Tomorrow’s strike in universities across the UK is an historic one. It is the first time that all three unions: UNISON, UCU and Unite, have taken coordinated action and it says loud and clear to the employers that enough is enough.
Across the union members are feeling the devastating impact of the government’s wage freeze and squeeze. Our members in higher education are taking a stand against the 1% they have been offered – it is hardly surprising when we know that more than 4,000 staff are currently paid below the living wage. But I know it is not an easy decision.
Just this week the big six energy companies faced a grilling from MPs over massive increases in the cost of gas and electricity. And standing at the supermarket checkout we can all see the rising cost of food and other essentials. So it is against this background of rising costs and falling pay that the strike is going ahead.
Our members are the backbone of universities – they work hard to support students on campus, they run the libraries, take care of course administration, feed the students, keep them safe, clean their accommodation and university premises, and yet their contribution to university life is so often overlooked.
And the vast majority are low paid. A 1% increase for the lowest paid works out at £11.23 a month – not even enough to cover the latest gas bill rises. By contrast the vast majority of vice chancellors are sitting pretty on £242,000 a year – the equivalent of 18 years’ wages for those on the bottom.
So I will be joining members on the picket line tomorrow to demonstrate UNISON’s full support and backing for the action. And I would urge members across the union to back the strike and join in any lunchtime rallies or marches in their area. Let’s show the employers that it is time to think again and come back with a better offer.