The job cuts in Southend are symptomatic of a “growing financial crisis across universities”
higher education
Debates at UNISON’s 2026 higher education conference included threats to jobs, chronic underpay and workplace injustice
‘While senior executive pay gets more obscene by the day, our lowest-paid staff struggle to get to the end of the month and this is not acceptable’
‘What is needed is a sustainable, long-term funding model based on free education, one that values higher education not just for economic output’
University staff are the backbone of campus life, keeping institutions running.
UNISON hosted a drop-in lobby for our Fund Our Future campaign
UNISON members working in universities are facing the brunt of cuts because of a funding model that is ‘not fit for purpose’, as Janey Starling discovers
Behind the headlines, Magazine on the Magazine
site.
Delegates agree higher education sector needs a ‘new start’
Delegates met in Milton Keynes to tackle a wide-ranging agenda
HE members have suffered a real-terms pay cut of around 25% over the last 14 years, due to year on year rises that were below inflation
As the higher education autumn term strike ballot enters its final few weeks, UNISON has been using a new way of encouraging voting
The higher education ballot is open until 31 July
Staff are already leaving for better-paid jobs in supermarkets, warehouses and coffee shops.
HE joint-unions and the employer, UCEA, have released a statement as they move into time-limited talks
Unions and employers to hold conciliation talks in long-running HE pay dispute