On the 25th and 26th May 2015, Universities across the UK engaged in a nationally coordinated strike action. At Coventry University we had pickets both days, and on the Wednesday we held a rally at the Quadrant Club in Coventry with speakers from Coventry UCU, Warwick Uni UCU and Warwickshire Colleges UCU. Both days were a huge success, and as you can see from the above picture, we had many students, staff and residents come and support us.

The University and Colleges Union national dispute has arisen following a pay offer of 1.1% from the employer body, the Universities and Colleges Employers’ Association (UCEA), which the union has described as ‘an insult’. UCU said universities could afford to pay more and that the latest offer does little to address the real terms pay cut of 14.5% suffered by higher education staff since 2009.

The squeeze on staff salaries comes at a time when pay and benefits for university leaders have increased, on average, by 3%, with the average pay and pensions package for vice-chancellors standing at over £270,000. Recently the Times Higher published results of a survey which revealed that the average pay rise for the majority of academic staff was just 1.3% while vicechancellors received an average increase in their salary and benefits of 5.1%. Once large pay-outs to departing vice-chancellors are included the figure is even higher at 6.1%.

But the strike is not just about pay – the full points of the claim include items on casualisation and the gender pay gap:
• Nationally agreed action for institutions to close the gender pay gap by 2020.
• Nationally agreed action for institutions to reduce the proportion of their staff on casual and zero hour contracts and to ensure that their pay reflects the rate for the job of permanent staff.

Wed 25th
8 am – 10:30 am – Friendly picket outside Graham Sutherland building
11 am – 12:30 am – Rally and meeting with speakers from regional branches at the
Quadrant Club in Coventry

Thurs 26th
8 am – 10:30 am – Friendly picket outside Graham Sutherland building
11 am – Head over with us to Birmingham for the regional rally at Irish Centre at 11:30