the Prime Minister talked about the grant while a passenger in the back of a car. Followers were quick to notice that he was not wearing a seatbelt, resulting in the Lancashire Police announcing that Sunak has been fined. Whilst the amount of the fine has not been released, it could be up to £500 if the case goes to court. The video has since been deleted from his Instagram account.

over a third of academics are working on fixedterm temporary contracts, with no guarantee of security or stability.” many of whom feel overworked and underpaid in their unstable employment.

Whilst Sunak was fined for a law which passengers over the age of 14 are expected to understand and follow, those around him were quick to point out that it was a human mistake. No. 10

Sunak was fined for a law which passengers over the age of 14 are expected to understand and follow” more than 70,000 members of staff across 150 universities will walk out as part of a dispute”

The UCEA, by contrast, has claimed any increase in pay will put jobs at risk, and that this lim - its any offer they can make. Furthermore, the pay body has suggested that the structure of their proposed pay increase - which favours larger increases for those on the lowest salaries - is fair and equitable. Representatives from UCEA have supposedly likened the UCU’s conditions to an “April Fools’ joke’’ as negotiations continue. Grady has responded to this, saying that the current offer is not “the limit of what a sector with over £40bn in reserves can afford.”

Furthermore, UCU spokespeople have argued that universities’ failure to address widespread use of temporary contracts and the consequences of below-inflation pay rises for over a decade mean that the offer simply does not address the union’s concerns. Data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) reveals that over a third of academics are working on fixed-term temporary contracts, with no guarantee of security or stability. Additionally, a report commissioned by the UCU found that university staff are working an average of two unpaid days a week to meet the goals universities are demanding of them. These factors combine for a tangible frustration from staff, has said that Sunak “fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised” and emphasised that he will pay the fine. Dominic Raab supports the PM, explaining that he was “a human being doing a demanding job” and had “put his hands straight up” and apologised. The Conservative MP for Blackpool South, Scott Benton also supported Mr Sunak, explaining that “everybody makes mistakes”, and went on to say that the police should focus on more serious crimes, as millions of Britons make the same mistake.

What does all this mean for students? In short - cancelled lectures and disrupted learning. However, while some students have criticised the strikes, many have been more supportive - the Student’s Union AGM voted to back striking staff in December. In a powerful speech to a UCU rally on the steps of the Senedd, Cardiff student Nathan Mintz captured this supportive spirit: “this cycle of universities demanding more and more from their lecturers and their staff without providing the benefits and the means to warrant it - it’s time that ends”. It appears many students are willing to stand by their lecturers, on the principle espoused by National Union of Students Vice-President Chloe Field - that “teaching conditions are learning conditions”, and that well paid lecturers in good conditions provide a better education than they could on the proposed pay deal.

However, many have criticised Sunak’s actions, as he actively chose to dismiss the law about seatbelts. The Liberal Democrat party has highlighted that he has “shown the same disregard for the rules as Boris Johnson”. Whilst not wearing a seatbelt may not be on the same level of disregard as Boris Johnson’s breaking of lockdown rules, many argue that this mistake still shows that Sunak believes himself to be above the law.

India hosts its maiden G20 Summit amid global concern

Akash Dhanurkar Contributor

India kickstarted its one-yearlong presidency, taken on from Indonesia in 2022, of the G20 group by hosting a summit. New Delhi hosted its maiden summit on the 17th of January 2023 in Pune, a town in the Maharashtra state of India. The two-day meeting was hosted under the flagship theme of “Financing Cities of TomorrowInclusive, Resilient and Sustainable”.

Discussions at the meeting included: making cities economic hubs for growth, funding urban infrastructure, creating future-ready infrastructure, the contribution of cities to achieving sustainability goals, managing fiscal investments to unlock private financing for energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable infrastructure, and reducing social inequalities.

G20 members, which contribute around 85% of the global GDP and 75% of the global trade, have been hosted by 17 presidencies. India assumed the role from 1st December 2022 and is expected to hold over 200 meetings across 50+ locations

G20 members...contribute around 85% of the global GDP” in the country in 2023. The finance track built for the G20 summit and meeting concentrated on important topics such as finance for sustainable growth, funding for health care, financing for infrastructure, and financing for policy changes in the financial sector. In addition to two initiatives, G20 EMPOWER (which aims to empower women and accelerate their leadership in the private sector by leveraging alliances between business leaders and G20 countries) and RIIG, the dedicated Sherpa Track shed light on thirteen issues, including anti-corruption, agriculture, the digital economy, and climate change (Research and Innovation Initiative Gathering aims to enhance and strengthen research and innovation collaboration among the G20 member countries).

India assumed the presidency at a time when the post-pandemic global economic crisis and war in Ukraine by Russia, which is a part of the G20, left the geopolitics in turmoil. The reports suggest that there have been no discussions at the summit on building diplomatic solutions to scale down tensions between Russia and the western powers. The Russian delegation, which was a part of the summit in India, was earlier expected to snub the event amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine, followed by tension with NATO countries.