MNL
THIS WEEK
THIS WEEK
Staff at city universities take strike action from today Staff at University of Liverpool, Hope University and LIPA are taking action over pay and pensions this week. OLI JOHNSON talks to some of those affected
U
niversity strikes are happening again. From today until Friday, 58 universities across the country – including three in Liverpool - will be hit with industrial action. University and College Union (UCU) members were balloted over two issues in November - pension cuts, and pay and working conditions. Three Liverpool institutions are taking part in the union action: the University of Liverpool, Liverpool Hope University and The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA). Uni of Liverpool are striking over both pay and pensions, and Hope University are striking over pay only. LIPA are one of six universities who are seeing action short of strike over pay. This means that their staff will be working strictly to contract and taking on no addition duties. The general secretary of the UCU, Jo Grady, talked about the need for industrial action and how it is needed for universities to take staff concerns seriously. She said: “A resolution to this dispute is simple. But if employers remain intent on slashing pensions
UCU strike in Glasgow.
and exploiting staff who have kept this sector afloat during a pandemic then campuses will face strike action before Christmas, which will escalate into spring with reballots and further industrial action.” Ms Grady added: “University bosses refuse to revoke unnecessary, swingeing pension cuts or even to negotiate on issues like casualisation and the unbearably high workloads that blight higher education.” There have already been multiple strikes this year, in May/June, August and September. Lucy, 19, a second-year law student at University of Liverpool, had her first year of uni completely online, and was greatly affected by the assessment and marking boycott. She said: “It’s really frustrating I only have two contact hours a week anyway for one of my modules, and this week I have none because of the strikes.” Nicole, also 19, a History student at University of Liverpool, also expressed her frustration at the strikes: “The strike this week doesn’t help. It’s annoying because I want to get a first and this will affect my grades.” The UCU are determined and work
The Victoria building at University of Liverpool, Wikimedia Commons very hard in their effort to improve university working conditions, but in the eyes of some students, they are disregarding arguably the most important people at the university, the people who are there to learn and get a degree. The National Union of Students national president Larissa Kennedy’s message to students is that they should be supporting the strikes if they want to minimise disruption in the future. She said: “Many postgraduate students who are on casualised teaching contracts will be striking. The onus for minimising disruption for students lies with university bosses: they must come back to the table to address the clear issues in how higher education is currently run.” Larissa Kennedy also mentioned that university vice-chancellors’ average total pay packets have risen to over £269,000 per year. UCU balloted Liverpool John Moores University staff over pay and working conditions but LJMU didn’t meet the threshold so there will not be strike action before Christmas - however, staff are going to be reballoted before December 1.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
A Hope University graduation in Liverpool. Photo: Flickr
LIPA, Mount Street, Liverpool, Photo: Wikimedia Commons Universities UK represents employers in the pensions talks. It said the strike was supported by only a minority of staff and blamed “members of the influential UCU Left faction” for the breakdown of talks.
The MNL podcast is here LISTEN TO THE LATEST NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE MNL TEAM
7
7
